Are golfers more intelligent than other athletes?

[RussUK]

I dont think golfers are more itelligent than sportsmen/women from other sports. Sure, just because some of the golfers on tour graduated from colleges/universities where they played their golf, doesnt mean they have more intelligence than say, F1's Jenson Button, or Soccers Gary Neville. Gary Neville is now a very succesfull business man and was always thought of as a bit of a dimwit when he was playing. 

Sure, Luke Donald has a degree from Northwestern uni (have i got the place right?), but its in fine art, not the most academic of subjects.

Intelligence is so subjective. To say, for example, a boxer isnt intelligent 'cos he's taken one too many punches to the noggin doesn't mean he's not intelligent. George Foreman was intelligent enough to realise the idea of the Grill with his name on was going to be popular, and he's done well from that.

[Lihu]

13 hours ago, SavvySwede said:

Reed and Bubba have some ugly wives though. Rory is clearly smartest of the three.

Clearly.

 

9 hours ago, gatsby47 said:

A remarkable number of hockey player, football players, Michael Jordan, play a sheetload of golf in the off season and upon retirement. Perhaps they gain intelligence.  Or is it just possible that golf attracts all types of men and women. Bob Probert played golf.  Bob Hope, Bob Cousey, and probably the Bobbsey twins.  Perhaps they find the plusses of golf attractive.  I am sure Grant Fuhr preferred not having Slapshots at high speeds aimed at his head.

Agree, Jordan is very smart on the court. He even was reasonably good at baseball.

 

9 hours ago, Abu3baid said:

NFL QBs performance is highly dependent on this.. Not only that, they have 4 seconds or less to make a decision once the play starts..  Never mind the pre play read, ect..  Basketball players are consistently using their intelligence to execute plays..

 

Absolutely, but there's only a few quarterbacks per team, and one that really plays.

In basketball, it's usually a couple  or even only one player that is outstanding and makes the team great. Kareem, Micheal, . .

[Abu3baid]

1 hour ago, Lihu said:

Clearly.

 

Agree, Jordan is very smart on the court. He even was reasonably good at baseball.

 

Absolutely, but there's only a few quarterbacks per team, and one that really plays.

In basketball, it's usually a couple  or even only one player that is outstanding and makes the team great. Kareem, Micheal, . .

I gave you one example, how about corner backs and receivers?  I can go down the line really..  Besides we are talking in general and not just professionals.. 

[vangator]

For those who think golfers are more intelligent, I give you Boo Weekley.....

I won't even go to John Daly.

Edited December 23, 2015 by vangator

[iacas]

11 hours ago, rkim291968 said:

IQ does not equate to intelligence or vice versa.  

Then you have a really weird definition of "intelligence."

4 minutes ago, Abu3baid said:

I gave you one example, how about corner backs and receivers?  I can go down the line really..  Besides we are talking in general and not just professionals.. 

I don't consider making a play "intelligence" in the typical sense. It's a kind of instinct, a way of seeing the play unfold. Similar, but not the same, IMO.

If I had to use the simplest terms possible to define intelligence it would be something like (I'm doing this off the cuff so I'm sure I'd modify this even two minutes later with more time to think) "able to solve a wide variety of problems." Problem solving includes creativity, logic, etc. That's how, if pressed right now with ten seconds of thought, I'd define "intelligence."

"Smart QBs" are great at solving a very small subset of problems. They may be capable of solving other types of problems, too, but the problem-solving necessary in sports is a very, very, very small subset of what would make up true "intelligence" IMO.

---

As I said, if you conducted a study you'd have an answer. Everything else is just speculating. Which is fine, really… but nothing's going to be resolved. I've met people in all walks of life who impress me with their intelligence or lack thereof. So, as speculation, I'd suggest that if there was a difference between, say, PGA Tour golfers and NBA players, it would be fairly small. I would be floored if PGA Tour players averaged 115 IQ while NBA players averaged 85, for example. I think it's more likely that, if there even was a difference, it would be something like 108 to 104 or something.

P.S. @vangator, c'mon. Single examples don't mean much. There are always outliers. And for all you know, Boo may not be smart but could be highly intelligent. (I'm not saying it's likely, just that it's possible, and you don't know.)

[Lihu]

40 minutes ago, Abu3baid said:

I gave you one example, how about corner backs and receivers?  I can go down the line really..  Besides we are talking in general and not just professionals.. 

Imagine if the entire team were required to be as smart as a Quarterback? Not sure if it would be possible to get enough players to make up even one good team?

Players all have different and expert capabilities on a football team and are the best in the world at what they do, while golfers all do the same thing as each other and need to excel at many different skills. It takes a multifaceted athlete to do well in golf, while in football they are very specialized and trained to be the best at those few skills.

