Liquid Lunch – Point/Counterpoint – Golf is a Real Sport

by on July 17, 2009 at 1:30 pm
19 Comments (Including 4 Conversation)Comments

Marissa Explains It All and First Derivative are on opposite sides of the “is Golf enjoyable” card. Continued debate in the comments.

 

MEIA – Golf Sucks

So apparently there is some major golf championship happening this weekend.  Don’t tell me what it is, I couldn’t give two shits.  I have more than a few issues with golf, but right now I will examine my major contentions.

The first should be obvious to anyone who is used to my behavior. That shit goes too slow. Of course, this is also my complaint about another sport most of you guys like, but golf is baseball slow times one hundred.  If you can’t expect a person to sit still for 30 minutes, what makes you think that they can sit still for a whole golf tournament?  Exactly.  Also, why would anyone want to wait that long just to see some prep hit a ball?  I could be watching other things, such as Law and Order, Cheaters, and whichever Star Wars Spike plans on showing.  Hell, I would even watch Antiques Roadshow before I watch golf, that’s how slow it moves.

Also, is golf really a sport?  I want everyone to be honest here.  It’s essentially some prep hitting something with a stick.  If I wanted to watch that, I would spend more time in Brentwood. Furthermore, there is no real athletic skill involved in golf.  No need for strength, endurance, or true manipulation of the ball.  More evidence- apparently a lot of you readers play golf.  Exactly.

Another reason why I hate golf is that everyone has to be SO GODDAMN QUIET.  I know that only FD has ever talked to me, but trust me, I am a loud person. Quiet people make me uncomfortable, and I think the constant whispering is just for show, like the grunts in women’s tennis.  If athletes in every single other sport can concentrate with the sounds of cheering fans, so can golf players.  Seriously, man up!  It’s a lot easier to get involved and become a devoted fan if you’re allowed to scream your ass off.

So yeah, golf can suck it.  And yes, the only thing keeping me remotely sane is soccer.

FD: Golf Rocks

Lefty

Lefty

Although Marissa may not quite see it this way, watching golf is simultaneously one of the most relaxing, and thrilling, ways to spend a weekend. While  to the unrefined spectator it may look like old preppy dudes banging away at a white ball, true connoisseirs of the sport appreciate its elegance, simplicity, and the appreciate the skill set required to participate at the highest levels.

The endurance required to walk the 3-4 miles while playing, and maintain that level of accuracy is much more than people give credit for. Sure, a weekend duffer cracking open a brew, ripping butts, plays the game but they have a cart. These professionals are still on their feet and utilizing hip rotation speeds that would make a  hooker jealous. And if we’re arguing about athletes – have you seen some of those lineman in the NFL – they make John Daly look like Dustin Pedroia.

Sir Charles

Sir Charles

 Although, unlike many spectator sports, golf is competed in relative silence, it only underscores the precision of a game in which most of us can’t imagine. The degree of accuracy present on the PGA tour is truly a wonder to behold. And although you must be quiet during shots, the crowd roars when it’s Lefty making a final charge down the back 9 of the US Open, or David Duval coming back from the dead for a storyline finish. Besides, in tennis you can’t talk when they’re volleying either.

Watching on television also is an odd mix of relaxation and adrenaline. Falling asleep on a Sunday with Jim Nantz lulling me to sleep is a little bit of bliss during a hectic week. Likewise, on the back 9 at the Masters Keira Knightly couldn’t pull me away from my television (note – may not be true).

Although golf doesn’t provide the same instant gratification of the NFL, NBA,  NHL, or EPL – it’s a different, more cerebral type of sport. One who has a richly deserved spot in the tapestry of the sports world.

Put the Glass Down

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Categories: Liquid Lunch, Mixed Drinks

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  • Pam
    July 17, 2009 at 1:58 pm

    Hello Extremely long photo caption! Golf bores me. If others enjoy it, that’s fine by me.


  • Starburied
    July 17, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    No need for strength, endurance, or true manipulation of the ball.

    This is true for any sport. Just go to the local YMCA for pickup basketball or an elementary school soccer game to see that validity.

