The Word "Golfing" is a Sin

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Golf is one of those exceptions in the English language.   One plays golf.  Using the word as an unqualified verb just grates on my sense of language, and always will.  However, one can be a golfer, which makes it appear that one can "golf", but that just doesn't happen to be the case.  Don't try to measure it logically because it doesn't work.  I've seen the word "footballer" used instead of football player (usually referring to what we call a soccer player), and that grates as badly as saying "I golf" instead of I play golf.  I must have taken grammar seriously in school, so despite being an average student, most of it sunk in.  I can't diagram a sentence, but I can usually put one together in a fashion of which most English teachers would approve.

It's in both the Merriam-Webster and the Oxford dictionaries. It's not like I made it up.

Because there is no governing authority over the English language, it is and will always be constantly changing, based on how people use the language itself and what becomes acceptable or falls out of fashion. William Shakespeare would probably detest the way we use the language today, but it doesn't make us wrong.

You see, I don't care what it says in the dictionary.  I care what it sound's like in my head.  Dictionaries are constantly adding things that I don't agree with.  I don't feel that passing fads should become part of the "official" English language.  I also don't feel that abuse of a word or phrase should be legitimized into an acceptance of it.  I just see it as one more indication of the degradation of our education system.  In my book, that's just being too lazy to learn to use the language correctly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

And I can guarantee you that I have never "gamed" anything in my life.

And I believe you. That doesn't mean you can't "game" something; it just doesn't mean "to use (this particular club) in my bag."

But it obviously does mean that to some people, and that is my point.  Improper use of a word by a subset of the population shouldn't result in legitimizing that misuse.

[Golfingdad]

You see, I don't care what it says in the dictionary.  I care what it sound's like in my head.  Dictionaries are constantly adding things that I don't agree with.  I don't feel that passing fads should become part of the "official" English language.  I also don't feel that abuse of a word or phrase should be legitimized into an acceptance of it.  I just see it as one more indication of the degradation of our education system.  In my book, that's just being too lazy to learn to use the language correctly.

But it obviously does mean that to some people, and that is my point.  Improper use of a word by a subset of the population shouldn't result in legitimizing that misuse.

Who moved your cheese, Rick?

(It wasn't me)

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Who moved your cheese, Rick?

(It wasn't me)

I have no idea what that is supposed to mean.  Try English.... that's Eng.... lish.

[billchao]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

You see, I don't care what it says in the dictionary.  I care what it sound's like in my head.  Dictionaries are constantly adding things that I don't agree with.  I don't feel that passing fads should become part of the "official" English language.  I also don't feel that abuse of a word or phrase should be legitimized into an acceptance of it.  I just see it as one more indication of the degradation of our education system.  In my book, that's just being too lazy to learn to use the language correctly.

Well here's this, FWIW: http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2011/12/golf.html

Quote:

Q: I cringe every time someone says “I’m going golfing” or “Did you go golfing today?” I tell them “Golf is not a verb! You don’t go tennis-ing or basketball-ing, do you?” But no one seems to care. Has the word “golf” become a verb after all this misuse?

A: We hate to disappoint you, but “golf” is indeed a legitimate verb. It’s listed as such in standard dictionaries, including The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.) and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.).

In fact, “golf” has been used as a verb for more than 125 years. The Oxford English Dictionary ’s first citation is from an 1883 issue of the Standard, a now defunct London newspaper, referring to “a General Officer who golfed.”

The form “golfing,” used adjectivally, is older yet, dating at least as far back as 1805, when it appeared in the autobiography of Alexander Carlyle, a Church of Scotland minister: “We crossed the river to the golfing-ground.”

As for the noun “golf,” it’s very old, as you probably know. The oldest existing written reference to the game is from a 15th-century manuscript in which golf and football were banned in Scotland.

Like I said, there's no governing authority over the English language, so if you only care about the language as it sounds in your head, that's fine. Snoop Dogg (sorry, Snoop Lion) feels the same way

I'm pretty sure that most academics accept the Oxford dictionary as the standard.

[Golfingdad]

I have no idea what that is supposed to mean.  Try English.... that's Eng.... lish.

It's a silly motivational book that was really popular 10 or 15 years ago that helps people deal with change.  You either adapt to the change (go search for cheese somewhere else) or complain about it (and sit there and starve, cheeseless, because that's where it used to be, it should still be here!!!)

