"Some of this new crop of players could have gone professional in other sports but chose golf"

[dan360]

John Daly totally JoneScott'd Beerfest. At least that's the rumor.

[ldchristopher]

There have been a lot of two sport pro athletes but the list of golfers who were successful in other sports is basically Babe Zaharias, and that was in 1932. Golf involves a vastly different skill set than other pro sports and it shows when other pros try their hand at it. I think the most successful attempt might be Hawk Harrelson missing the cut at the Open Championship by one stroke in 1972. Conversely, just because players today are in good enough shape that they can wear shirts three sizes too small doesn’t mean they can hang in major sports that are more physical in nature.

[hogans71]

> @Wesquire said:

> > @Llortamaisey said:

> > Video games are now considered sports and you can go pro. Some nerd just won a cool $3 mill for playing fortnite while eating boogers. Maybe that’s the sport some golfers could have done well at.

>

> It takes a lot more time than real sports. Most esports players spend close to 14 hours per day practicing, and they live in "team houses" with their teammates.

 

This is so embarrassing...

[hogans71]

> @bscinstnct said:

> > @golfandfishing said:

> > A lot of guys in other sports don’t have the physique for it either. The Goodyear Kemp, Refrigerator Perry and about thousand other athletes in MLB, NBA, NFL have been overweight. Some have even dropped dead while practicing.

> >

> > > @Dave230 said:

> > > There is a weird obsession with golfers being athletes or at least being portrayed as them on TV. Lowry proved at The Open that it's still mainly a skill-based sport, he's not got the physique of an athlete but he has the hand-eye coordination and skill level that a lot of other sportspeople would dream of having and he doesn't need to bench press how many pounds to do it.

> >

> >

>

> Fridge Perry could bench like 450 and he could move! Check out the lead and the speed on this fumble recovery run

>

>

>

>

 

Good times....

[2bGood]

> @Oriolesfan138 said:

> No way. It maybe pulls good athletes out of competitive high school sports.

 

I think it does. I see parents steer their kids to golf away from hockey, football and other contact sports, purely because of the long term damage to their bodies.

 

[2bGood]

> @Lagavulin62 said:

> Why all the disrespect? BK, DJ, and prob even Rory would be star linebackers anywhere in the NFL. Golf gives them more time to spend with family at the best resorts worldwide. It’s not just about them.

 

Rory???? You must be trolling. 5.9 and 160

 

[2bGood]

As for most athletic sport, you might have to give to MMA. Speed, strength, agility, skill. Boxing used to body the fittest, best trained athletes, but MMA took it up a notch given the additional diversity of skill needed.

[jmkenn0]

> @2bGood said:

> As for most athletic sport, you might have to give to MMA. Speed, strength, agility, skill. Boxing used to body the fittest, best trained athletes, but MMA took it up a notch given the additional diversity of skill needed.

I'd saying going 12 rounds takes way more physical fitness than in the octagon - that's why you see MMA fighters gain 10-15 pounds after weigh-in, while some boxers weigh about the same when they weigh pre-ring. But I think MMA requires more all around strength and flexibility.

And yes, no golf pro's would come close to sniffing any pro sport. A golf swing is just a unique skill set, something like swinging a bat, throwing a ball, or running fast. Yes, they may look more "athletic" than the people at your CC, but that's just because they have their clothes tailored, can afford trainers, and have time to work on their bodies.

 

[d1bound]

I think you guys are missing a very important part of what the path to the pros looks like today. It starts out with specialization at around 13. Then you train year round for about 5 years (during a time when your body is developing) all the way to a college scholarship or being able to go pro. The fact is, many other pro sports players would have a tough time in other sports because they only ever developed the skills needed to play their chosen sport.

 

So in the case of a lot of pro golfers they have been playing golf as their only sport since 5th grade and they only had to develop the skills necessary to compete in golf, which is a different skill set than most sports which also means that golfers look a bit different than other successful athletes.

 

I guess my point is that I think that this exercise is pointless and a little asinine because its like asking if a neurosurgeon would be a great pediatrician.

[Shipwreck]

> @d1bound said:

> I guess my point is that I think that this exercise is pointless and a little asinine because its like asking if a neurosurgeon would be a great pediatrician.

 

Exactly!! But someone will always come along and say “well they are both doctors!!” which is technically true, but both chose their respective fields in which they became skilled in. Being an athlete isn’t all encompassing. Because if that were the case, those curlers you see in the winter Olympics should have no problem playing linebacker for any NFL team.