Is golf really a sport, if so what about poker

[Jorgy]

OK I love golf and like poker. Can't yet figure out why poker is on tv but I like it just the same. One good thing about both is they are good places to enjoy your favorite cigar. The quetion is, is golf a sport??? Personally I would call it a game just like poker.

[sailchaser]

It's a long walk that plays a sadistic game with our minds

[jpa0741]

Well I look at it this way. Do you need athletic ability to do it well? If yes then sport, if not then game. Golf=sport. Poker=game.:2

[MikeyC]

Well I look at it this way. Do you need athletic ability to do it well? If yes then sport, if not then game. Golf=sport. Poker=game.:2
Well put! Poker is 100% mental and Golf is 90% mental 10% physical.

[rx2010]

for some reason I really love watching poker on TV, but I can handle watching golf unless it's in HD and the course is a really pretty one

[havana_lover]

well go play 3 or 4 rounds and shot 4 or 5 under par every round and you tell me if its a sport..


yes its a sport and a damn hard one at that..

[Jorgy]

well go play 3 or 4 rounds and shot 4 or 5 under par every round and you tell me if its a sport..


yes its a sport and a damn hard one at that..

We'll I've never broken par for 18 but I've been 5 under after 10 holes twice before collapsing lol. By the way, even Tiger say's it's not a sport. I hear he's not to bad.

having said that it's the toughest whatever you wanna call it I've ever plaid.

[carbonbased_al]

I don't know if i'd call it a sport. I play it alot on vacation (I suck btw) with my dad, and most of the people I see on the course are not prime condition. It's tiring and all, but not nearly as much as baseball football, hockey, or basketball. I always looked at it as more of a game than a sport.

[Marlboro Cigars]

I think they are both sports;
then again, I think beer pong is a sport.
:tu

[Alpedhuez55]

Well, ESPN also shows Spelling Bees and Competitive Eating.

As for a sport, I think it would have to involve athletic skill, which Golf does. So I guess I would consider poker a game.

[hollywood]

Sport!

Someone earlier said 90% mental 10% physical. I would have to say it's 90% mental and 90% physical!!!

Poker is definitely a game. A good game; but a game nonetheless. :tu

[OB1 Stogie]

well go play 3 or 4 rounds and shot 4 or 5 under par every round and you tell me if its a sport..


yes its a sport and a damn hard one at that..

Absolutely agree....very frustrating. Plus it involves a ball.....gotta be a sport. :tu

[joed]

I think Golf is a game and not a sport -

[hornitosmonster]

I think Golf is a sport.

Poker isn't. Poker is a skill game and not 100% gambling because luck can be minimized if you are good.

[icehog3]

it involves a ball.....gotta be a sport. :tu

Makes for some interesting possibilities. ;)

[khubli]

Aren't betting men also known as sporting men? :tu

I wouldn't say poker is 100% mental, there is Physical stamina that is involved to keep you brain sharp sitting through 12 hour sessions.

At the same time I don't believe Poker is a Sport, but it's much more exciting for me to watch than golf.

[mmblz]

http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=13664

[The Professor]

Plus it involves a ball.....gotta be a sport. :tu

Makes for some interesting possibilities. ;)

Since I know someone else (cough -- Tom -- cough) was thinking it...

http://pages.nyu.edu/~mg1828/color/gimp.jpg

[croatan]

Golf, the way I play it, is a game (a drunken one at that). The way Tiger plays it, it's a sport. :)

The way I play chess, though, is a sport ;)

[The Professor]

Golf, the way I play it, is a game (a drunken one at that). The way Tiger plays it, it's a sport. :)

The way I play chess, though, is a sport ;)
tackle chess??? bithcin'!!!

[dbradley]

Well I look at it this way. Do you need athletic ability to do it well? If yes then sport, if not then game. Golf=sport. Poker=game.:2

John Kruk didn't have any athletic ability when he played with the phillies. Does that mean baseball = game? :tu

[jpa0741]

Most people that say golf is a game not a sport probaly don't play. :tu

[Silound]

If bowling, curling, competitive weightlifting, auto racing, fishing, beer pong, competitive eating, tiddlywinks, log rolling, dodgeball, miniature golf, paintball, lawnmower racing, competitive shooting, ice boating, chess, card houses, octopush, mullet tossing, wife carrying, sex, polo, professional bulldozing and backhoe operating, bog snorkeling, chess boxing, conger cuddling, dwarf tossing, disco demolition, demolition derby, Fierljeppen, flugtag, fox tossing, hamster racing, bobsledding, muggle quidditch, noodling, octopus wrestling, pine cone golf, squirrel fishing, yak racing, cheese rolling, and canoe jousting can all be considered sports, then I see no reason why poker can't be.


At least poker requires skill, something that most traditionally recognized "sports" require.

[Quint]

Golf - Yep sport and toughest one skill-wise in my opinion

Poker - Game no athleticism required


:2

[bigben]

This is omething i have put alot of thought into, as lame as that sounds. And I think that th term sport has been given the wrong connotations, thus anyhting NOT considered a sport is pansy or easy, I say not so!

