What's so great about the sport of golf? (1 Viewer)

[Good Posting Judge]

Haha. Laughable. 

Could you beat up Manny Pacquiao in a street fight?

 

[The General]

Happened to me decades ago. I was the king of Joust and Pong.  Next thing you know I was sweeping the streets I used to own.

I once had all 3 top scores in “Discs of Tron”

JCM was legendary in Aladdin’s Castle at the College Mall.

 

[The General]

Let’s not forget BarnRat

The BarnRat threw down 360 windmills in high school. 

 

[Judge Smails]

The majority of the golfers on the PGA had to choose golf full time over other sports at the age of 13/14.  Some keep playing other sports (see Gary Woodland who had a scholarship offer to play hoops).  But to be great at golf requires almost all of your time to improve.  These guys are athletes and can do things none of us posting here can do - excel at a sport to the point where it's your livelihood.  

Joking aside there is no doubt.  Yesterday’s golfers were skilled but weren’t the fittest.  Often  smoked. Drank every night. Tiger changed all of that.  Now the great majority are super conditioned, cross trained athletes who take all aspects of their health including nutrition very seriously. And they do exercises centered on core to gain swing speed.  They are athletes. 

The only argument that could be made otherwise is the domination by Asians on the LPGA. One could argue the best female athletes aren’t centered in Asia per se. But the willingness to put time required to master a skill through endless hours of repetition puts them ahead of others. No different than piano, cello, etc. Need ability but power is a little less important and the precise skill can be mastered with enough time. 

 

[Ketamine Dreams]

Oh please.  If you played Gary Woodland one vs one in hoops to a score of 10, you'd not score a point.  If you faced Dustin Johnson in the batter's box, he'd strike you out in 3 pitches.  And Brooks Koepka would knock your manhood in the dirt if you lined up against him.  But cool bench stats, bruh.

Uh whatever bruh

 

[Joe Mammy]

I started playing golf when I was about 9. My dad would let me use his clubs and he bought me a Patty Berg driver. We lived across the street from a nice course in S. Miami and my neighborhood hooligan young buds and I  would sneak out on the course in the afternoons and squeeze in 3-6 holes almost everyday. Or sometimes I'd just take my putter over and practice on a vacant green. I would watch Julius Boros every Sun playing Augusta with a different pro in the 60's.

I played my whole life until about 4 years ago (I'm 61) and loved it. Then I discovered Pickleball- a literal game changer. It requires skill, precision and dexterity. Plus I get a real workout in a 2 hour session and it's free.

I love to watch the majors and watch as much is available. Gambling plays a huge role here and I probably would not even watch the majors without the action. 

 

[Tool]

Joking aside there is no doubt.  Yesterday’s golfers were skilled but weren’t the fittest.  Often  smoked. Drank every night. Tiger changed all of that.  Now the great majority are super conditioned, cross trained athletes who take all aspects of their health including nutrition very seriously. And they do exercises centered on core to gain swing speed.  They are athletes. 

The only argument that could be made otherwise is the domination by Asians on the LPGA. One could argue the best female athletes aren’t centered in Asia per se. But the willingness to put time required to master a skill through endless hours of repetition puts them ahead of others. No different than piano, cello, etc. Need ability but power is a little less important and the precise skill can be mastered with enough time. 

Is a golfer ever out of breath? No. Not really athletes. I mean one can classify them as athletes but it's a pretty loose definition of the term.

 

[Galileo]

Disc golf >>>>>> golf

I suck at both

 

[Quint]

Is a golfer ever out of breath? No. Not really athletes. I mean one can classify them as athletes but it's a pretty loose definition of the term.

At a PGA level? Probably not. 

That said, I’ve played a few courses (e.g. Mayacamas in Santa Rosa) where the elevation change hole to hole, along with overall course distance/difficulty, left me gasping and sore at the end of 18. 

 

[Terminalxylem]

Joking aside there is no doubt.  Yesterday’s golfers were skilled but weren’t the fittest.  Often  smoked. Drank every night. Tiger changed all of that.  Now the great majority are super conditioned, cross trained athletes who take all aspects of their health including nutrition very seriously. And they do exercises centered on core to gain swing speed.  They are athletes. 

The only argument that could be made otherwise is the domination by Asians on the LPGA. One could argue the best female athletes aren’t centered in Asia per se. But the willingness to put time required to master a skill through endless hours of repetition puts them ahead of others. No different than piano, cello, etc. Need ability but power is a little less important and the precise skill can be mastered with enough time. 

