is marihuana a performance enhancer for your golf?

[Mr Eagle]

..Ive never heard about anyone dying over marijuana...

You must lead a very sheltered life

[immts007]

Personally, I can't imagine how Marijauna could possibly enhance play. But I understand that it's psychoactive effect is different for different people. It's been a very long time since I was high - but it makes me vertiginous, paranoid, and overly analytical.

Yuck.

As for professional competition - I think the playing field should be as level as possible. Meaning all players are as fit as they can possibly make themselves and there is nothing foriegn in their blood system besides the occasional over the counter analgesic. That includes alchohol.

[iacas]

Not everywhere....

No, but it is everywhere the PGA Tour plays, no?

I just dont see how marijuana can be considered worse than alcohol in this context.

Uhm...?

marijuana shoud not be screened for tours sinmply because if they sell alcohol at the actual event and people die--what kind of message are they sending?

That doesn't even make sense, dude. The spectators aren't competing in the event. Simply put, the sale of alcohol to fans and the intake of marijuana by competitors aren't even close to the same topic.

As a bit of a pun, "WTF are you smoking?"

[JKilgore44]

I have had plenty of experiences with herb and golf. Personally, I believe they compliment each other very well. There's nothing quite like like teeing off shortly after sun-rise, freshly baked, and piping one right down the center. It's a beautiful experience.

However, all touch and feel go down the drain once you smoke even the smallest bit. I believe that it's impossible to be a consistent putter if you consistently smoke. I have never had any negative effects on my full swings, concentration, or analytical processing. I do tend to get the munchies and forget my score by about the 4th hole though.

Overall, I don't think that cannabis is a performance enhancer or inhibitor. I do think that they should test for it as well as any other narcotic to remain consistent in thier policy. Poor Fred Couples...

[dave39]

As a bit of a pun, "WTF are you smoking?"

LoL! Agreed.

in my country we spell it marijuana

In my country we spell it ILLEGAL or CANCEROUS.

-I can definitely see how some potheads who think that getting high before a round might be beneficial to them but in the long run it is just another reason to get high, no real performance enhancement, just getting high. I run into guys everyday who think they need to get high in order to function properly for school, work, sports and anything else they can think of. These people are just looking for a reason to get high though, they function just fine without the use of any drugs. -And for anyone out here who thinks that pot is natural and isn't going to hurt you "think again"! This is to the extreme but I have actually met a chronic who loved to smoke pot who ended up getting mouth cancer and basically lost half his face after surgery. That doesn't sound all that natural to me. And if it is so natural than why do I talk to people everyday who have no idea what is going on and are barely capable of forming a complete thought or sentence when it is requested of them? The majority of these people are not even old chronics, they are young kids and teens who think it's cool to smoke weed and then they end up getting hooked and talk like vegetables. Exactly vegetables don't talk!! I actually had to arrest a 12 year old male the other week for mischief but when I was talking to him he could barely answer my questions. Not because he was stoned at the time but because he has been stoned so many times previous in his short life that it is already effecting his brain. -There is my rant, someone was probably waiting to hear it knowing what I do for an occupation.

[srjorion]

I'm glad to see they are doing it. These guys are setting examples for many kids out there, and as such they don't need to be using illegal drugs.

[r7 425]

That doesn't even make sense, dude. The spectators aren't competing in the event. Simply put, the sale of alcohol to fans and the intake of marijuana by competitors aren't even close to the same topic.

Yes-but if you are encouraging the fans that drinking on a golf course is socially acceptable then why would you screen golfers for marijuana if marijuana is 100 percent safer than alcohol...i dont know if youve ever watched the FBR Open--but the spike in DUI's after the event were dangerous for the local community--you cant say that marijuana is anywhere near as dangerous as alcohol...i dont care if it is illegal or not--the tour is being very hypocritical here by screening for marijuana

[pjsnyc]

Personally, I can't imagine how Marijauna could possibly enhance play. But I understand that it's psychoactive effect is different for different people. It's been a very long time since I was high - but it makes me vertiginous, paranoid, and overly analytical...Yuck...

You obviously havent tried the good 'ish ;)

I personally do enjoy it sometimes on the golf course. It's pretty rare these days for me and only with a foursome with my friends so as not to disturb some uptight anal-retentive golfer and be on the receiving end of his/her tirade on their views of etiquette. There truly is no better feeling (other than sex) than burning one down with your best buds in the open wilderness while whacking a little white ball around. Sure it's illegal, but so is jaywalking, and the NYPD has much more important things to do than to hunt down stoned golf junkies. As for the tour and their policies, I personally would prefer to see clean athletes compete rather than see some dude blame MJ for his/her lack of concentration on a certain hole or whatever. PLUS, I doubt any golfer would toke during a round of 18...on national TV...so smoking the night before shouldnt entirely inhibit them... I would honestly be interested to know which (and im sure there is at least one) current pros actually do do it recreationally. Charly Hoffman seems like the type...

