Why isn't golf an Olympic sport?

I have wondered the same thing. Although there's a cup (I can't think of the name of it) that is suppossedly pretty much the same thing... but still not the olympics

it used to be.

it was dropped for lack of interest (in the world at large)

Mini-Golf

Golf isn't even a sport, period

Agreed... golf is NOT a sport.

If an old fat man, who is out of shape can... well you get the picture.

3/4 of golf is pure luck.

Golf is like watching paint dry. ESPN shows enough to make me think Americans love to watch paint dry. Boring

Ya, all the Negroes from Africa can be caddies.

People actually would play golf for a medal instead of money?

hmmmmm...NOT a sort, eh? 3/4 luck, huh?

Obviously you've never attempted the game...it captures many many of the aspects that I like about running...no, it is not all that physically taxing to walk 4ish miles in 4 to 5 hours but the components of the game that are similar include the basic quantifiabilty of both activities...track is quantifiable in distance/time/ height...golf is quantifiable in number of strokes from tee to green AND degree of dificulty (handicap/slope rating)...both take immense concentration, visualization, confidence...I've been around golf since a kid...mostly as a caddy as youngster (even shagged for Billy Caspar as a high schooler) but have only played seriously over the past 4 or 5 years...play almost exclusively with runners or former runners (including a healthy share of former national class, oly trials qualifiers, even a boston marathon champ)and we all see FAR more similarities between the two activities that you might ever imagine...interestingly, 20 years or so ago, before we were fully exposed to the "sport", most of us shunned it the way the typical letsrun.com respondent does today...it is a difficult game to master and the discipline etc that it takes to be half way decent just might surprise you...should it be an Olympic sport???...who knows...who cares...its got an ample venue of its own and doesn't NEED the Olympic Games...if you think its easy, if you think that its a "soft" game that ANYone can succeed at, come on out and join us some time...you will see a quiet ferocity in the competitiveness and witness first-hand an acquired skill that will surely humble even the very most athletic inividual indeed!

MF

How can you justify a past time as being a sport if old people who can be lifetime smokers excel? It's exactly the same reason bowling, chess, and yes (gasp!) baseball shouldn't be considered sports. Do you ever really sweat from golf (unless you are drying out in the hot humid sun of the south?)? Are there stretching exercises or training regiments? I agree it is a MENTAL "sport" just like chess or poker, and I also feel the oly's have alllowed enough borderline "sports" to keep those who advocate things like golf happy.

Interesting why you think a sport must involve sweating. On your reckoning, diving, throwing javelin, discus, shot,

cricket, snooker are just a few activities you would presumably not class as sport. Golf at the highest level requires requires mental toughness, Strength and coordination. Pro golfers are to your social golfer as joggers to top runners.

Surely the point is that any sport or activity if you prefer to call it that should be the pinacle of that sport if its in the olympics. Someone made the point that the road race cyclists who took part in the Tour De France and then the Olympics were still talking more about the Tour than their Olympic Race and the what tennis player would prefer the Olympic Title to Wimbledon.

And what the Hell is football doing there ? Top players not interested.

Equestrian events shoudnt be in Olympics as this is the sport of the privilaged. The whole thing should be overhauled but it wont happen.