I'm not doubting this applies to some, but to the untrained eye, it doesn’t appear true for the majority of golfers. 

Also, why are you assuming Asian women aren’t good athletes?

 

[encaitar]

I'm not doubting this applies to some, but to the untrained eye, it doesn’t appear true for the majority of golfers. 

Also, why are you assuming Asian women aren’t good athletes?

It's actually the case for 70%+ of the golfers today.  Patrick Reed, who would've been considered a fatass 2 years ago, has lost 40 lbs the last year and is working out 3+ hours a day.  Just about every good golfer puts almost as much time in the gym now as they do on the practice range.  It's a different game today than it was in Hal Sutton's day.

 

[Terminalxylem]

It's actually the case for 70%+ of the golfers today.  Patrick Reed, who would've been considered a fatass 2 years ago, has lost 40 lbs the last year and is working out 3+ hours a day.  Just about every good golfer puts almost as much time in the gym now as they do on the practice range.  It's a different game today than it was in Hal Sutton's day.

Do you have a source for your numbers? 

 

[RUSF18]

Anyone ever watch NBA clips from the 60s/70s? Maybe 10% of those guys have what you would consider "athleticism" today.

 

[Tool]

It's actually the case for 70%+ of the golfers today.  Patrick Reed, who would've been considered a fatass 2 years ago, has lost 40 lbs the last year and is working out 3+ hours a day.  Just about every good golfer puts almost as much time in the gym now as they do on the practice range.  It's a different game today than it was in Hal Sutton's day.

Even if true, who cares. Being in reasonable shape does not make someone an 'athlete'.  My dad's in his 70's and works out a couple hours a day.

 

[BobbyLayne]

You learn more about someone during a round of golf than you will in a decade of knowing them off the course.It reveals so much about character, consideration, determination, integrity, perseverance, responsibility.

Watching a golf telecast, outside of The PLAYERS, majors and Ryder Cup, is pretty dreadful. Even then it’s mostly background noise while I cook or do something else. I like to move; passive, sedentary relaxation is not my cup of tea.

Love and respect the game. Grew up with it, have played it for 45+ years, studied its development, history and course architecture. But I can’t sit down and watch it. Ditto for any sports, really. I’ll watch condensed broadcasts and I read about sports daily, but time is precious.

 

[CGRdrJoe]

At a PGA level? Probably not. 

That said, I’ve played a few courses (e.g. Mayacamas in Santa Rosa) where the elevation change hole to hole, along with overall course distance/difficulty, left me gasping and sore at the end of 18. 

Indian valley in Novato is a mofo to walk with all the elevation changes, it's a work out in itself. Now the important part, are you a member at mayacamas?

 

[Quint]

Indian valley in Novato is a mofo to walk with all the elevation changes, it's a work out in itself. Now the important part, are you a member at mayacamas?

1. Yes, Indian Valley is “cart only” for me. 

2. No, I don’t have FBG money for Mayacamas. 

 

[Binky The Doormat]

Anyone ever watch NBA clips from the 60s/70s? Maybe 10% of those guys have what you would consider "athleticism" today.

you know what else they aren't?  TRAVELERS!!!!

IT'S A STEP AND A HALF MOTHER ####ERS!!!

 

[Pipes]

I do not understand the fascination with the golfers are not athletes argument.  So what?  Skill is most important, but the better physical condition you're in the better you are at the game. 

Agreed.  I laugh at anyone who says Tiger Woods or Brooks Koepka aren't athletes.  Come on.  You don't have to be a great athlete to be great at golf but it does help.

 

[CGRdrJoe]

1. Yes, Indian Valley is “cart only” for me. 

2. No, I don’t have FBG money for Mayacamas. 

You live in the north bay?

 

[Quint]

You live in the north bay?

Yep, in Sonoma. 

 

[CGRdrJoe]

Yep, in Sonoma. 

We should play!

 

[Quint]

We should play!

Hit me up....I’m usually good for Sunday/Mondays. 

 

[Apple Jack]

1. Yes, Indian Valley is “cart only” for me. 

2. No, I don’t have FBG money for Mayacamas. 

Is Indian Valley a relatively new course? I don't recall it being there when I lived in the area. Played most of my north bay golf at Fountaingrove and San Geronimo.

