arty:
Golf not a sport??
Funny how when ATHLETES like Emmitt Smith, Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan play golf, they ALL SUCK ....
The PGA Tour is the best run sports organization in the country ... when is the last time ya saw a PGA Tour Member in trouble with the Law (John Daly excluded) ?? The PGA Tour contributes more to charity annually than any Professional Sports Organization in the country and ya dont make the cut, ya dont make money for the week
Nicklaus was all-conference basketball in high school .. Hale Irwin was all Big 12 defv back @ Unv of Colorado .. Tom Watson was all state qb in High school ... Tiger Woods was lb for lb the strongest athlete in the history of Stanford Univ athletics
Those that dont say golf is not a sport are clueless ...
Funny how when ATHLETES like Emmitt Smith, Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan play golf, they ALL SUCK ....
The PGA Tour is the best run sports organization in the country ... when is the last time ya saw a PGA Tour Member in trouble with the Law (John Daly excluded) ?? The PGA Tour contributes more to charity annually than any Professional Sports Organization in the country and ya dont make the cut, ya dont make money for the week
Nicklaus was all-conference basketball in high school .. Hale Irwin was all Big 12 defv back @ Unv of Colorado .. Tom Watson was all state qb in High school ... Tiger Woods was lb for lb the strongest athlete in the history of Stanford Univ athletics
Those that dont say golf is not a sport are clueless ...
sport because there is an objective (get the ball in the hole), score is kept (how many strokes were needed to meet objective), and it is played outdoors, subject to the whims of nature, with which all participants must deal equally.
athletes because it takes incredible coordination of big and small muscles, and brain, to perform at highest level.
Golfers are athletes just like in other sports
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>[size=-1]By Michael Butler
Special to The Desert Sun
September 8th, 2004[/size] <HR>When you mention the word golf to individuals who are just observers and not players, they see it as a country club event that requires minimal exertion or athletic ability.
Some have argued that golf is not a sport because it lacks the physical contact of football, the up-and-down-the-court running, jumping and fast pace of basketball, or the non-stop action such as in soccer.
By definition, an athlete is someone who possesses strength, agility, coordination and stamina. This someone also has skills to overcome obstacles and can react to multiple sources of stimuli (such as a running back must fight off forces from all sides, keep his balance and have the strength, stamina and the agility to run over and around people in a split second). A golfer must have some of these physical characteristics to perform well.
What these critics don’t realize is the coordination, stability, strength and accuracy that it takes to drive a golf ball say 250 yards. They also must consider the speed that the clubhead is traveling (possibly 100 mph) while trying to hit a narrow fairway and avoid bunkers, water and trees and eventually put the ball into a small hole in four shots to make par.
Then you add in the sheer forces that are placed on the spine during rotation around a fixed vertical axis, and the strength and balance that is required by every joint in the body per unit of time that passes by during the swing to consistently achieve accurate drives.
I would say that it takes athletic ability to become proficient at this sport.
With this in mind, to be good and stay healthy, golfers need to train the body to coordinate movement patterns by challenging the neuromuscular system with exercises that have a high carry over to golf.
Going to the gym on a regular basis and working with equipment that can challenge your neuromuscular system such as Swiss balls, medicine balls, balance boards, cable machines and bungy-type elastic cords are good sources.
Challenge yourself on uneven surfaces since golf is played on uneven grounds.
Machines make your neuro system weak since there is little to no communication going on while you are moving in one plane. The movement doesn’t require any balance or coordination so this will not help your golf performance.
I have a few clients who are seriously trying to make it to the pro tour, but they want to be trained both as a golfer and an athlete.
The rewards were substantial for them because they rarely complained of fatigue after playing a three-day tournament, nor were they physically sore. In fact, I had one golfer who had just completed a tournament and wanted to do a one-hour plyometric workout with me. The stamina of these golfers are excellent.
The point I’m trying to make here is that golfers are like athletes because of the physical, technical and mental similarities that they have in common with other athletes to overcome obstacles in order to perform at their highest level.
Even though the sport might be different, training for optimal flexibility, strength coordination and stamina to increase performance and decrease injuries is something that they all have in common.
athletes because it takes incredible coordination of big and small muscles, and brain, to perform at highest level.
Golfers are athletes just like in other sports
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=200 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=right><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=180 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#fffbf0>
<LI type=SQUARE>More columns by Michael Butler
<LI type=SQUARE>More stories about golf
<LI type=square>Post or read comments in our online forums</FONT>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>[size=-1]By Michael Butler
Special to The Desert Sun
September 8th, 2004[/size] <HR>When you mention the word golf to individuals who are just observers and not players, they see it as a country club event that requires minimal exertion or athletic ability.
Some have argued that golf is not a sport because it lacks the physical contact of football, the up-and-down-the-court running, jumping and fast pace of basketball, or the non-stop action such as in soccer.
By definition, an athlete is someone who possesses strength, agility, coordination and stamina. This someone also has skills to overcome obstacles and can react to multiple sources of stimuli (such as a running back must fight off forces from all sides, keep his balance and have the strength, stamina and the agility to run over and around people in a split second). A golfer must have some of these physical characteristics to perform well.
What these critics don’t realize is the coordination, stability, strength and accuracy that it takes to drive a golf ball say 250 yards. They also must consider the speed that the clubhead is traveling (possibly 100 mph) while trying to hit a narrow fairway and avoid bunkers, water and trees and eventually put the ball into a small hole in four shots to make par.
Then you add in the sheer forces that are placed on the spine during rotation around a fixed vertical axis, and the strength and balance that is required by every joint in the body per unit of time that passes by during the swing to consistently achieve accurate drives.
I would say that it takes athletic ability to become proficient at this sport.
With this in mind, to be good and stay healthy, golfers need to train the body to coordinate movement patterns by challenging the neuromuscular system with exercises that have a high carry over to golf.
Going to the gym on a regular basis and working with equipment that can challenge your neuromuscular system such as Swiss balls, medicine balls, balance boards, cable machines and bungy-type elastic cords are good sources.
Challenge yourself on uneven surfaces since golf is played on uneven grounds.
Machines make your neuro system weak since there is little to no communication going on while you are moving in one plane. The movement doesn’t require any balance or coordination so this will not help your golf performance.
I have a few clients who are seriously trying to make it to the pro tour, but they want to be trained both as a golfer and an athlete.
The rewards were substantial for them because they rarely complained of fatigue after playing a three-day tournament, nor were they physically sore. In fact, I had one golfer who had just completed a tournament and wanted to do a one-hour plyometric workout with me. The stamina of these golfers are excellent.
The point I’m trying to make here is that golfers are like athletes because of the physical, technical and mental similarities that they have in common with other athletes to overcome obstacles in order to perform at their highest level.
Even though the sport might be different, training for optimal flexibility, strength coordination and stamina to increase performance and decrease injuries is something that they all have in common.
I watched it. Unreal how a ball could go in the hole and pop out and go into the water. Howell III would have been in a playoff with Tiger. Woods is incredible. He holes a 15 footer on 16 to save par and stay tied for the lead and birdies 18 to ice it after Lehman folded like a cheap suit.
