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Is golf a sport? It's safe to say golf has too many weird rules that make it difficult to out rightly view it as a sport. For many, though, it is a sport that requires a great deal of skill and is just as exerting as most other sports. For those who are used to mainstream sports such as soccer or basketball, golf and its many quirks are sure to come off as strange.
1. No game clock or shot clock
Golf is the only sport that has no strict rules when it comes to the duration of the game or the time a player has to make a scoring attempt. While in some leagues players have to attempt a shot within 40 seconds, this is not a standard practice of the sport that is strictly applied as is common in other sports. Players can, in most cases, take as much time as they need to attempt a shot, which makes the game less competitive. The duration of the game is also not fixed. Another surprise if you are used to more mainstream sports. The game can take anywhere between three and four and a half hours, depending on how skilled the players in the game are. This is often a key reason why you’ve most likely not seen a game of golf being broadcast live, save for some highlights of key moments. The game itself is too long, and no one knows for sure when it will end.
2. No Cardio
Golf, of course, has no cardio. Why would you need to run when the game can take as long as you want it to take? After attempting a shot, players are driven close to the hole in a golf cart. This means there is almost no physical exertion throughout the game, and if you’re playing in cold weather, you will probably not break a sweat. The game, as a result, has little to no exercise value, unlike most other sports that involve a great deal of physical exertion. I, for one, believe some cardio can be worked into the game without taking away its elitism. For example, taking away the carts and requiring players to sprint towards the hole is not as wild an idea as most people would believe it to be.
3. No Defense
You’ve probably heard of the saying offense is the best defense. This applies wholeheartedly to golf. There are no defensive schemes in golf whatsoever. Defense does not necessarily mean contact. Many sports, such as baseball, have defensive rules that don’t involve contact but still place a great deal of pressure on the offensive players to be accurate. Golf has no such rules; the only way to beat the opponent is to play your best offense and get to your holes before your opponent does. This also makes the game less competitive and a bit boring to watch. Rules that place some defensive pressure on an offensive player can generally make the game more interesting.
4. No Emphasis on Merit
Apart from leading golf leagues such as the PGA and LIV, golf as a sport does not encourage players to do their best to win. First of all, golf clubs themselves deliberately try to limit the game to their favorite demographic, the wealthy. Sophisticated membership rules are usually in place that make sure no one from outside the demographic can join the club. In addition to the costly fees, you will most likely need to know an existing member to join, along with numerous other rules that don’t seem to make a lot of sense. Limiting recruitment to a single demographic means that a lot of talented people who could have excelled at the sport simply don’t get the chance to play. Hefty tournament registration fees also make it difficult for amateurs to make a name for themselves in the sport and move on to more professional formats of the sport.
5. Reputation in Popular Culture
In popular culture, golf is not generally viewed as a sport but as a class or status symbol. You’ve most likely seen posts about how deals are made on the course, as well as films that push the same narrative. Generally, golf is often marketed as an elitist engagement meant to show status. You will never hear anyone talking about making deals after a football or basketball game. This tells you that most people who play golf don’t go there for the love of the game but for other reasons. This, I believe, is why the game is not as competitive as most other sports are. No one goes there with the goal of scoring as many points as possible.
Generally, golf is a weird sport, and to some, it does not even count as a sport. But one thing that’s for sure is that it is not designed to be competitive, and for the most part, it’s mainly meant to aid wealthy people in networking and catching up for some time.
