Originally posted by: z0mb13
Originally posted by: Lloyd Braun
Heh, I don't post here much but something like this BEGS to be educated. Golf is so low on the totem poll of profession sports that it's somewhere between Curling and Shot Putting.
The thing is, you're not competing against other people directly. No defense, technically no offense, no reliance on split-second thinking, no fear of injury from pushing your physical ability to the limit... I could go on and on but the point is Golf IS a game where practice CAN make you the greatest player ever, and do you know why? Because golf balls DON'T practice and golf balls CAN'T play defense against whoever is hitting it. Meaning all you have to focus on is hitting a ball the same way you have for years and years and years, and the only thing that changes is the location of it
And please, the golfer isn't "up against the course" either, you judge and strategize beforehand about how you want to play the fairway, or how you want to get past a big bunker at the dogleg left, but that's all mental preparation and has nothing to do with competition.
Kranky is more correct with his statement then you think, but I'm sure the Tiger fanbois on here will debate anytthing that makes him sound human.
lol lol lol if I use ur logic then baseball is just like golf
seriously people should stop commenting on sports that they know NOTHING about. yes in usual stroke play golf usually it is the player vs the course, but then you have to beat everyone else. There is a lot of strategy involved depending on how the course situation/other player dictates. Back in shinnecok making pars was key, so players play conservatively and only attack on certain holes. In Medinah, the course played easier because the rain softened up the greens, so the players can stick it close (thus the low scores) causing the players to be a bit more aggresive. When tiger made the turn on the back nine on Sunday, he just aimed at the center of the green and try to make easy pars, because he knew that if he make pars he would win it easily.
On top of this stroke play is not the only aspect in golf, there is also match play where you compete directly with another person. Tiger is also godlike in match play tournaments. I am not a Tiger fanboy by any means, I am just pointing out that he is truly a great golfer and a great SPORTS figure, yes golf IS a sport
I bolded your statement above. That statement is truly moronic. You dont think other players int he PGA tour practice MORE than tiger does? There are hundreds of players in the pga tour, and at least ten or more players practice MORE than tiger does (vijay singh comes to mind) but why are there no players that can beat tiger? Is it because of Tiger's raw talents, thats why
Rofl, ok let's see how I can disect your little Tiger fanboi-slighted views. First off, obviously the objective is to "beat" the other players, not the golf course. You must make adjustments depending on your score, the course, the weather, etc.. but I'm not debating that, I'm saying it's a much lesser a sport for the simple reason it lacks competition against another person directly. It's a mental game, "the thinking mans game" to coin a widely used phrase to explain it, where you're competing AROUND other players, not against them. The only thing you need to worry about is their score at the end of the day, you have no control over what they do on the course and that 's what separates Golf from Tennis, Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, Cricket, Soccer, and so and and so on...
There is a lot of strategy involved depending on how the course situation/other player dictates. Back in shinnecok making pars was key, so players play conservatively and only attack on certain holes. In Medinah, the course played easier because the rain softened up the greens, so the players can stick it close (thus the low scores) causing the players to be a bit more aggresive. When tiger made the turn on the back nine on Sunday, he just aimed at the center of the green and try to make easy pars, because he knew that if he make pars he would win it easily.
I don't know what exactly you're trying to say here, but I'll give it a go.. you've explained weather, scores, and course difficulty being the key factors in how a golfer golfs with this statement, how do these factors have any bearing on the physical and mental toughness of a golfer? "Greens are soft, stick the ball close" "Holes are hard, try to make par and only attack certain holes" "Up by 5 strokes, just try and par the back nine" Where is the strategy you speak of, seems to me it's just a bunch of pre-programmed routines on how to win, again, where's the legitament competition? By the way, I know match play is a flavor that does have you "compete" against other golfers singularly, but honestly it's just a dumded-down version of stroke play where you just play against your partner, pick apart that statement as much as you want but for all intents and purposes it is.
Now, did you even read my statement about practice? I said that someone
CAN be the greastest with enough practice, I know others practice MORE than Tiger, but I never said that there is a direct correlation between practice and winning. But yeah, I don't know stories of any other golfers childhood where their dads made them practice their asses off like Tiger's did, so did you consider conditioning since he could stand up when discussing who has practiced more than Tiger? I also fail to see how you're not a Tiger fanboi either, all you've done in this thread is talk about how great he is or hot his wife is or how his mental game is sooooo far beyond everyone elses.. please give me a break. You know what else he is, he's also one of the most arrogant, cheapest ($4 dollar tip at Tony Roma's for a $125 meal that lasted 2 and a half hours) self-centered, elitest golfers there are hidden behind that smiling Nike face while the camera is on him. He all but freaks out (from shots I've seen) at all these bad shots he hits, WTF is his problem? Just shake your head and keep walking, not every shot is going to land where you want it to you little child.
But hey, you can keep telling yourself Golf is a sport rather than a competitive game all you want, but you'll never be accurate. I've played the game several times as impossible as that may seem, I've taken 2 levels of Golf courses in college and still play at this local spot with the friends I made during them. I don't play as much anymore because of work, but as recently as one month ago I was playing 18 holes with them and did alright considering my handicap. So I have SOME knowledge about the game as reluctant as you, jjsole and others may find that. But hey, this is my opinion, you have your opinion, and none of us will ever be able to convince each other, so I'm taking the Kranky way out and letting you make up your other mind about it, hopefully I articulated my thoughts a little better in this post, though I know you'll try to pick it apart so I'll look forward to the rebuttle.