The World's Hardest Sport

The sport that I have dedicated the most time to, golf, has become a part of me—in my soul. To me, golf is more than a sport; it is a lifelong journey of training to temper myself both mentally and physically. Playing golf opens my eyes to observe the world in a unique way, and it lets me taste the bliss of striving. The Georgia State Golf Championship in my sophomore year was one of the most memorable experiences that influenced me, not only by contributing to my interest in golf, but also by building my character and teaching me life lessons. It did not push me to the road of being a professional golfer, but it instilled the spirits of a golfer within me.

a. There are so many aspects to the game of golf that it is impossible for me to tell you everything in just one speech, but the history, depth, excitement, and pure leisure of the sport is breathe taking.

Mark Hyman, author of Until It Hurts: America’s Obsession With Youth Sports and How It Harms Our Kids says, “There’s no evidence that kids who specialize in one sport are more likely to go pro or get a scholarship. None.” Hyman explains that there is no evidence of kids having more success if they specialize in one sport. Dr. Matt Matava, a sports-medicine specialist at Washington University in St. Louis also says that “you’re more likely to have success in most sports at the college level if you diversify while you’re growing up.” Matava says a similar thing- that people are more likely to have more success in sports if they try a variety of sports. Both quotes imply that people will not have a better life if they centralize on one sport- in fact, their lives may be worse. Focusing on a single sport- and putting himself/herself under pressure- is not a good thing to do, as these two people are trying to tell us. Success is important- not doing a lot of one sport. It won’t do much

If you have the right equipment, you can easily meet the standards of a college athlete. To become a college athlete, however, there are more aspects of the college world to think about, and there are certainly more requirements. As a good student-athlete, you must always be conscious of your attitude and behavior; there are many responsibilities that come with representing your school and community, but being a college athletes have many perks that others students don 't.

I am a committed and determined individual who works hard to achieve my goals. Besides various athletic accomplishments, I also excel in the classroom maintaining an accumulative 3.95 GPA. This shows I can manage my time well and prioritize. I have also been credited as a great leader on and off the playing

Credibility material: According to an NCAA study on the experiences of college athletes have revealed that 60% of student athletes reported viewing themselves “more as athletes than students.”

The NCAA has relied heavily on the age-old characterization of college athletes as “amateurs” who are first and foremost “student-athletes” (Sanderson and Siegfried). Because they are considered students and

This is far from the truth. Since 2006, the last year high school students could go straight from high school to the pro’s, only three athletes in football and basketball combined have made it to the pro’s without having gone to college. Essentially to play your sport, you must go to college and you must play for free (Drape). Every athlete knows that in order to

Yet, many people object the physical exertion aspect with golf, that it does not require any. These objectors who say golf should not be included in that defined group are ignorant to athletics and its regulations. My definition of a sport is a competition that involves athletes who play to win within a certain structure of rules and regulations. Anyone can be an athlete; they do not have to be good to play a sport, as long as they try with some effort. A sport requires certain qualities of an individual too that it can not be without.

When you think of the Olympics, you most likely think of gymnastics, soccer, swimming, hockey and many more events. However, very few of the sports that are competed in now existed when the Olympics first began. They have evolved considerably over the last 3,000 years. First of all, there were very few events compared to how many there are now. Also, the Olympics went from only being known in Greece to being “the world’s preeminent sporting competition.” (History.com)

Fourteen clubs - four wedges, six irons, a rescue, a three wood, a driver, and a putter - this is golf. It is one of the most mentally challenging sports in the world. It can fool beginners who are deceived by its simplicity. Golf is often underestimated by those who have never attempted to play the sport. While it has often been known as a “rich man’s” sport, in recent years this perception has begun to change. There are a number of other generalizations made when talking about golf, yet these are most always from those who have never experienced, played, or followed the game. One should question how a critic with no knowledge of the activity could state whether or not golf should be considered a sport. Golf is a sport, regardless of what any critic has to say. Studies and experimentation, along with the experience itself, reveal all of the athletic aspects that make golf better than most sports.

Arnold Palmer said it best. “Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect.” The straightforward yet difficult facet has always drawn me to the sport. Golf has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and I love all aspects about it: the competitiveness, the focus required, the life lessons, and the bonding it can create. The game of golf is my passion.

Knowing my limited athletic talents, I began to explore other aspects of sports. In my junior year, I decided to become the Statistician for the Soccer team. By the end of the season, I earned my first varsity letter for soccer. When fencing season began, I was called up to the varsity squad as my skills improved. By the end of the season, I received my second varsity letter for fencing. At the end of the year, I realized there was a difference between both letters. The soccer letter represented me recognizing my personal flaws and adjusting my interests to succeed in the end. The fencing letter represented me working on my determination and ability to learn the skills needed to reach my goal.

Many people take up Golf thinking that it is easy, after all, how hard can it be to hit a little white ball with a stick? This thinking evaporates the first time they step onto a driving range and attempt to hit that little white ball. Golf is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. My experience with golf began in May of 2005 when friends came to stay with us; my wife informed me that I would have to take Roy, her friend’s husband Golfing. I had not been to a driving range (since I was in my teens) and I had never played golf on a course before. It was quite an experience; the weather was cold, rainy and nasty the three times we played while they where here, the game hooked me badly, even with the bad shots and the nasty weather.

With the chance at a college scholarship becoming the main focus for some students who play sports, club sports seem to be the way to go. On the other hand Dan Gould, Michigan State professor, provides some example of why club sports may not be the best way to go. The biggest reason is the “One-sport wonder” student athletes who specialize in one sport their entire life. “Specialization leads to overuse injuries: pitch counts get too high, players use the same muscles and hurt them” (12). So when students play club sports and specialize they risk the chance of hurting themselves and losing out on scholarship opportunities. Gould continues his point by saying playing multiple sports, and gaining multiple skills help athletes to perform better. So the claim that students should play club because it’s better for developing their skills is not completely valid. Students who play high school sports are more likely to play more than one sport and potentially gain skills that an athlete playing club sports will not.