[colin007]

judging on my own intelligence?  i would say no.

[DaveP043]

4 minutes ago, colin007 said:

judging on my own intelligence?  i would say no.

I was just about to type the same thing!

[colin007]

19 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

I was just about to type the same thing!

 

hey, i know a dummy when i see one.  mainly every time i look in the mirror!

[rkim291968]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

Then you have a really weird definition of "intelligence." 

On the contrary.    If you equate IQ with intelligence, then you should read up on the topic of IQ.  IQ itself, as one of the posters pointed out, has been a controversial topic.    If my IQ (supposed to be at genius/mensa level) is any indication, I should be a pretty "intelligent" golfer  but I am not . 

[Mr. Desmond]

I have no idea.

But I believe that just because you display intelligence on the field, course, or court, etc., does not mean you maintain that level of intelligence off the field, course, or court as to daily living, relationships, and business.

[nevets88]

I don't get the purpose of this question. Say the answer is a definitive yes, what do we do, pat ourselves on the back and revel in our cleverness?

[Patch]

Could it be that some folks in this thread are saying that the better one's game the more intelligent they are? If so, I dont think that is true either. 

Then there could be the arguement that golfers can't be more intelligent, because they took up the game in the first place. I know alot of golfers go golfing every week who piss and moan about how bad they played. Would an intelligent person cause themselves that kind of personal grief?

Yes I am being facetious........

[Lihu]

50 minutes ago, rkim291968 said:

On the contrary.    If you equate IQ with intelligence, then you should read up on the topic of IQ.  IQ itself, as one of the posters pointed out, has been a controversial topic.    If my IQ (supposed to be at genius/mensa level) is any indication, I should be a pretty "intelligent" golfer  but I am not . 

This entire topic sounds like some of us think of ourselves as "smarter" than other people, but it's not. The real question is if the average golfer is more intelligent than the average player in other sports. To me, this means that you use more gray matter in this sport than other sports. That's all. It's not some preconceived notion that we're smarter than other people.

BTW, the on line Mensa tests are not accurate. My kids and I took them for fun. Plus, you can take it multiple times until you get a perfect score. The tests repeat themselves after several tries and take only ten minutes to complete after the first time you try it. We had a "mensa" challenge one evening when the DVD we rented was too scratched to use. Don't ask. . .

[mvmac]

Poll added.

I voted yes, like @iacas said, it's just speculation. I think golf being the type of game it is may attract more intelligent people. 

[rkim291968]

5 minutes ago, Lihu said:

This entire topic sounds like some of us think of ourselves as "smarter" than other people, but it's not. The real question is if the average golfer is more intelligent than the average player in other sports. To me, this means that you use more gray matter in this sport than other sports. That's all. It's not some preconceived notion that we're smarter than other people.

BTW, the on line Mensa tests are not accurate. My kids and I took them for fun. Plus, you can take it multiple times until you get a perfect score. The tests repeat themselves after several tries and take only ten minutes to complete after the first time you try it. We had a "mensa" challenge one evening when the DVD we rented was too scratched to use. Don't ask. . .

The OT was about pro golfer vs other pro athletes.   But I am going to disagree even more on average golfer vs others comparison.   We are no more or less intelligent people who enjoy other sports.

 

( I never took Mensa test but where/when I grew up, it was mandatory for schools to give IQ tests to all the students. )

6 minutes ago, mvmac said:

Poll added.

I voted yes, like @iacas said, it's just speculation. I think golf being the type of game it is may attract more intelligent people. 

Poll like this in a golf forum?   I am going say golfers will come out ahead on this one. 

[Gator Hazard]

20 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

No.**

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**(I base that on the idea that Sir Richard Branson is a high school dropout and Ted Cruz is a Harvard Law graduate, and I just extrapolated from there. ;))

I have had the "honor?", "pleasure?" of working with several Harvard graduates in my time in finance.  I can say that to date only one of them has impressed me, and this person was already established in the medical field far before he went to Harvard to get his professionals business degree.  

[GolfLug]

Intelligence is a trait. A very measurable one. Intelligence is the ability to see future (or recreate past). Translation - The ability to infer what is not in plain sight. In short, ability to put two and two together. More steps you can accurately infer in sequence with limited indicators, the more intelligent you are. IQ tests are based on that and IMO very much a measure of this trait - so yes, it can be measured without the context of 'intelligence in a certain field'. Now , in the context of a certain field - experience is an additional intelligence builder which is why people get more intelligent as they age.

Does golf require this trait more than other sports. I don't believe so. Something like Chess requires it in spades. Does golf attract more people who already have this trait due to socio-economic-more adult participation-whatever reasons. Maybe. I voted yes.