“The only reason I’m playing golf is because Tiger made the game cool,”-Brooks Koepka, and others

[milesgiles]

3 minutes ago, BlackDiamondPar5 said:

Does his time matter?

 

Well.. yeah. I ran a marathon. Took me 5 hours, which is barely a shuffle. Athleticism demonstrated, zero.

 

on the other hand I had a PL total, verifiable, of 1100. Somewhat athletic, far from elite, but definitely athletic.

[milesgiles]

2 minutes ago, Dr. Block said:

Were you guys tired?  Maybe popping a few aspirin by day four?  😉 

 

I mean.. no! Few of us thought anything of walking and carrying 36 several days in a row up until we were 40 or so. Even now I don’t get tired as such, just dont particularly want to/would rather spend more time practising 

[bladehunter]

7 minutes ago, milesgiles said:

 

Cool. What time did he actually verifiably record?

 

btw, RoTW, 400m is a sprint, not middle distance..

Correct.  I have the season points sprint awards from school  to prove it.  5 years worth . 
 

once had a guy on our team complain about that.   He ran the 100m and 200m.   He pipes up and says “ how is that long arse race a sprint ? .... he never loses so of course he has the year long points advantage “.    I answered “ ok. Let’s compare my final 100m split to your 100m and see “.   We did.  And it was glaring to be as kind as I can be.       Truth was I ran the 400m hurdle and 4x400 relay  too and did the high jump . 4 events is all you were allowed.   If I’d have ran the 100m he wouldn’t  have won a race. 400m is the king of sprinters.   Only certain folks have a 2nd or 3rd gear which is required for that race.  
 

 

[Dr. Block]

9 minutes ago, milesgiles said:

 

I mean.. no! Few of us thought anything of walking and carrying 36 several days in a row up until we were 40 or so. Even now I don’t get tired as such, just dont particularly want to/would rather spend more time practising 

Man, the Guinness must be be even better then they say it is over there. 

[bscinstnct]

1 hour ago, dlygrisse said:

There are different types of fit.  John Daly walks many rounds a week, and he is not fit by most any definition. Being “golf walking fit” is different than being gym fit. You have to acquire it with repetition like anything else.  
 

I walk 3 to 5 miles most every morning, but because of issues I have physically I can’t run or do hard workouts any longer.  When I play golf I almost always ride,  because that’s just what we do. Some courses I play are 100% riding, others probably 85 to 90%.  I do see mostly walkers at the par 3 course by my house, it does bother me when I see people riding on that. 🤪

 

What’s funny is that, back 5 years ago when I got serious about fitness, we started with walking.

 

Them I kept advancing into HiiT workouts, cycling and lifting.

 

So now, I can cycle 30 miles or do a kickboxing workout....but, if I walk more than a mile on pavement my IT-Band or something starts bothering me. I always ride when I golf, never walk.

 

Like Churchill said,

“Never stand up when you can sit down”

 

[FredCouplesFan]

On 11/10/2020 at 6:56 AM, stingerfade said:

Tiger ruined golf for me. He made it more exciting to watch but every Tom Dick and Harry went out after the 97 masters and crowded the once empty courses, not knowing a thing about the game.

 

😂

Couldn't get a tee time after his win last year. Good to see I am not the only one that wants to shrink the game! Lol

[bscinstnct]

2 hours ago, dlygrisse said:

I read somewhere once he was a very good middle distance runner.  400 meter type of stuff. 
 

athletic ability is an odd thing to define.  I know a former NFL center ,   very strong, who in his playing prime could barely hit the ball 200 yards.  So who is a better athlete, Tiger or the guy who can probably bench 400 lbs. 

 

different body types have different skills. 

 

 

 

Agree, I would certainly define the kinetic chain speed and precision in ball striking as a highly athletic move.

 

As you say, if it wasn’t, then anybody could practice and swing 120mph, hit a small ball with a club with a dime sized sweet spot and bend a drive 300+ yards around the 13th at Augusta. 
 

I think the best analogy for golf is actually a picture throwing a baseball. Is that athletic, I’d say yes big time. 
 

As far as tigers athletic ability across-the-board. I assume it’s decent but not that great.

