BARBARA TAYLOR
Blog: June-July 2013
Is Golf A ‘Real’ Sport?
…This Blogger And
Choice Phillips Speaks Out!
This Blogger and golfer Choice Phillips applaud golf being reintroduced to the Olympics and speak out on Golf a “Real” Sport?
I am not one to blog on controversial issues; however, I was bemused by a recent article in one of the leading golf publications that polled famous athletes, who played golf. The question asked was “Is Golf a sport?” Now that I think about it, it’s a stretch to consider this question a worth while controversial issue…howeve.r whether golf is a sport is an age old debate.
So—I now ask you, is golf a sport or a game? A pastime or an athletic event? The American Heritage dictionary calls it a “game,” but Wikipedia calls it a “sport”. Wonderful.
Is a sport a sport only because it uses major muscle groups and causes major perspiration, are finesse and intelligence a consideration? It has been said that people who say that golf isn’t a sport, generally don’t either like golf or respect golf, just as I don’t like or have respect for wrestling, and I surely don’t look as it as a sport. However it’s considered a sport and ironically was and is selected to be in the Olympics, again I say, wonderful. Bottom-line, you like what you like, and what you like has a tendency to prejudice your thinking, whether it’s right or wrong.
I totally agree with the views on this subject with sports writer Mike Gross who states that the bases of the contention that golf isn’t a sport is some subjective sliding scale of “strenuousness.”
Is walking 18 holes in 95 degree heat in the U.S Open less strenuous than playing leftfield in a major league baseball game? Or being an NFL placekicker? In my opinion golf is closer to, let’s say, baseball in strenuousness than baseball is to triathlon. That’s what meant by subjective sliding scale—where is the line drawn? It is also said that for an activity to be a spott, it must be (1) inherently competitive, and (2) require, in order to compete, athletic movements. Now let’s face it there are many things like ballroom dancing, that are athletic and not a sport. And on the flip side there are many things like playing cards, and chess that are competitive and not sports. It has to be both.
Inherently competitive means the act of doing the activity is an act of competition. Judged performance is inherently competitive. Thus figure skating is NOT a sport.
Going back to criterion (2) stating that athletic movements requires at least a couple of the following-speed, strength, agility, stamina, physical coordination, reflexes, flexibility, visual acuity, muscular and body control, and the beat goes on!! The golf swing is obviously an athletic movement, and the game/sport is among the more inherently competitive activities created by “Golf–a- tier’s.” Of Course golf IS a sport.
Despite national recognition, and being one of the oldest sports around, golf has also failed to receive the national recognition it deserves, many think it’s because it has not been recognized as a sport. Golf has been absent from he Olympic games for the past 109 years. However many records show that the sport was removed due to minimal country wide activity. In 1900, only athletes from France, Great Britain, Greece and the United States competed for a total of 22 golfers, while just Canada and the United States entered in 1904. In addition, the tournaments were highly considered, by The International Olympic Committee to be totally unorganized.
While not much has been said as to the why, but the International Olympic Committee chose to re-introduce the sport in the 2016 Summer Olympics, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, sometime in August, and is to feature two events, the men’s and women’s individual events.
By now I know you are totally confused. I know I am, and I wrote this. (Smile). So, I took it to the streets (figuratively speaking) to try and find the most vocal, quick thinking, intelligent, philosophical, tell it like it is, avid golfer that I could find to interview, Yep I found him, in Spring Hills, Florida. His name is Choice Phillips.
Let me tell you a little about him: Choice Phillips is definitely familiar with the world of golf, repetition and self-discipline, has played golf for 45 years, and still counting, he started playing golf while serving as an officer in the U.S. Army. Choice has won more than 100 amateur tournaments, traveled and played on the Chitterling tour, qualified for five (5) PGA Champion Tour events and played number one (1) on the Harvard Business School golf team. He currently maintains a 5 handicap status. To this blogger, Choice Phillips is a true motivator on-and-off the golf course. He is the man that got me off my butt, and back on the golf course. Ok?!! Enough of what he’s done, let’s hear what he has to say on the subject:
“Is golf a sport? According to Webster, it qualifies based upon physical exertion and calories burned during a round of golf? I would prefer to use “common sense” to support my opinion that, indeed, golf is a sport! In order to justify the negativity surrounding the answer to the question, some point out examples of golfers who appear to be physically unfit or “out of shape”. My retort is that millions of people play recreational football, baseball, tennis, swim, boat, box, etc., while they are allegedly unfit, without the validity of the activity being classified as sport.
For myself, I have been an amateur boxer, a football quarterback, a baseball player, a tennis player, a multiple Ohio State track champion, a 200+ bowler and an NCAA All-American in 2 sports. Golf has forced me to borrow skills and methodologies from all of my previous sports in order to become an accomplished golfer. I have to work out, retain flexibility, use my eyesight, hand-to-eye coordination, maintain nutritional discipline, refrain from drugs and alcohol overuse, wake up early, block out distractions from life experiences and focus entirely on the task at hand. Knowledge of the fundamentals is not only paramount, but totally imperative to be successful just as it is in all other sports. There is, in my mind, NO question that golf is a sport and a very difficult one to perform well.” —Choice Phillips.
Well my friends, it goes like this: I blog it, voice my opinions, the opinions of others, then you decide. Again I ask you: Is golf a sport? In spite of the fact that golf is re-entering the Olympics in 2016, many issues, and disagreements still remain. Is golf a sport or a game played only for entertainment?
Let me know what your thoughts are!
Until next time,
Barbara Taylor
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