The English language is over (or at least close to) ONE THOUSAND years old.  You are complaining at some drop-in-the-bucket changes that have occurred in the last 40 or 50 of those years.  Do you know how much the language changed in the first 950 or so years leading up to whenever you learned it?  Do you not see the irony in your complaints?

Unless ye doth feel that henceforth we shalleth speaketh whence we hailed from thou 10th century ...

I think perhaps you should recognize that today's dictionary is today's dictionary and nothing more, just like 1950's dictionary was simply 1950's dictionary and nothing more.

[iacas]

And I can guarantee you that I have never "gamed" anything in my life.

What about "the system"? You can "game the system." Duh.

You see, I don't care what it says in the dictionary.

That's pretty silly Rick. That's like saying you don't care what's in the Rules of Golf because it doesn't "sound right in your head."

But it obviously does mean that to some people, and that is my point.  Improper use of a word by a subset of the population shouldn't result in legitimizing that misuse.

I agree. But something being added to the majority of the world's English language dictionaries does.

FWIW I don't like to say "golfing" but I choose not to be even a little offended when I hear it out of the mouths of others (or read it).

[dkolo]

Well here's this, FWIW: http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2011/12/golf.html

Like I said, there's no governing authority over the English language, so if you only care about the language as it sounds in your head, that's fine. Snoop Dogg (sorry, Snoop Lion) feels the same way

I'm pretty sure that most academics accept the Oxford dictionary as the standard.

I'm with you. While there are many words and stylistic constructions that people have pedantic preferences for, I'm happy to embrace the variety of available ways the English language has for us to communicate a particular idea. I golf often. I also use that construction often. There's nothing wrong with it. The argument in this thread, while perhaps well-intentioned, strikes me as a fake rule.

[dkolo]

What about "the system"? You can "game the system." Duh.

That's pretty silly Rick. That's like saying you don't care what's in the Rules of Golf because it doesn't "sound right in your head."

I agree. But something being added to the majority of the world's English language dictionaries does.

Back in law school, I remember reading that Justice Scalia didn't care for the 3rd edition of Webster's Dictionary because, in his words, it confused common error for alternate meaning, which always struck me as just tilting at windmills. Language is fundamentally functional, and if something is pervasive enough to get into the dictionary, never mind all major dictionaries, as being acceptable, it's a fruitless endeavor to actively fight it. (I also split infinitives, rogue that I am.)

[mcanadiens]

At this point I'm considering a return to the point-and-grunt method that worked so well when I was a baby.

[LeftRightLeft]

I could not help but laugh!  This was one of my dear old Dad's pet peeves.  It was hammered into his two boys.  He would growl "We play GOLF, we don't go golfing".  Of course, being a smartass, I would say "why do we go skiing?".

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

And I can guarantee you that I have never "gamed" anything in my life.

What about "the system"? You can "game the system." Duh.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

You see, I don't care what it says in the dictionary.

That's pretty silly Rick. That's like saying you don't care what's in the Rules of Golf because it doesn't "sound right in your head."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

But it obviously does mean that to some people, and that is my point.  Improper use of a word by a subset of the population shouldn't result in legitimizing that misuse.

I agree. But something being added to the majority of the world's English language dictionaries does.

FWIW I don't like to say "golfing" but I choose not to be even a little offended when I hear it out of the mouths of others (or read it).

Never said I was offended.  Just don't agree with that usage.  To be honest, when I read someone saying that they "golfed today", to my eye, that's no more than a semi-literate statement.  Sure, I know what they mean, but I just figure that they must have had a substandard education.  They are usually the same ones who don't know that there are three different spellings for "there", "their", and "they're", and that they have widely varying meanings.  That "too", and "to" don't mean the same thing.  I could go on, but I've made my point.

Even for accepted usages, there are common forms and uncommon ones, and to my mind, some of the uncommon ones are the same as playing a wrong chord on the guitar or piano.  Sometimes they just don't sound right, and other times they are actually painful.  There are forms of music that are considered proper, even laudatory, that I also don't care for.  I don't really care if someone else likes it, but I choose not to.  Just as with the rules of golf - I choose to abide by them, but if others don't I don't really care.  However, if they then try to use those results to compare to what I shot, there's that wrong chord again.

