Golf question (football, soccer, basketball, baseball)

[sailordave]

If people in professional golf are considered athletes then why don't they carry their own bag?

[theS5]

Would it make them more athletic if they carried their own bags?

I think that the term athlete is used generously when it comes to golfers or Nascar drivers. Are some of the guys athletes, sure. Many played college athletics other than golf. But, for the most part, they are golfers, not athletes.

BTW, this should not diminish their expertise. If you have ever played the game, you would know that what they can do is nothing short of remarkable.

[Orangeish]

Heck, at least they walk the course. Seriously though I really think the "are golfers athletes" debate is tired and worn. The excel at a sport that is extremely difficult. People that for some reason want to cut down on professional golfers are just haters, nothing more nothing less.

And like the above posters said, what they do is truly remarkable.

[jazzy jeff 11]

Originally Posted by sailordave

If people in professional golf are considered athletes then why don't they carry their own bag?

one word: lazy lol

and i dont really consider golf a professional sport. its more like a recreational sport. its a sport u and a bunch of friends can do when they want to get together and have some fun. without getting all competitive.

[Finger Laker]

playing golf is as competative as pretty much anything else that i've played

i find the debate to be pretty tired as well

lines like "you can play it when you're old", "i can play it with my buddies", "i don't need to train for it and can still have a good time" are all really weak

you can do that with pretty much any of the accepted sports - since I can play basketball with my little niece and her grandfather and have a good time it means that people in the NBA are not athletes - after all we're out there doing it and just having fun

also why do all professional sports teams have an equipment manager - why are there bat boys or base coaches in baseball

the caddy is much more than a bag carrier

also, the average guy would be taxed from playing 72 holes of golf, with warmups and cool down practice, an extensive travel schedule, etc every weekend

is it as hard as some other sports as far as physical demands - no

but it is a high level competition, that requires a tremendous amount of skill and it does favor those who are in some level of quality shape

i'm not a big golf fan - but I have no need to hate on them, nascar drivers or any of the other "are they athletes" classes

[Coolhand68]

I never looked at golf as a sport. To me it's a game, on the same level as billiards, bowling and darts. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate the talent of a Tiger Woods or other pro golfers, I just don't see golfer's as athletes, though Tiger could be an exception since he's apparently in good shape. When I think sports I think of something that takes a certain level of intensity, athletic prowess, and stamina. Football, hockey, basketball, boxing, tennis, soccer, swimming, and to a certain degree baseball are all sports which require you to be a notch above everyone else in terms of conditioning, ability, skill and reflexes. Not too many 65 year olds out there on the ice or in the ring, plenty on the golf course. Just my two cents.

[Milwaukee City]

Originally Posted by sailordave

If people in professional golf are considered athletes then why don't they carry their own bag?

Yes/no some are athletes and others are not. However the bag thing is more of class thing from the old days. It's more tradition than laziness.

[macroy]

Originally Posted by Coolhand68

I never looked at golf as a sport. To me it's a game, on the same level as billiards, bowling and darts. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate the talent of a Tiger Woods or other pro golfers, I just don't see golfer's as athletes, though Tiger could be an exception since he's apparently in good shape. When I think sports I think of something that takes a certain level of intensity, athletic prowess, and stamina. Football, hockey, basketball, boxing, tennis, soccer, swimming, and to a certain degree baseball are all sports which require you to be a notch above everyone else in terms of conditioning, ability, skill and reflexes. Not too many 65 year olds out there on the ice or in the ring, plenty on the golf course. Just my two cents.

You also need those traits in golf...at the competitive level. Just as the reverse is true with the other sports if you're just playing for fun. My 86 year old grandmother can still shoot hoops... but I wouldn't call her an athlete anymore.

And you are absolutely right, what 65 year olds do on a Weekend morning at the local course is a game. Its also a game when a bunch of co-workers play baseball with a can of beer in their hand...... neither one is participating in a "sport"... but it is a derivative of one.