Is Golf a Sport or a Game?

[jcjim]

The argument of sport v. game strikes me as one of the silliest that we get into.

The definition per Merrian-Webster: "a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other." Under that everything from football to fishing is a sport.

The people that want to deride golf or anything else as merely a game and not a sport are just self-important jerks.

I agree...one thing that will quite some of this foolish rant is Golf will be in the Olympics soon...

[StefanUrkel]

Sport? yes. Anything could be a sport.  Athletic event? nahh.  Nothing a 50+ fat white guy can win is. Same with Nascar.

[Grumpter]

It comes from people that wrongly think golfers are not athletes. In my experience they feel athletics should require strength and/or a large amount of physical exertion. They completely ignore agility.

Athlete: a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility , stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

[Cali Ace]

Ha 100% yes so far. Competetive golf is a sport. We're always competing against ourselves,the course , or other people. Granted if your drinking a beer while eating a donut while doing it,you may not be competeing.

[iacas]

@jcjim , please use the search function before starting threads on topics which already have 25-page threads… Thank you.

[jcjim]

@jcjim, please use the search function before starting threads on topics which already have 25-page threads… Thank you.

I didn't know if the topic was discussed before....

Frankly if I need to do a search on every topic before I post a new topic then maybe this isn't the place for me...

I've been on golf forums for 20+ years and have never been asked to search every time I make a new thread....

[Patch]

I may have already commented on this thread. I did not read all the replies. I use to think golf was a game. However, IMHO, (which means squat), golf is a sport. It offers up competition, it's entertaining, and involves spectators. To me that's a sport. Golf is also game because the game of golf is also a sporting event. It's competitive, rules apply, and it's outcome is decided by luck, skill, and strength, much like most other sports are.

Are the people who play games/sports considered athletes?  Of course they are, because athletes, regardless of their skill levels, play games, and/or  sports. Some athletes are better/tougher athletes than others might be the only difference.

If anything the words game, and sport are probably synonymous with each other.

[JonMA1]

Sport? yes. Anything could be a sport.  Athletic event? nahh.  Nothing a 50+ fat white guy can win is. Same with Nascar.

And yet, world-class athletes from every professional sport and with all the time and resources at their disposal suck at it (relative to some 50+ year old fat guys). If you think athleticism is all about speed and power, we don't share the same definition.

[rehmwa]

If anything the words game, and sport are probably synonymous with each other.

I was going to pursue this line - "game, sport - can't it be both"

but you beat me to it

in any case, it's a ridiculous topic designed just to get under people's semantic collars and poke at the egos of self serious types

(I'm amazed at internet forums - it's a place where people........that typically can't really fight their way out of a grammar bag,,,,,,,,try to fight to the death over the wording of subjective issues

I've seen the angriest threads on line between two people that seem to agree with each other, but they can't see the agreement because they are too busy fighting over the slightly different ways they phrase their positions

and, it's very likely someone will disagree with the my statement and say something like "words have meaning" or some such)

[JonMA1]

(I'm amazed at internet forums - it's a place where people........that typically can't really fight their way out of a grammar bag,,,,,,,,try to fight to the death over the wording of subjective issues

I love this^^^^^ (even if it does apply to me).

[Lihu]

I voted that Golf is a sport thinking I was going to be in the silent majority. . .guess not.

[iacas]

I didn't know if the topic was discussed before....

Frankly if I need to do a search on every topic before I post a new topic then maybe this isn't the place for me...

I've been on golf forums for 20+ years and have never been asked to search every time I make a new thread....

It's a common courtesy. Search for an existing topic rather than creating yet another thread on a topic that's been discussed at length before.

---

My vote remains "it's a sport." Particularly at the higher levels.

[Strandly]

I probably thought it was barely a sport before I played it but now that I've played it I've seen how being fit is an advantage.  It's still a joke that pro players get to use caddies though.  I walk all my rounds and carry my bag and think this is how the game should actually be played, especially by the pros.

[MiniJeffrey]

After an hour of intensive practice I would say a sport, after a round of 4h walking and carrying (!) my bag, yes I would say it's a sport.

However I can understand when looking golf on tv where each pro player has a caddy and some players have some less athletic bodies to say the least, that some people call it a game.

[Sante TwoGloves]

At the professional level playing for money it's a sport. For everyone else it's a game. Same with pool, bowling, etc. Next question.

[Fourputt]

After an hour of intensive practice I would say a sport, after a round of 4h walking and carrying (!) my bag, yes I would say it's a sport.

However I can understand when looking golf on tv where each pro player has a caddy and some players have some less athletic bodies to say the least, that some people call it a game.

I've played 81 holes the last 3 days, today 27 holes in 98° heat, and I'm beat.  54 holes on Monday and Tuesday at above 8000 feet.  Riding not walking, but that still takes a toll on a 68 year old body.  We are playing 18 more tomorrow and 18 again on Friday, temps still in the 90's each day.  If it ain't a sport, it sure is an exhausting game.

[boogielicious]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiniJeffrey

After an hour of intensive practice I would say a sport, after a round of 4h walking and carrying (!) my bag, yes I would say it's a sport.

However I can understand when looking golf on tv where each pro player has a caddy and some players have some less athletic bodies to say the least, that some people call it a game.

I've played 81 holes the last 3 days, today 27 holes in 98° heat, and I'm beat.  54 holes on Monday and Tuesday at above 8000 feet.  Riding not walking, but that still takes a toll on a 68 year old body.  We are playing 18 more tomorrow and 18 again on Friday, temps still in the 90's each day.  If it ain't a sport, it sure is an exhausting game.

I'm with you. If I walk 18 on a hot day I am beat afterward. More than if I go for a hard mountain bike or long road ride on the bike. I guess my body is more conditioned for riding bikes than walking golf. Plus I sweat so much, I have a hard time getting enough fluid in.

[mtsalmela80]

Whats with all the complaints about fat guys? Is baseball a sport? Anyone disagree? I bet even I could beat Babe Ruth, or even today's CC Sabathia in several running events, but I don't think anyone disputes baseball being a sport.