wingman
Super M0derator
Is golf a sport?
And if it isn’t, does really matter? Would you train differently for a sport then you would a match or skill?
Everyone has a strong opinion on what is a sport and what is not, and this question has been asked for many years with persuasive arguments coming from both sides.
Lets start by defining what is a sport?
Webster’s dictionary defines a “sport” as, “An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others.”
An in-depth list of requirements comes from an article posted on Yahoo which proposed a 1 through 6 criterion for defining a sport.
Using criteria that are evident in the upper echelon of athletic activities is one way to develop a tighter definition of what classifies as a sport. Here are those six criteria:
Criteria #1 A physical activity requiring athleticism
Criteria #2 A competitive athletic activity that directly pits athlete(s) against athlete(s)
Criteria #3 An objective directly correlates team efforts toward one and only one non-objective outcome (The point system is not left to objective vote or ruling).
Criteria #4 There is strategic offensive and defensive interaction between opponents
Criteria #5 Action involves a continuous clock, stopped only by infractions
Criteria #6 Fouls against the opponent are part of the action but governed by officiated rules
Criteria #7 Another way to determine what is a sport is to determine what isn’t
This method requires only one criterion: anything that can better is classified as a game, a match, an event, a fight, or a race is objectively not a sport. In order to be more subjective I will use the above criteria to divide the sports from the other activities. For the purposes of this article though, I will not define the other classifications, but rather for your curiosity I will still assign my classification for each other activity represented here.
Some Examples of athletic activities that qualify as a sport (In alphabetical order)
Baseball
Basketball
Football
Rugby
Soccer
Volleyball
Here are some examples of athletic activities, which may or may not involve an athlete, but would not qualify as a sport. In parentheses is one or more of the criteria not met to be a sport and then the assigned classification of that activity.
Bobsledding (4,6; Event)
Boxing (3; Fight)
Chess (1,2,3,6; Game)
Dancing (Perhaps all, 3,4,5,6; Event)
Field Events (4,6; Event)
Figure Skating (3,4,5,6; Event)
Foosball (1, possibly 3,4,5,6; Game)
Golf (1,3,4,6; Match)
Gymnastics (3,4,6; Meet/Match)
Pool (1,4,5,6; Game)
Racquetball (5, possibly 3; Match)
Swimming (4,6; Meet/Match)
Table Tennis (1, possibly 3,4,5,6; Game)
Tennis (Possibly 3,4,5,6; Match)
Track (Possibly 3,5,6; Race)
Wrestling (3; Match)
By Webster’s definition, golf is a sport as it does burn calories and involve doing something physical. But if going by the criteria listed on Yahoo, golf clearly is a match composed of skill and not a sport.
Whether golf is a sport or match does not take away from the fact that participants can benefit from being strong, better conditioned and more explosive. A solid strength and conditioning base can pay dividends usually reserved from sports played on the field, pitch or ice. Universally, increasing an athlete’s ability to generate force will aid in driving the ball farther as it would decrease a 40 yard sprint time. Creating a strong base and correct posture by placing a heavy barbell on your back during squatting will result in an improved ability to hit the ball as it would to hitting an opponent.
While simple and probably wrong, my cut off for sport and non-sport comes with age and sobriety. Young fit individuals play sports. And if you can improve your ability by consuming alcohol it probably is not a sport. You don’t see 60-year-old accountants in goofy pants padded up playing football on Sundays. If a group of old out of shape men can get together, drink a 12 pack of beer, and play golf, then you have a hard time convincing me it is a sport.
As Happy Gilmore remarked, “The only thing you need to be good at golf is goofy pants and a fat ass.”
And if it isn’t, does really matter? Would you train differently for a sport then you would a match or skill?
Everyone has a strong opinion on what is a sport and what is not, and this question has been asked for many years with persuasive arguments coming from both sides.
Lets start by defining what is a sport?
Webster’s dictionary defines a “sport” as, “An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others.”
An in-depth list of requirements comes from an article posted on Yahoo which proposed a 1 through 6 criterion for defining a sport.
Using criteria that are evident in the upper echelon of athletic activities is one way to develop a tighter definition of what classifies as a sport. Here are those six criteria:
Criteria #1 A physical activity requiring athleticism
Criteria #2 A competitive athletic activity that directly pits athlete(s) against athlete(s)
Criteria #3 An objective directly correlates team efforts toward one and only one non-objective outcome (The point system is not left to objective vote or ruling).
Criteria #4 There is strategic offensive and defensive interaction between opponents
Criteria #5 Action involves a continuous clock, stopped only by infractions
Criteria #6 Fouls against the opponent are part of the action but governed by officiated rules
Criteria #7 Another way to determine what is a sport is to determine what isn’t
This method requires only one criterion: anything that can better is classified as a game, a match, an event, a fight, or a race is objectively not a sport. In order to be more subjective I will use the above criteria to divide the sports from the other activities. For the purposes of this article though, I will not define the other classifications, but rather for your curiosity I will still assign my classification for each other activity represented here.
Some Examples of athletic activities that qualify as a sport (In alphabetical order)
Baseball
Basketball
Football
Rugby
Soccer
Volleyball
Here are some examples of athletic activities, which may or may not involve an athlete, but would not qualify as a sport. In parentheses is one or more of the criteria not met to be a sport and then the assigned classification of that activity.
Bobsledding (4,6; Event)
Boxing (3; Fight)
Chess (1,2,3,6; Game)
Dancing (Perhaps all, 3,4,5,6; Event)
Field Events (4,6; Event)
Figure Skating (3,4,5,6; Event)
Foosball (1, possibly 3,4,5,6; Game)
Golf (1,3,4,6; Match)
Gymnastics (3,4,6; Meet/Match)
Pool (1,4,5,6; Game)
Racquetball (5, possibly 3; Match)
Swimming (4,6; Meet/Match)
Table Tennis (1, possibly 3,4,5,6; Game)
Tennis (Possibly 3,4,5,6; Match)
Track (Possibly 3,5,6; Race)
Wrestling (3; Match)
By Webster’s definition, golf is a sport as it does burn calories and involve doing something physical. But if going by the criteria listed on Yahoo, golf clearly is a match composed of skill and not a sport.
Whether golf is a sport or match does not take away from the fact that participants can benefit from being strong, better conditioned and more explosive. A solid strength and conditioning base can pay dividends usually reserved from sports played on the field, pitch or ice. Universally, increasing an athlete’s ability to generate force will aid in driving the ball farther as it would decrease a 40 yard sprint time. Creating a strong base and correct posture by placing a heavy barbell on your back during squatting will result in an improved ability to hit the ball as it would to hitting an opponent.
While simple and probably wrong, my cut off for sport and non-sport comes with age and sobriety. Young fit individuals play sports. And if you can improve your ability by consuming alcohol it probably is not a sport. You don’t see 60-year-old accountants in goofy pants padded up playing football on Sundays. If a group of old out of shape men can get together, drink a 12 pack of beer, and play golf, then you have a hard time convincing me it is a sport.
As Happy Gilmore remarked, “The only thing you need to be good at golf is goofy pants and a fat ass.”