[immts007]

Yes-but if you are encouraging the fans that drinking on a golf course is socially acceptable then why would you screen golfers for marijuana if marijuana is 100 percent safer than alcohol...i dont know if youve ever watched the FBR Open--but the spike in DUI's after the event were dangerous for the local community--you cant say that marijuana is anywhere near as dangerous as alcohol...i dont care if it is illegal or not--the tour is being very hypocritical here by screening for marijuana

You know, maybe they should have the players do a breathalyzer as well... but the fact remains, right or wrong, that Marijauna is

illegal and alchohol is not . And as for the 'safer' argument - I don't buy it. Marijuana impairs judgement, reaction time, perception, and ability to concentrate. I don't want drunk drivers or people who are high behind the wheel of a car period. Perhaps the guy who has downed a fifth of bourbon is a little more dangerous than the guy who just smoked a few bowls. But it's a false choice - they both can kill someone and shouldn't be driving. Anway, this is going off-topic.

[Stuart]

in my country, we don't care how you spell it or what you call it, as long as you have some to share

Hahahahahahahahahaha........that was a good one!!

[iWALK18]

It couldn't make me putt any worse.

I tried to play ping pong on valium once... almost impossible to make contact with the ball without 110 percent concentration. No way i could break 140 on that stuff!

As for weed, I've never tried it, but some of my surfing buddies call it a "Wave enhancer"... but performance enhancer I can't see. And what kind of message would it send if the PGA tour gave tacit approval to the use of an illegal substance? In a game like golf that requires so much coordination, i can't see how anything which messed with your nerves or your mind could possibly help you. One tenth of a second of muscle lag and you're in the freaking woods. Remember Hingis got busted for using Coke at Wimbledon?

[atltony]

Personally I don't think a little nuggage luggage is going to enhance anyone's game. I used to smoke with some regularity on the course but as ive gotten better ive realized that although it does allow me to relax (which i tend to have a problem doing), it atleast makes up for the relaxation with the lack of concentration. So I haven't been smoking on the course with any regularity lately. Seems like a lot of people here are good people that would go extremely out of their way to avoid stereotyping people on account of their race, but then immediately stereotype due to a person's choices that in no way affect you? In today's world, who would be crazy enough to agree that legality and the law have any correlation to morality? If you do...wow, enjoy living your life as a sheep. The politicians get done talking to the tobacco and alcohol companys, go pass bills that help keep marijuana illegal, then go to their quaint little bar in the outskirts of DC...get shit-faced, drive home drunk...and wake up to do it all over again.

Sorry about the rant, but some of the posts in this thread are crazy.

ON THE TOPIC- Marijuana should be screened for, just like any other sport. Im sure it didn't enhance Michael Vick's game either, but as long as it is illegal(which again...to me doesn't mean anything.) sports organizations are going to want to keep their players in a good public light. Breaking any law, regardless of the actual morality of the situation, negatively reflects on the players and PGA. So even though I doubt marijuana should be considered a performance enhancing drug...the technicality remains that most people are sheep in society and view breaking the law as bad regardless of the actual offense.

[Ben]

A few summers ago there was a group of guys I played with that played stoned. It was fun for a while. A great way to enhance a beautiful day on the course. I would actually play really great too, nicknamed the experience "Super Marijuana Golf." I would swing so freely I would pound the ball. See shots so vividly that I stick high bending 5 irons to within legit birdie range. And on the greens, forget it, everything went in.

I don't play while high anymore though, because I knew a day would come when testing would begin. I didn't want to become dependent on playing my good golf high. I knew I wouldn't be able to do so on any tour. Now I see it as a waste of a round to play high.

[Eore]

no Mars bars in Ohio?

mars bars are only in Canada and Europe

I miss them so much!!! Smarties arent in the US either!

[pjsnyc]

...In today's world, who would be crazy enough to agree that legality and the law have any correlation to morality? If you do...wow, enjoy living your life as a sheep. The politicians get done talking to the tobacco and alcohol companys, go pass bills that help keep marijuana illegal, then go to their quaint little bar in the outskirts of DC...get shit-faced, drive home drunk...and wake up to do it all over again...

...OR a quickie visit to the Emperor's VIP Club...Eliot Spitzer anyone? LOL

[nykfan4life]

I don't think that the testing is because they think it gives and advantage, I just don't think they want thier players showing up stoned to matches.

I just dont see how marijuana can be considered worse than alcohol in this context..They sell beer and alcohol at tour events and then you hear about somebody getting killed in a DUI after the event..Ive never heard about anyone dying over marijuana....marijuana shoud not be screened for tours sinmply because if they sell alcohol at the actual event and people die--what kind of message are they sending?

You have never heard about someone dying over marijuana. Please. Yes, no one has ever overdosed on marijuana, but many people have died by the drug ie- car crash, etc.

Yes-but if you are encouraging the fans that drinking on a golf course is socially acceptable then why would you screen golfers for marijuana if marijuana is 100 percent safer than alcohol

You have no clue what you are talking about. You just made up that 'statistic' please don't misinform anymore.

...i dont know if youve ever watched the FBR Open--but the spike in DUI's after the event were dangerous for the local community--you cant say that marijuana is anywhere near as dangerous as alcohol...i dont care if it is illegal or not--the tour is being very hypocritical here by screening for marijuana

You can definately make that argument. Stop lying to people on this forum.

[crawf061]

Smarties arent in the US either!

That is not true, unless Alabama has seceded from the Union again.

I'm able to find Smarties at Walmart. As for Mars bars, I would not even know. Oh yeah, and marijuana may or may not improve your golf scores, but it is pointless to debate where the PGA tour should stand until it becomes legal in the US.

[skierbri10]

No, but it is everywhere the PGA Tour plays, no?

This ruling encompasses more than just the US PGA Tour....European, asian...