 

 

 

Lance Armstrong actually said that he was horrible in all of the typical sports the kids play. but once he got on a bike she started to destroy guys who were much older and highly trained than he was. Obviously there’s a big cloud around how good he actually was, but clearly a total phenom on a bike. 

[milesgiles]

3 hours ago, Dr. Block said:

Man, the Guinness must be be even better then they say it is over there. 

 

I just find it quite poignant that you think there’s anything extraordinary about walking a round of golf 

[Dr. Block]

16 minutes ago, milesgiles said:

 

I just find it quite poignant that you think there’s anything extraordinary about walking a round of golf 

Yeah, I've gathered that. The middle passage of that post could have been worded better (or differently all together), but it wasn't the overall point I was trying to make. I'm glad you were able to pluck just that part out to drive your point home though. You've certainly gotten your moneys worth.

Edited November 11, 2020 by Dr. Block

[BlackDiamondPar5]

30 minutes ago, milesgiles said:

 

I just find it quite poignant that you think there’s anything extraordinary about walking a round of golf 

So are you saying in order to be an athlete you have to be able to run fast, jump high or lift heavy weights? And if you can't then you're not athletic?  If so then that's an incredibly narrow view.  Also being fit is not the same as being athletic.  I know people that can run long distances, are muscular weight lifters and are fit but are uncoordinated and would be hard pressed to play any sport that requires coordination.  Example Tom Brady is arguably the best QB that ever played in the NFL, he's also fit but he runs like he's wearing concrete boots and he certainly can't jump. So in your book is he not an athlete?

 

Seems to me swinging a golf club and making consistent, exceptionally precise contact with a little ball to precisely place it where you want it requires outstanding coordination and muscle control--- a highly athletic move.    

[dlygrisse]

How did this thread devolve into another "are golfers athletes" thread?  I love watching non athletic people try to play golf, they generally can't make contact and give up quickly. /s I know several people, men and women, who are generally non athletes and who have little to no interest in sports in general, that have no chance at playing golf.  One of them is fairly fit, in that he spends time in the gym, but he has zero aptitude for playing any sport that requires any hand eye coordination.  I have witnessed these people attempt to hit balls at the range, or even try to putt and it's obvious to them and everyone around them it's not worth pursuing.  

 

Golf is a GREAT sport for those of us who were good athletes as youngsters playing sports like football, soccer, track, basketball etc. to pick up later in life.  I'm not saying children shouldn't play, but often children who get it shoved down their throat by their parents, will quit playing then never pick it up again.  I started playing in college after I didn't have my highschool sports to play any longer, sure I played pickup games, or softball, I also picked up raquetball etc.  But golf was the sport that I got hooked on.  This was before I knew who Tiger was.  So while I admire Tiger, it wasn't Tiger that drew me to the game, it was just buddies in college, some of which I still play golf with.  

[milesgiles]

1 hour ago, BlackDiamondPar5 said:

So are you saying in order to be an athlete you have to be able to run fast, jump high or lift heavy weights? And if you can't then you're not athletic?  If so then that's an incredibly narrow view.  Also being fit is not the same as being athletic.  I know people that can run long distances, are muscular weight lifters and are fit but are uncoordinated and would be hard pressed to play any sport that requires coordination.  Example Tom Brady is arguably the best QB that ever played in the NFL, he's also fit but he runs like he's wearing concrete boots and he certainly can't jump. So in your book is he not an athlete?

 

Seems to me swinging a golf club and making consistent, exceptionally precise contact with a little ball to precisely place it where you want it requires outstanding coordination and muscle control--- a highly athletic move.    

 

I literally said nothing contrary to any of that, anywhere, ever.

 

the only point I’ve made is that yes, although he swings a golf club athletically, he doesn’t actually have any other athletic accomplishments/achievements.

 

It’s not a big deal, he was built for golf mentally and physically and had a career comparable to anyone. There’s just no evidence at all that he could have done anything in any other sport, and the narrative that he was golfs first athlete is ridiculous 

[Dr. Block]

1 hour ago, milesgiles said:

It’s not a big deal, he was built for golf mentally and physically and had a career comparable to anyone.

