Is golf really a sport or should it be classified more along the lines of darts and shuffleboard?

Question

Just wondering what people think as pro golfers used to be able to walk the course smoking a cigararette or cigar and there is little physical exertion in the sport like darts.

Answer 1

Calling golf "not a sport" is like calling b-ball, soccer, football, or wrestling "not a sport".  You come and walk a couple of the courses that I played back in college.

Answer 2

get serious. the greatest sportman on this planet Tiger Woods. you dont see him smoking. you need to be very fit to be competitive. and to answer your ques YES ofcourse it is a sport.

Answer 3

Golf is a skill not a sport.  Golf however is still more physically demanding than darts or shuffleboard.  During a normal tournament round a golfer would have to hike 3 miles through the rolling hills hitting golf shots on the way, which is more than most people in cities walk in a week.

Answer 4

I would definitely call it a sport, because after I play 18 holes of golf, I'm exhausted and my muscles hurt.

Answer 5

Another question for Polls & Surveys.

Answer 6

''Sport'' can be definded as a pastime amusement,outdoor diversions,such as fishing or hunting or as athletic events such as bowling ,basketball,etc.Golf is probably one of the sports that require the most skill and consentration. Golf is a sport.

Answer 7

It's not a real sport. It's like bowling, or darts. I mean, they drive a little cart, get out and whack a ball, get back in the cart and go look for the ball.  

I'd call it a sport if you were allowed to shoot at golfers with pellet guns.

Answer 8

I think its a sport.

an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.

Answer 9

I think it's a matter of opinion, and pro golfers still smoke while playing (last years US Open is a good example) but, a lot of major league baseball players smoke during a game, pro hockey players play with an alcohol buzz, so just because the players aren't exhibiting athletic behavior doesn't mean it's not a sport.

Answer 10

Try walk 8 miles and be on your feet for four and a half hours and along the way carrying a piece of about a kilograme of iron and swing it 100 times.

Answer 11

You hear about this topic a lot.  Here's a golf pro's (and former college golfer's) take: I believe TOURNAMENT golf is absolutely a sport.  But the golf you see most people play around you - it's hard to argue they're playing a sport.

Answer 12

Golf is a real sport because until you see the complexity behind it, nobody can say that it isn't. What truly defines itself as a sport?