Saturday, March 04, 2006

Golf - A Sport above other sport's (not to be taken literally!)



“When People worked on farms, they were too spread out to play
golf. When they worked in factories, they were too tired to play golf. Now that
they work in offices, they have the time and the incentive to pay golf, because
it is one of the few ways that they can still get exercise – even as they age”.

These famous lines were put down by Michael Mandelbaum, the author of “The Meaning of Sports” (and how true they are!...). Let me make myself clear. What’s the one really hot issue that’s infested all talk shows involving professional sports? Doping or use of Enhancers, right! But you see, golf is such a game where the use of steroids at the professional level is very restricted. The only use of chemicals for enhancement that I can perceive would be Valium or anti-depressant after you have hit maybe a 12 or 14 on a par 3!
Golf, politically speaking, is also very democratic in nature. I mean, where can you watch a field of old guys, stripping young athletes and 16-something teenage girls (remember Michelle Wie) all competing fiercely for a PGA title and have a guy who was selected as the ninth wild card pick come out and win it! (John Daly, 1991 PGA Championship).
Golf is also a very accessible sport for most fans. Year on year, the PGA tour has been played on public courses, truly open to anyone such as Bethpage, Torney Pines and Pinehurst. So for all you are worth, you may be just a guy with a 14-15 something handicap but you can go and hit the same exact shot from the same exact place where maybe Arnold Palmer made a 140ft killer shot!(if you have the skill that is!)
Golf is also so much like life than any other sport. Across any sport the playing surface’s are treated, researched and studies done to make it more suitable for play. But golf is deliberately played on an uneven surface, designed to bring good and bad bounces, bad lies and crazy angles, into the heart of the sport. And that’s why it’s so much like life, because golf, like life, is ultimately about how you react to the good and bad bounces that come your way. Hence the adage that if you play just one round of golf with a person, you can learn everything you need to know about their character. Do they blame their caddie or their equipment for poor shot’s? Do they curse and lose their temper or take the good and the bad in stride? And most of all do they cheat or do they play by the rule?
p.s. Golf also has the infamous record for most players, professional or non-professional, to die on the course while playing.

No comments: