Post by Nick Daverio
For class on Friday we read an article about being unfit and
playing sports. The examples they talked about were John Daly and Laura Davies.
Both are professional golfers on their respective tours. The article talked
about how golf is the last soft muscle sport meaning that one does not need to
be in tip top physical condition. I partially agree with what the article has
to say but part of me disagrees. I agree that one does not have to be in great
physical condition to play golf competitively, just look at John Daly, Craig
Stadler, and Jason Gore, who all have had success on the PGA Tour. One can have
success on the tour such as these guys based on their talent and drive for
competition and not based on their physical stature. But as the game evolves, I
start to believe that calling the game of golf a soft muscle sport is very
inaccurate. With technological improvements in golf and courses becoming more
difficult, players are looking for ways to improve their game. Many golfers on
tour now are very athletic and do work out and are in great physical shape.
Tiger Woods was one of the first golfers that people started to notice that was
hitting the gym often and in very good shape and people said that would hurt
his game. Even though Tiger has had injury problems as of lately, the trend of
becoming physical fit has grown throughout the tour with players such as Rory
McIllroy and Dustin Johnson. Being physically fit is proving to have a great
success for players on tour just take Rory for example who has been doing great
for the past couple of years since he started working out because of his
girlfriend. Golf is evolving and so are the players, so with that being said I
believe that golf will soon be no longer categorized as a soft muscle sport.
Comment done by Trent Ringle
ReplyDeleteI believe that sports are always changing and the game is evolving as athletes are becoming more aware of the physical endurance needed to play. Golf could very well make the transition from being a sport where athletes who are unfit still can participate, to where physical endurance, condition, and working out become a key factor in being able to be a professional golfer. I understand that there will always be those freak athletes who no matter what they eat, how hard they work out, or what their physical condition is they are going to be a good athlete. However, in today’s age this is becoming less of a case with professional athletes training harder to get that perfect body. Is this a bad situation thought I personally think it is not, athletes should be in top shape. They are being pay a lot of money for their performance the least they could do is be in the best physical condition they can be, and perform at their highest level of play.
I believe that golf along with other sports is drastically changing and the need for physical endurance is becoming more prominent. Golf will always be one of the sports where you do not have to be physically fit to compete or win tournaments. However, I do believe the sport is evolving to the point where you do have to be physically fit in order to successful much like Tiger Woods and Rory McIllroy. McIllroy is a constant threat to everyone one when he competes in tournaments and he has proven at his young age to be one of the top golfers in the world. When people started to notice the level of fitness Tiger had, they directly correlated his amount of wins to the fact that he was fit. This is not only true in golf but it is becoming more prominent in big sports such as the NBA. Shaq was a big man for a long time and had an illustrious career, but was often injury prone in his last five years. Many big guys in the NBA saw that and that is why people such as Kevin Love and Kendrick Perkins have lost weight. They want to be able to compete at the best level and have a long career and the only way that is possible is by being physically fit.
ReplyDeleteLike Nick said, Golf is evolving and so are the players. Golf may very well no longer be considered a soft-muscle sport. I would also like to say that one of the first things I thought of that related to this was NASCAR. Just like how many people will say you don't need to be in top shape to be good at golf, many people will say that you do not have to be in top shape to drive a car around. However, I do not believe this is the case. Some of the top NASCAR drivers like Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson often note their workout routines and their diet to stay in shape for the races.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing people will say about golfers is that age doesn't really matter. However, some golfers are not the same once they get older and their physical condition isn't what it used to be. Same can be said for NASCAR. Jeff Gordon is getting older and declined in recent years. Dale Earnhardt Sr. was struggling the last 5 or 6 years of his career. Even legends like Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty were completely irrelevant for the last 10 years of their careers. An example today would be Mark Martin, who used to be one of the best drivers in the 90's. He is now 53 years old, and he said that he just isn't in the shape he used to be in, and it has resulted in worse performances on the track. People will often knock on golf and auto-racing as sports where being in shape is not important, but when you look at the results, it is hard to argue that physical condition does not have an effect.
I believe that for golf you have to be physically fit to be consistent in winning. Yes golf is mostly skill and the best skilled golfer may win a time or two. Look at Rory McIllroy he started off amazing. He recently as in the past two years has took his golf game to the next level and began to become very physically fit. Golf is not a soft muscle sport. Ya everyone used to talk about how far John Daly, but now he is left behind in the dust. Everyone talks about how well and how far Dustin Johnson hits the golf ball. For people that don't think it takes being physically fit to be a golfer, then talk to a professional golfer. They have some very intense workouts. They might not bench press like a football player but they do some hard workouts that probably some football players cant do. I wouldn't say there is a soft sport now a days. Everyone in every sport is getting bigger stronger and faster. Even in women sports. If people aren't strong and fast they wont survive.
ReplyDeleteComment by Kane Godfrey
Dustin Johnson Quick version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0neWQINPxk
Dustin Johnson Best Version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0neWQINPxk
While I do believe that conditioning and working out would benefit golfers, I still think of it as a soft muscle sport. There is no comparison between golf and sports such as basketball, football, or soccer. If you are not in shape or have some kind of muscular tone in these three sports, it would be very hard for an athlete to compete. Although I do not think that golf takes much conditioning and working out, I think it is probably one of the most mental sports with having to keep concentration. Gofers have to hit the ball through some great measures and I give them a lot of credit for that. While it may improve a golfers game in certain aspects, I just don’t see golf ever being a sport that takes the conditioning and working out that other sports have to go through.
ReplyDeleteHeather Cox
I believe considering golf a soft muscle sport is inaccurate. Yes, golf does to endure any physical contact but golf can be a lot of strain on an athletes body and they must be able to treat and take care of their body. Just look at Tiger Woods, he is only 36 years old and has had four knee surgeries already due to the wear and tear from his swing. Dustin Johnson has taken golf training to a whole new level with all the different training tactics he uses. In summary I agree that golf may not be as physical as other sports but it is unfair to say it is a soft muscle sport, these athletes require a great deal of muscle and endurance. Comment by Jared King.
ReplyDelete