IMO, and i will clarify again that this is MY OPINION, you MUST have a direct ability to IMPEDE you openent in a sport. This eliminates golf, track, swimming, rowing, cheerleading as sports... now does that mean I consider them EASY? Hell no...

Accurately driving a golf ball on the same level as an average professional is the single hardset physical motion in human recreation. But is it sport, i think NO. Track and swimming are sooo competitive, but they are races, not sports, different, but no better or worse.

Thus I say that Poker is not a sport but a game, like chess, not saying it is easy or lacking in talent, just different.

Now, all of the above go against the dictionary definition of sport, it only requires a physical nature and possibly a competitive nature by dictionary standards, so take it for what you will...

Golf - Yep sport and toughest one skill-wise in my opinion

I would question that statement as many sport skills require a certain level of athleticism that quite simply most of the population CANNOT achieve, much like pitching at the top levels, so i guess it depends on whether you define skill as professional levels, or skill required to finish a game.

I would contend that it is much easier for the average american to play a round of golf than say run a 5K, play a full game of pickup basketball, or wrestle, but again, it depends on the level you want them to play at, and i guess that is a very personal definition...

[Lanthor]

Well I look at it this way. Do you need athletic ability to do it well? If yes then sport, if not then game. Golf=sport. Poker=game.:2

I agree.

By the way, even Tiger say's it's not a sport.
Tiger down plays everything, you know he considers himself an athlete that dominates his sport.

The hand eye coordination involved in golf, the skill PGA players have with thier hands in terms of timing, speed, and rhythm...makes it a sport in my book.
I think the fact that you are seeing the fatties win less and less means golf is ever evolving from the realm of game to sport.

I am biased though, total junkie that can watch a 3rd tier PGA event for hours.

[Corona Gigante]

Err... well, I can't think of any sports that are played sitting in one place, so I'm going to have to say poker is not a sport. On the other hand, if golf is a sport, then why not pocket billiards?

[vtdragon]

My humble opinion: Sport involves physical activity. Thus I would qualify the game of Golf as also a sport but Poker as simply a game.

Now I recognize that golf can be played by 95 year olds using a cart who only get out of their cart to swing the club, but even they have to Swing the Club. This physical movement of swinging the club is what qualifies Golf as a sport and the lack of a corresponding physical movement is what disqualifies Poker.

I think that this is pretty straightforward, but now consider things like Wii video games, which do require physical movement and eye-hand co-ordination. To be consistent, I would have to qualify them as sports too, but somehow I still feel uncomfortable catagorizing them as such. I have no valid reason other than how I feel about it but, I still consider the Wii games to be games, not sport. Not logical, I agree, but that is how I feel.

[pnoon]

My humble opinion: Sport involves physical activity. Thus I would qualify the game of Golf as also a sport but Poker as simply a game.

Now I recognize that golf can be played by 95 year olds using a cart who only get out of their cart to swing the club, but even they have to Swing the Club. This physical movement of swinging the club is what qualifies Golf as a sport and the lack of a corresponding physical movement is what disqualifies Poker.

I think that this is pretty straightforward, but now consider things like Wii video games, which do require physical movement and eye-hand co-ordination. To be consistent, I would have to qualify them as sports too, but somehow I still feel uncomfortable catagorizing them as such. I have no valid reason other than how I feel about it but, I still consider the Wii games to be games, not sport. Not logical, I agree, but that is how I feel.

What about bowling?
I have debated that one ad nauseum with a co-worker.

[gorob23]

:ss Poker doesn't play golf...:bl

[jpa0741]

Poker is gambling. Is gambling a sport?:confused::D

[replicant_argent]

Poker is gambling. Is gambling a sport?:confused::D

Hang on, let me call Pete Rose and ask him.

[vtdragon]

What about bowling?
I have debated that one ad nauseum with a co-worker.

If Golf is a sport, then Bowling is too. Hey if you want a real good one how about Bocce. The way we usually play is with a beer in one hand and ball in the other.

[zemekone]

:ss Poker doesn't play golf...:bl
whats wrong is you?

[gvarsity]

I have had this discussion many times and this is my personal explanation.

Difference for between a sport v game is that a sport requires impartial rules ergo no judges which is why figure skating, gymnastics and synchronized swimming are not sports. It also requires physical activity and proficiency. Golf is significantly more physical than it looks and although slow still requires amazing physical skills to be good.

Games require impartial rules again no judges but more intellectually oriented not requiring physical talent/skills. Poker like Chess is a game and a damn good one but it is not a sport.

Now earlier I wasn't bashing the athletic competitions of figure skating, gymnastics and synchronized swimming they just aren't sports. I'm not saying it doesn't take amazing talent and practice but because they are judged and the manner of deciding victory is based on a subjective interpretation of the rules in regards to style they don't qualify as sport.

For those of you saying well football has judges (line judges or referees) how does this qualify as a sport. My answer is although some events are decided by the subjective interpretation of a referee for example pass interference this subjective interpretation is not (in theory) a subjective interpretation of style but rather of whether an infraction did or did not occur in the referees best in interpretation of what actually happened not what he felt should or should not happen.

Sport, athletic competition and games all require winners and losers otherwise they are activities like knitting and macaroni art.