Why Golf Is A Sport

Imagine the sun bursting through the trees for the first time of the new day, the smell of freshly cut grass still potent to your nose as you tee the ball up for a round of golf in the cool mist of a spring morning. "That is what brings you back every time, the smell of the air, the coolness of the whether and the beautiful surroundings that make every shot enjoyable." (Suess, PI) This is the game of golf in its finest and most exquisite time to many people and many people it has touched in its long history. Golf is a lifestyle and not just games to people that are avid in playing. The game of golf has a history that is rich in technological advances and personal accomplishments, which through time has shown to shape

When you think of something that should be considered a sport, marching band is not necessarily something that comes to mind. For one, it fits the definition of sport being physically exerting, so much so that some members have even fainted due to exhaustion. On top of the members that march, there is also the color guard. The color guard is a group or section in the band that not only marches, but uses other items in the show. Most times they can do as much, if not more, work than the members that play instruments. Second, it requires a lot of skill, not only do you have to walk/run/march in time, but you also have to play your music from memory while marching to different points on the field at different speeds. The last criteria for being a sport is being played in a team or by an individual. DCI ( Drum Corps International) is the highest level of competitive marching band. The shows can last much longer than high school marching band, up to 15 minutes, on top of that, their shows are much more vigorous and exerting.

I play golf for the pleasure of it; have been doing so for number years, as member, Sharjah Golf Club. I am proud of expertize I have acquired in it. It seems to be a game of hitting a dimpled white ball, placed on a holder, between relaxing walks, with a caddy in tow, whereas it requires knowledge of math, science, engineering and technology for one to be a ‘Tiger Woods’.

Golf. A sport that was dull and mundane twenty years ago, evolved when Tiger Woods came to the scene. I started golfing during high school and loved it for the single fact, Tiger Woods played it. Growing up I pictured golf as that once boring sport played by old white men lacking a fan base. Just like myself, many people hated the idea of watching golf, so the sport needed a change. Tour earnings were low, scoring was average, and young people did not want to pick up the sport. Tiger Woods came on the tour in 1997 and astronomically changed the view of golf. The “Tiger Effect” on golf is real and more people have been trying to work harder to get to that “Tiger” bench mark. He single handily brought golf to the limelight and made it interesting to watch this godly like figure tear up the greens while becoming an idol to young golfers around the world.

Sports are played worldwide and are reflective of that particular areas cultural view. This has led to a wide variety of sports that are played. Due to this high level of diversity it has become extremely challenging to define what activities are considered a sport verse a recitation activity. Specialists in this field frequently debate this issue, discussing the criteria that should exist when evaluating a sport. The main goal is to make a list concise enough yet, at the same time detailed so it can be used in every sporting model.

When people here the word ‘golf’ they often correlate it with a misleading sense of boring, elderly men and women who have nothing better to do. Believe it or not, there is a broader reason why so many retirees indulge in the golf lifestyle. Yes, golf is a lifestyle, not just a sport. Many people, most of whom know absolutely nothing about the sport, do not realize that playing golf regularly can add five years to their life span and also have many other well-being-related benefits (“Health” par. 5). Golf is a great therapeutic activity because it teaches good etiquette, it enriches the mind, and it provides for a healthy lifestyle.

A matter of opinion has separated a variety of sports enthusiasts apart, due to the ongoing debate of whether golf is a sport or simply a skill. Famed golfer Arnold Palmer declared, “Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening – and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented. (ThinkQuest.com)” These words state what every athlete experiences and feels when he/she is turning a double play, making the game winning three point shot, or throwing a hail mary pass for a touchdown. Golfers are athletes too, they train for that big moment just like any other athlete, but

Baseball is considered a sport however, unlike other sports it’s not an entertaining game, baseball is the most boring sport you will watch on TV, also it is season is too long and most of the players are out of shape.

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.

The sport of golf requires a lot out of a player physically, but the game is even more mental than physical. It will test one’s will to make it through each hole let alone the full round or season. This mental challenge comes from the time it takes to hit each shot as well as the huge individual aspect it has. When someone is out on the course they are truly alone with their thoughts and golf clubs. There is no feeling in any sport that can compare to that.

For the first time since 1904, golf will be returning to the 2016 Olympics in Rio (Shipnuck). Golf is a very complicated sport. It is a mental game along with a physical one. The many aspects of golf are very similar to other sports. Golf is a sport because it has similar components to other sports such as strategizing how you play, the equipment used, and the physical strength and endurance required.

According to The Sports Journal, “Knowing how to use a golf course's practice facility, how a golf course sets up, which golf courses your child should play, and how to use that information to your child's advantage will make the experience much more pleasurable for your child and give them the foundation to become a lifelong beneficiary of the game” (“Junior Golf”). This quotation proves that the way the golf course is designed affects how golf is played. To construct a golf course that makes golf more pleasurable, the owners need to adjust things to make it effortless to play, form a golf course that is intact and enjoyable, and use technology that benefits the course so they can have a wonderful time playing golf.

Golf is a sport that can be played by anyone at any age, making it popular with both young and old alike, and every age in between. According to Statista, as of 2014 there were about 26.88 million golfers in the USA alone. The World Golf Foundation estimates that about $68.8 billion is pumped into the US economy via golf each year.

Since the age of four, when I was barely old enough to swing a putter, I have loved the game of golf. My dad, passing his love of the game down to me, would take me out every Sunday to Woods Edge Golf Course in Edgewood; he taught me the ins and outs and the dos and don’ts of the sport. One of the earliest memories I have of these trips to Woods Edge is being a mere couple of inches from driving the cart into a pond while dad was teeing off; this would definitely be considered a don’t in the world of golf. I received my first set of clubs for Christmas when I was eight and a year later, a pass to Pin Oak. Boy was I thrilled. I began to golf by myself and learn my own lessons through my experiences on the course. But as I grew as a golfer on my own, my dad was still there tweaking my swing in the back yard and taking trips to Edgewood with me. My dad is a big reason why I have a passion for the game of golf.

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.