 

[Quint]

Is Indian Valley a relatively new course? I don't recall it being there when I lived in the area. Played most of my north bay golf at Fountaingrove and San Geronimo.

IV has been around for a good while. I played SG once, and it may be shut down now. Never got on at Fountaingrove, but heard it’s similar to Mayacamas in elevation change (and I think they’ll allow you to ride instead of walking only). 

I usually get on at Oakmont West (short drive from home), and have played a good number of North Bay tracks. Bodega Bay is probably my favorite, though the wind can get nasty in the late afternoon. 

 

[Apple Jack]

IV has been around for a good while. I played SG once, and it may be shut down now. Never got on at Fountaingrove, but heard it’s similar to Mayacamas in elevation change (and I think they’ll allow you to ride instead of walking only). 

I usually get on at Oakmont West (short drive from home), and have played a good number of North Bay tracks. Bodega Bay is probably my favorite, though the wind can get nasty in the late afternoon. 

I see Fountaingrove is private now. It used to be public and when I left its future was up in the air as the Japanese investors who owned it were desperate to sell and couldn't find buyers.

 

[CGRdrJoe]

Hit me up....I’m usually good for Sunday/Mondays. 

Sounds good, I just got stitches in my wrist but should be good to go in a couple weeks. 

For the Indian valley question, I’ve lived up here basically 20 years and it’s been here since I’ve lived here. It’s a great course once it dries out after winter. 

 

[Apple Jack]

Sounds good, I just got stitches in my wrist but should be good to go in a couple weeks. 

For the Indian valley question, I’ve lived up here basically 20 years and it’s been here since I’ve lived here. It’s a great course once it dries out after winter. 

I talked to a friend and he says I've played it. No recollection.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

I live on a course (LAM!). Our backyard is right around where most drives land, it's a par 4 that's about 380 yards. If you're on the left side of the green, near us, you have to carry a swamp that's deceptively longer than it looks. I see people conk balls into that thing all day, and it's really a metaphor for the hubris of mankind.

 

[rockaction]

I live on a course (LAM!). Our backyard is right around where most drives land, it's a par 4 that's about 380 yards. If you're on the left side of the green, near us, you have to carry a swamp that's deceptively longer than it looks. I see people conk balls into that thing all day, and it's really a metaphor for the hubris of mankind.

Couldn't it be about imperfect knowledge or the failure of sensory perception? Why hubris, if it's deceptively short by according to all the information that one has?  

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Couldn't it be about imperfect knowledge or the failure of sensory perception? Why hubris, if it's deceptively short by according to all the information that one has?  

If you really take a look at it, after a few seconds, you can really gauge that there's more swamp that you have to carry than you think. But I think SOME people *cough* *Americans* *cough* never really take the time to study a situation, we just barrel on in.

Wish I could post a map, but most of the women of FBG are stalking me and I can't end up with another ___________ in my closet at night scenario.

 

[Apple Jack]

I live on a course (LAM!). Our backyard is right around where most drives land, it's a par 4 that's about 380 yards. If you're on the left side of the green, near us, you have to carry a swamp that's deceptively longer than it looks. I see people conk balls into that thing all day, and it's really a metaphor for the hubris of mankind.

See 12 on Sunday at Augusta this year.

 

[rockaction]

If you really take a look at it, after a few seconds, you can really gauge that there's more swamp that you have to carry than you think. But I think SOME people *cough* *Americans* *cough* never really take the time to study a situation, we just barrel on in.

Wish I could post a map, but most of the women of FBG are stalking me and I can't end up with another ___________ in my closet at night scenario.

Natch. I stand corrected. Sorry about the wimmins. Must be crazy.  

 

[sports_fan]

It's the ideal sport to have on in the background. If I'm doing something labor intensive, I'll sit down and watch a couple of holes as a break before getting back to work. I can skip a few holes here and there without feeling like I'm missing anything significant. It's easy to just check in from time to time and keep track of the overall progress. I just like to watch sporadically throughout and then the last couple of holes. It's pretty rare for me to watch a full round straight through though.

 

[Henry Ford]

Everyone has to be quiet and kids get bored and leave.  That’s what’s great about golf. 

 

[Jefferson the Caregiver]

As for watching I don’t like to watch easy courses where these guys shoot 25 under. No John Deere classics with lesser fields and lesser tests.

I watch a lot of golf but totally agree with this statement.