Are golfers really athletes?

16:23 5K wrote:

It matters because you can be an fat, drunk senior citizen and still compete with the best. in what other "sport" is that possible?

Running. You ever heard of Henry Rono?

16:23 5K wrote:

Why is it that golfers can continue competing at the highest levels well into their 40s, 50s, even 60s? That's pretty telling.

Who? Did you look at the leader board during yesterday's match? The oldest guy was 40.

Shit, more marathons have older guys (40s, 50s) finishing in the top 20 than golf Majors.

Dr.S wrote:

Golfers are athletes - I tested a bunch, and physical abilities and coordination separate the pros from the good amateurs from the recreational people. It is a different type of fitness. Some of those are pretty strong and most are very flexible. The long driver competitors are actually pretty amazing.

Not many hit 'em further than John Daly. He must be a pretty amazing athlete, too.

tojar wrote:

Not many hit 'em further than John Daly. He must be a pretty amazing athlete, too.

http://www.dailycomedy.com/images/jokes/b/JohnDaly.jpg

Har Har Har! Bring up John Daly, again!

Killer Wail wrote:

Har Har Har! Bring up John Daly, again!

well, i'm sure it'll stop as soon as you point out one obese distance runner who smokes 3 packs and drinks a fifth of whiskey every day.

MPR wrote:

Yes, but their sport is a highly skill based sport as opposed to a highly conditioning based sport such as running.

All sports contain a certain amount of both conditioning and skill and the mixture will vary by sport. Endurance sports such as swimming, biking or running are prodiminately conditioning sports, while sports such as golf, table tennis and archery are more skill based sports. But I believe the conditioning aspects of golf have grown substainially in the last 25 years.

This is the correct. They are all athletes.

Well those clubs are quite heavy to carry

But they get someone else to do that

16:23 5K wrote:

well, i'm sure it'll stop as soon as you point out one obese distance runner who smokes 3 packs and drinks a fifth of whiskey every day.

Point out one pro golfer who cannot drive 300 yards or sink a 20 foot putt under extreme pressure. The two sports require different sets of skill and athleticism.

John Daly was an outlier. Plus, as was pointed out before, he did not cut the mustard. He was a freakshow in the golfing world.

I don't see how golfers are really athletes. Yes, they are skilled at an activity that requires concentration and some degree of physical ability. You could say the same thing about archers or a good mechanic. But when I see fat guys, or 60 yo Tom Watson about winning majors, that to me says that you don't need much conditioning or strength to be at the top. You need skill, with a modest amount of strength and flexibility. Hitting a golf ball squarely is a skill. So is putting. I'm not saying it's easy...it isn't. But neither is quilting.

So why do these guys make so much money? Well look around, 70% of people are fat, and about all they can do is golf. These people aren't going to pay money to see Tergat run. Hell, they couldn't run one 400. But maybe they can make a birdie or two, so they can relate a bit.

I've been to a PGA tour event, and I thought it was ridiculous. People tiptoeing around, you can barely speak, everyone's fawning over these guys, the environment is incredibly contrived and gay.

Well, the truth is that no one can really answer the question. Even ESPN can't seem to grasp the answer:

http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=2857006

In the end, an athlete is going to have a better chance of succeeding in golf, just like they would make a better fighter pilot.

The same goes for running. A good runner is not necessarily a good athlete, but they will likely be more successful if they are a good athlete.

Yes you do, but refuse to accept it. You answer it below.

Here is your answer! Strength, precision, hand/eye/body coordination.

A mechanic is profession. What is the PHYSCIAL skill set required to be a mechanic? What are you competing for? How do you win?

Fat guys play football, basketball, track/field, baseball, etc. And what does age have to do with it? Just because you can't compete at the same level as you could in your younger years does not disqualify you as an athlete. Is Ed Whitlock not an athlete? This just means golf has less of a physical strain on your body than other sports, even with age. As I pointed out in another post, physical stress exerted =/= athleticsm.

Again, you point out how golfers are athletes.

You are correct.

Pro Golf is set up exactly like pro running. You get paid for winning competitions, but most of the money comes from advertisers and sponserships. Professional golf, however, is WAY more popular than professional running, and the fans buy more sport related products, so, therefore, pro golfers with a higher profile get paid more.

