Should golf be added to the summer olympics?

Question

Should golf be added to the summer olympics?

Answer 1

Although I love the game of golf and think it's just as physically or mentally demanding as any sport in the Olympics, I don't think it should be added to the list. The Olympics is about fast paced, exciting, and interesting sports that will draw the eye of viewers and they will catch onto the sport easily. Golf is not an easy game to understand, especially on TV because they switch from player to player. Thus, it would be hard for viewers to understand and although I find it quite intriguing, many people don't. Also, part of the Olympics is about the audience. Golf is not an easy sport for an audience, as they either have to follow players around the course or stay at one hole the entire time. One more thing is: who would they choose to represent the USA? There are tons of Pro men and woman golfers out there, who would all be eligible to play. Simply, golf is an individual sport, not meant to be played on a team. In addition, there are not enough golfers around the world to play. Golfers come from Korea and Europe to play tournaments in the USA. Golfers come from the USA to play tournaments in Europe. Therefore, it's just a fact that golf is not to be played in the Olympics due to lack of formal "teams" throughout the countries.

Answer 2

no

Answer 3

h**l no.  that isnt even a valid sport.

Answer 4

No. golf sucks, IMO =]

Answer 5

I would say, let there be a long drive competition...the same ball to be used...conforming to the USGA standards and the longest drive win.

Answer 6

Totally

Answer 7

Yes, but not for the pros.  The Olympics are a celebration of amateur sports (and yes, Golf IS a sport, for all of you idiots who dont understand what the definition of a sport is.)  Golf would be a perfect Olympic sport.  You dont need to build a brand new arena that costs millions of dollars, there are already plenty of courses in place.  You cna have individual and team competition, and it can be played in all different kinds of scoring formats.  It is hugely popular sport, and would draw lots of attention from fans all over the world.  Imagine the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, and all the WGC golf events grouped into one,  and youve got Olympic Golf.  But once again, this is only for the amateurs.  The pros have too much going on in all of the big tours this time of year.  It would be great every four years to get to see all the up and coming college talent that will be on the tour in the near future.  We could even witness the rise of a new superstar.  Could you imagine watching Tiger as a college student dominating the Olympics?  It would have been his coming out party to the pros, instead of the 97' Masters....

Answer 8

There are enough sports in the present Olympics. Every time one turns around there is another added. Get the sports which can be played withing the immediate confines of the arena and let golf stay as it is. There are ample golf competitions without adding the venue to the Olympics.

Answer 9

Yes and no. It is not a sport, technically. it is a game. So in that aspect, i respect golf for what it is. However, golf is way more of a sport than shooting, or ping pong. It is a competition, but no scored sport in the olympics gets the win with the low score, like golf. Maybe if it were a golf race>?????

Answer 10

yes. its better than sports like judo

Answer 11

There are three major obstacles:

1) Window/timeframe.  The Olympics occur during the peak of the US PGA Tour and the European Tour seasons.  You have players pursuing Order of Merit/FedEx Cup points plus winnings.  Golf already has four majors, annual team competitions (Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup; women have the Solheim Cup).  August is in prime golf season; what kind of dispensation do you give to players selected to the Olympics; do they earn Order of Merit/FedEx Cup points?  What about earnings?  Golfers are technically independent contractors.  

2) Currently the IOC is not adding any other sports; if you're going to add sports, rugby (sevens) has been trying to get in for decades.  The cricket folks think they have an arguement to make.  Softball and baseball are going away.  It's not about what works best for American audiences; the sport must have global appeal.  Golf certainly has popularity in many parts of the world.

3) Format/number of athletes.  The easiest fit would be to have a 16 team competition (2 players-team); that would only add 32 athletes.

You could also do a 32-player matchplay; 2 rounds of medal play to determine seedings, then matchplay from there on.