    To play at a respectable level it requires all these, plus equal mental focus as any other sport. Try driving a ball 340 yards (strength), swinging a club with proper form 70-75 times a day and telling me your body isn’t sore as all get out (endurance) or hitting a ball 1.5 inches wide into a hole just over 4″ wide 400 yards away (quite a bit of manipulation there).

    It may not be fun to watch for all, just like baseball isn’t or hockey isn’t. And that’s fine. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a “real sport.”


  • lowercase
    July 17, 2009 at 2:39 pm

    My appreciation for golf is growing with time. I watched a ton of the US Open and found it pretty compelling, although the winner was a lame bandwagon Yankee fan from South Carolina. It’s definitely not appointment viewing like a ballgame, but it’s the most relaxing sport to have on in the background while kicking back.


  • Sculptor?!?
    July 17, 2009 at 3:07 pm

    Yeah, see, I’ll grant you the skill, endurance etc etc etc. But this still isn’t a SPORT to me. It’s a test of skills against a standard. Like Darts, Billiards, or Bowling. Or for that matter, Standardized Testing in schools. You telling me that because a kid can sit still for 6 hours while taking the SAT (endurance) and managing to score highly (the skill), and filling in all those little bubbles with a #2 pencil (manipulation), that therefore the SAT is a sport? Bullshit.

    You want to make this a SPORT? Fine. Everyone tees of at once, charges pell-mell down the fairway (tackling is allowed, but no fucking with another man’s ball. Ahem.) to get to their ball first (everyone gets a different colored ball so we can tell them apart). First one to sink the ball wins the hole. Period. This pits man against man, (or woman against woman, whatever), and makes a contest out of it, with unpredictable results and action.


  • RonArtestTableLeg
    July 17, 2009 at 4:04 pm

    I’d love to know how it doesn’t take strength to hit a golf ball 350 yards off the tee of 225 out of the rough. I pretty much agree with Starburied. Look what happens when some other athletes try to play competitive golf, aside from certain guys, they’re not very good. It takes as much endurance to walk 4-5 miles (often times up and downhill) and take plenty of good swings. My roommate was recruited to play college football and baseball and he wouldn’t come within 10 strokes of me right now (and i don’t play much anymore). From someone who’s played every major sport competitively, it’s takes just as much skill and athleticism to play golf.


    • MarissaExplainsItAll
      July 17, 2009 at 4:39 pm

      Look, I don’t get offended by your shitty jokes, so why don’t you try not to get offended by my sarcasm.


      • RonArtestTableLeg
        July 17, 2009 at 6:16 pm

        It’s not like i’m the only one that took the “No need for strength, endurance, or true manipulation of the ball.” seriously. At least in golf there’s scoring involved, whereas other sports go hours without anything happening.


    • Sculptor?!?
      July 17, 2009 at 6:13 pm

      Pfft. That’s a bogus argument. Fine – other athletes can’t golf? Let’s see Lefty catch a 60 yard pass. Or slam dunk a basketball.

      No one said they’re unfit. My point is that it’s a game, not a sport. It’s still a measure of one person’s abilities against a set standard.


      • FirstDerivative
        July 17, 2009 at 6:31 pm

        But Golf still is a physical activity. It’s definitely more than a game. Especially in events like best ball, which is when you’re paired with another player and you play the best shot among the two of you. Also, when you’re paired up in the final groupings you’re actively competing against the person you’re paired with.


  • K-Gun
    July 17, 2009 at 4:09 pm

    Can’t we all just agree that golf is a lot more entertaining than ice dancing?

    Also, Golf in HD is worth watching just to see those courses. It’s GORGEOUS.


    • Old King Clancy
      July 17, 2009 at 7:28 pm

      That was going to be my answer. Golf first became interesting to watch after I tried to play it and know exactly how hard it is, but the HD really does it.

      I’m not really into NASCAR, but the amount of color in HD is pretty awesome.


  • PlayoffBeard
    July 17, 2009 at 4:45 pm

    The joy of watching a millionaire slice a shot into a lake is one of the high points of sport.


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