Then that is your opinion and you don't have to watch it ever again. Many people would say the same about a track meet, where nothing really happens in a long distance race until there is a minute to go, and then they have to wait through 10 minutes of nothing for another race which will only last 10 seconds. It's all a matter of perspective and preference.

...and congratulation! You are now a certified idiot!

running is not a sport in and of itself. XC, track and field, and road racing (NOT Gallowalking) are sports.

Been there before wrote:

As someone who has run for the past 15 years, all the way from high school state placer to numerous time all-american and world team member, distance runners are not athletes to me. Most of the runners I know are unathletic and would look totally out of place on a basketball/tennis court, soccer pitch and so on. I don't think you have to be an good athlete to be a golfer either, which there are/have been many realworld examples proving this. Obviously, there will be many varying opinions about what an athlete is and isn't.

I have enjoyed the competition and the friendships built over the years in this sport. The insecurities among the distance runner community do get a bit annoying though.

You treat basketball and the like sports as if they were the gold standard of athleticism. You can't call runners non-athletes because they can't play basketball very well (in general). That is totally opposite the meaning of a sport, something that requires SPECIFIC skills and SPECIFIC training. Do ANY of you even know how muscles get stronger? It doesn't matter how big they are as long as they have tensile strength. Runners have a lot of that kind of strength. Hell, in this society, being skinny should be a good thing, but no, we are all obsessed with masculine standards for sports. Therefore, big muscles are a must. What a bunch of cavemen. Join the age of education and learn how one can be strong in more ways than one. Runners are very strong people. Their muscles, bones, cardiovascular systems and coordination are very developed and they are very healthy compared to the average american. Of course there are the exceptions of anorexic high school girls, but that shouldn't define running.

This subject is great troll fodder. It goes round and round every now and then, kind of like global warming.

So I take it you used to run, but are now a fat golfer? Well good on ya, doughboy!

Old Man Runner wrote:

Look, what makes someone an "athlete", whether great or not, depends on how the individual defines "athlete" to themselves. What describes "athlete"? Fast? Mental? Power?

I kind of take the "college football" mentality when it comes to saying whether or not someone is a great "athlete". All-around athletic ability that indicates (or has shown) they could potentially succeed at multiple sports.

Just because someone can run a 2:05 marathon doesn't mean they are necessarily an "athlete". They are a great runner.

You want athletes?

Jackie Robinson (Enough Said)

Jim Owens (Enough Said)

Bo Jackson Enough Said)

Deion Sanders. (As much as I can't stand the guy, he could play both sports well)

Dave DeBusschere (two sport hall of famer)

Allen Iverson (Could throw a football 70 yards in high school)

Joe Montana (Had major D-1 basketball offers)

Many, many more.

Please tell me about this "Jim Owens".

Sanders was a pretty mediocre major league player (OBA of .319 is weak).

Wow, throwing a football 70 yds! Why was he not drafted.

Gotta add Tom Glavine to the list as well as every decathlete to win a medal at world's or Olympic games.

Lots of great athletes out there, funny how you did not list a single distance runner.

Connoisseur/Pro wrote:

So I take it you used to run, but are now a fat golfer? Well good on ya, doughboy!

Lame. Did you see the guy who won the Masters yesterday? 140 pounds, scrawny as shit. They even commented on his distance runner body. What do you think about that?

Connoisseur/Pro wrote:

So I take it you used to run, but are now a fat golfer? Well good on ya, doughboy!

Nope. Still a skinny runner, although admittedly my glory days are probably behind me. But I also like to play other sports, like golf, basketball, and soccer. Not a one trick pony here. But making the assumption probably did make you feel good though, huh?

Cadddie wrote:

The average masters round was over 5 hours. So for some of the guys, for 4 straight days they went out and walked for over 5 hours. Thats pretty damn impressive. Also, Lefty's caddie has said that Phil drinks 9+ bottles of water during a round to stay hydrated. So to me, yes athletes.

No. No they didn't. They went for about a 30 minute walk and every 5 minutes or so stopped, thought about it for a bit, did the equivalent of a couple of jumping jacks, caught their breath and then kept walking.

Many golfers happen to be athletes and it does help, but you don't need to be an athlete to be a golfer.

(Oh, and Phil was just keeping the man boobs bloated)