I'm certainly not going to get bent out of shape or launch into a tirade every time someone mangles the language, especially when it's only my opinion.  If I did that, I wouldn't have time for anything else in life.  I didn't start this thread, I'm just agreeing with the original poster's premise.

I could not help but laugh!  This was one of my dear old Dad's pet peeves.  It was hammered into his two boys.  He would growl "We play GOLF, we don't go golfing".  Of course, being a smartass, I would say "why do we go skiing?".

Skiing isn't a game that you can "play".  As a noun, "ski" is a piece of equipment which is usually essential to participate in the sport of skiing.  You can't "play" ski.  Poor choice for comparison.  "

[David in FL]

Cute post, but the word "golf" is both a noun and a verb. Welcome to the forum, but I hope your contributions to golf are more significant than those to grammar..... :-)

[Roblar]

Anyone who objects to using golf as a verb cannot call himself (or herself) a golfer since golfer is formed by adding - er to the verb golf.

Adding - er to a verb should give us a meaning like "one who verbs " (whatever the meaning of the verb is).  Worker -- one who works, walker -- one who walks, talker -- one who talks, golfer -- one who....

I'm always amused by people who object to golf as a verb.  ...that said, they are usually much more affluent than I am, so the objection probably works as some sort of socio-economic status indicator / social-ladder-climbing diagnostic.

[cipher]

I can't wait for spring so I can go swing my clubs on the golf course. Their, I am glad I got the gramar write.

[Moppy]

Despite my defense of the use of "golf" as a verb. I don't usually use it. Golfing as a description of the sport is fine. Going golfing is fine to my ear when my wife asks me if I am "going golfing" today," she has a fine education, and as we saw, the word is time honored. It does sound a little old fashioned too, like going "aberrying." Golfing and golfer both time honored words both hint that "to golf" is a word too. In linguistics this is called "back formation."  For instance, the dish "peas" referred to a bowl of peas, and the word pea sort of formed because people said, "If this is peas, this must be a pea."  Maybe somebody should go on Wikipedia and add "to Golf" to this list .

But I would say I am "playing golf" this afternoon, or played golf this morning. Golfed does sound a little weird to me.

[iacas]

Just don't agree with that usage.

You're wrong. It's not a matter of opinion - it's a fact.

To be honest, when I read someone saying that they "golfed today", to my eye, that's no more than a semi-literate statement. Sure, I know what they mean, but I just figure that they must have had a substandard education.

Pretty rude statement Rick. It's like someone knowing and following the Rules of Golf and you calling them a cheater because you think divots should be GUR. Sub-standard education… ha. That's rich. No pun intended.

They are usually the same ones who don't know that there are three different spellings for "there", "their", and "they're", and that they have widely varying meanings.  That "too", and "to" don't mean the same thing.  I could go on, but I've made my point.

Judgmental much? Like I said, I tend to say something other than "golfing" but I don't make wild, sweeping generalizations about people who say it.

Even for accepted usages, there are common forms and uncommon ones, and to my mind, some of the uncommon ones are the same as playing a wrong chord on the guitar or piano.  Sometimes they just don't sound right, and other times they are actually painful.  There are forms of music that are considered proper, even laudatory, that I also don't care for.  I don't really care if someone else likes it, but I choose not to.  Just as with the rules of golf - I choose to abide by them, but if others don't I don't really care.  However, if they then try to use those results to compare to what I shot, there's that wrong chord again.

Rick, c'mon. It goes beyond "I don't really care." You don't get to say that right after you call people morons (there/their/they're, to/too, etc.) and products of sub-standard educations.

I'm certainly not going to get bent out of shape or launch into a tirade every time someone mangles the language, especially when it's only my opinion.

It's not your opinion. You're wrong . It's fact.

That you don't like it is your opinion. That it's "mangled" is not.

[joekelly]

And, as far as i have ever heard, only the TV pros, on USA television, 'work' the course.

'There's Johnnie, working the 12th hole, over the water....'

I very much dislike this use of the word 'work', despite that fact that, yes, those boys are usually getting paid pretty well for their efforts.

I have never heard the European TV commentators use such a phrase, thankfully.

Unable to provide photo at this moment, but at local Thailand golf course we can read this sign,  "Have fun playing with golf".

[MacDutch]

You can't challenge this!