Is Golf A Sport (A True Sport) Or Just A Game? What About Bowling?

[arwalden]

I love to bowl... but I've never considered it to be a sport.

Kind of like Skeeball on steroids.

-- Allen

[Uzybone]

1. Not a sport

not any more than bowling, checkers or tic tac toe.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

2. When it boils down to it, golf and bowling are two of the only TRUE

competitive sports. If you don't win, you don't get paid...that's a sport! The rest are entertainment by paid entertainers.

[rogerashton]

8. and Rodeo.

n/t

[Shrek]

10. There are others that fit that category

Tennis, tournament bass fishing, car racing . . .

Although strictly speaking at least some of the losers get paid as well (just not as much as the winner).

[Blue_Chill]

19. When golf and Bowling allow someone

to attmept to stop you from accomplishing your goal I will say they are 'real' sport. I'd love to see golfer try to hit that litte ball with defenders trying to take it away from them.

[never cry wolf]

20. So with that reasoning

gymnastics, track and field, ice skating, skiing, etc. are not sports either.

[bowens43]

3. Mark Twain called golf....

'A good walk spoiled'.

[soleft]

4. What about Archery?

I think golf and bowling are sports. Billiards is a tough one tho.

[arwalden]

5. Golf, Ping-Pong, Bowling... My Favorite Classes To Get My P-E Requirements

... I was in there with the rest of the non-athletic types.

-- Allen

[5thGenDemocrat]

6. If you can drink beer and do it

It's a game, not a sport.
John
My two cents.

[Semi_subversive]

7. As a former pro bowler

I would consider it a skill sport, like golf. However, it takes a ton of stamina to bowl 18 games of qualifying and, if you're fortunate enough to qualify, then 24 match games, plus the finals under the hot lights. It takes its toll on you knees. And if you don't do well, there's no paycheck. Pressure? Damn straights.

[Shrek]

9. It's a sport

Like bowling or track & field.

It's not a game unless there's a way to play defense.

[arwalden]

11. ESPN Had "Professional Poker Championship" The Other Day

... it was fun to watch... but it seemed a little out of place on a SPORTS network.

But hey... I'm not complaining... just observing.

-- Allen

[Kamika]

12. asolutely a sport

Try it out for yourself and then youll see

[gyopsy]

13. Golf is a sport, bowling is not

In golf, you get moderate excersise in the sun and it can be good for you, provided you walk from hole to hole and not ride in the golf cart. Although, undeniably, it is one of the less athletic sports--in that you aren't getting as heavy a cardiovascular workout.

Bowling is a game, plain and simple. Is billiards a sport? no, because it isn't burning any calories nor does it have any athletic value. I suppose somebody might start calling Chess a sport. Bowling is a game and a fun one, but nothing more.

[Semi_subversive]

14. No athletic value?

Maybe not if you're an occasional recreational bowler. Try rolling 10 or so games and tell me what new, sore muscles you discover the next morning. Golf, on the other hand, is walk 250 yards and rest. Swing. Walk 150 yards and rest. Putt. A real workout. I know, I gave up bowling for golf because my knees told me to do so.

[TEXASYANKEE]

16. I agree.

Remember that a round of golf takes, on average 4 to 4-1/2 hours, to complete. I read somewhere that if you walk with a pullcart, it's something like an 1800 calorie expenditure. Not bad!

I enjoy golf and bowling, and I consider them both to be sports.

[kanrok]

15. Let's be precise...

In Webster's Ninth Collegiate Dictionary (which happens to be on my bookshelf presently) the noun "sport" is defined as follows: 1 a: a source of diversion : recreation b: sexual play c(1): physical activity engaged in for pleasure (2): a particular activity (as hunting or an athletic game) so engaged in. So my response is as follows: golf is surely a "sport" as defined above. No one can honestly argue that it is not a "source of diversion." Ask my wife. It clearly is not "sexual play." Again. Ask my wife. It is often a "physical activity engaged in for pleasure." But not always. It most certainly is a "particular activity so engaged in." As such, golf is a "sport." The proper question, therefore, is: "is it an athletic endeavor?" I say yes. For two reasons. One: play the game (and walk while doing so) and be consistent in your swing and be proficient at hitting the ball far, and also near. Hand-eye coordination is crucial, as is strength and stamina. Strength to apply the proper amount of force to the ball in a consistent manner, stamina to continually perform through 18 holes in hot and often muggy weather. And if you're a pro, do it four days in a row (presuming you make the cut after day 2)for weeks on end.
Two: consult Webster's again for the definition of "athlete." The noun "athlete" is defined as "one who is trained or skilled in exercixes, sports, or games requiring strength, agility or stamina."
There you have it. Irrefutable logic proving that golf is a "sport."

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

17. By that definition how could it not be a sport ?

you need balls and a putter :evilgrin:

[gratuitous]

18. Nah

If you don't have 50,000 people in the stands screaming for you to fail, and the ball isn't moving, and there aren't at least five guys (or more like nine or eleven) working together to try to stop you from succeeding including using physical force, it isn't a sport.

[Braden]

21. sport

can you hit a stationary 'lil old golf ball 300 yards with fifteen thousand dead silent people watching your every move?

ever watched a pro hit a 20 foot putt with everything on the line?

It's not hockey but is sure is a sport.

[trof]

22. But is it also a pastime?

Just asking.
;-)