He's had a career comparable to one, maybe two other golfers.  His career is quite a ways beyond being comparable to anyone. 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2020 by Dr. Block

[milesgiles]

19 minutes ago, Dr. Block said:

He had a career comparable to one, maybe two other golfers.  His career was quite a ways beyond being comparable to anyone. 

 

 

 

Dude..

[Dr. Block]

27 minutes ago, milesgiles said:

 

Dude..

Apparently turnabout isn't fair play 

Edited November 11, 2020 by Dr. Block

[bscinstnct]

3 hours ago, dlygrisse said:

How did this thread devolve into another "are golfers athletes" thread?  I love watching non athletic people try to play golf, they generally can't make contact and give up quickly. /s I know several people, men and women, who are generally non athletes and who have little to no interest in sports in general, that have no chance at playing golf.  One of them is fairly fit, in that he spends time in the gym, but he has zero aptitude for playing any sport that requires any hand eye coordination.  I have witnessed these people attempt to hit balls at the range, or even try to putt and it's obvious to them and everyone around them it's not worth pursuing.  

 

Golf is a GREAT sport for those of us who were good athletes as youngsters playing sports like football, soccer, track, basketball etc. to pick up later in life.  I'm not saying children shouldn't play, but often children who get it shoved down their throat by their parents, will quit playing then never pick it up again.  I started playing in college after I didn't have my highschool sports to play any longer, sure I played pickup games, or softball, I also picked up raquetball etc.  But golf was the sport that I got hooked on.  This was before I knew who Tiger was.  So while I admire Tiger, it wasn't Tiger that drew me to the game, it was just buddies in college, some of which I still play golf with.  

 

I was a very decent Uncle Rico OLB and Center Fielder. But picked up golf later in life and stink!
 

The best I ever was I could consistently shoot high 80s or 90 from the  whites. And I was practicing multiple time a week. 

 

Then again, I know guys who could shoot 70s in HS but are happy to break 90 now since they can’t play/practice much.

 

Not ashamed to say that what rekindled my interest in golf was this commercial.

 

*Not the whole inclusive society blah blah stuff,

 

But this slow mo swing of TW at 1:01 seconds.

 

I saw that and was mesmerized...

 

 

Edited November 11, 2020 by bscinstnct

[Dr. Block]

46 minutes ago, milesgiles said:

 

Dude..

I'm sorry Miles, I'm just tooling with you. I actually do enjoy your posts quite a bit. I also understand your point, and I agree. There have been some spectacular athletes in the great history of golf, and many came before Tiger hit the scene. I am just a guy in an office in an industry that is currently being battered by a pandemic. You could say I have a bit too much time on my hands.

 

 

Edited November 11, 2020 by Dr. Block

[stingerfade]

15 minutes ago, bscinstnct said:

 

I was a very decent Uncle Rico OLB and Center Fielder. But picked up golf later in life and stink!
 

The best I ever was I could consistently shoot high 80s or 90 from the  whites. And I was practicing multiple time a week. 

 

Then again, I know guys who could shoot 70s in HS but are happy to break 90 now since they can’t play/practice much.

 

Not ashamed to say that what rekindled my interest in golf was this commercial.

 

*Not the whole inclusive society blah blah stuff,

 

But this slow mo swing of TW at 1:01 seconds.

 

I saw that and was mesmerized...

 

 

He’s got that early back foot lift a la JT     Never noticed that before 

[Skhacker]

On 11/9/2020 at 11:10 PM, manku said:

Every major sport has seen a blow up in income. Look at tennis prize money.  My guess is the increase is virtually identical to golf.    

My point exactly.  Triggered by an athlete, group of athletes or team that brought new interest and thus revenue to the sport.

[phizzy30]

I was playing golf long before Tiger made it cool.  That's how old I feel, lol.  Actually started playing golf in 1987 when I was 7 years old.  My father introduced me to the game and I fell in love.  All I wanted to do after homework was hit buckets at the range and would always get excited for the weekends when my parents would take me out to play 18 holes.  Tiger made the courses more packed and the rounds longer.  I never got excited because he arrived on the scene and made golf "cool".  I did appreciate that he was the most recognizable minority golfer to significantly affect the game being Asian myself.