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Golf in the United States is a $70 billion annual industry with 24.1 million players. A 2016 poll by Public Policy Polling found that nineteen percent of Americans call themselves golf fans, down from twenty-three percent in 2015. The debate over whether golf is a sport rages on the internet, in bars, amongst sportswriters, and even on the golf course.
The origins of golf remain somewhat murky because several countries invented games that involved hitting a ball with a club at a target. The 11th century French game “palle- mail” or “jeu de mail,” and the 13th century Dutch game “kolven” are arguably predecessors to golf. A claim has even been made that the Chinese recorded a description of the game in a text written during the Song Dynasty (960 -1279 AD).
The invention of golf as we know it today, with the crucial aspect of hitting a ball into a hole, is generally credited to Scotland in the 1300s. Historians say that golf was played at St. Andrews in Scotland even before the university was founded in 1411.
The question of whether golf is a sport hinges on the definition of “sport.” The Merriam- Webster dictionary defines sport as “physical activity engaged in for pleasure; a particular activity (as an athletic game) so engaged in.”
PRO
- Golf meets the definition of the word “sport” found in many dictionaries.
- Golfers burn more calories than gymnasts.
- Golf requires coordinated muscle use.
- The International Olympic Committee considers golf a sport.
- Professional golfers are considered athletes by mainstream media.
- College and university athletic departments classify golf as a sport.
- Sports agents, sponsors, and sporting goods manufacturers consider golf to be a sport.
- Physical training leads to improvement in golfer’s performance.
- Golf’s demand for physical exertion often results in injuries.
- Golf is one of dozens of independent sports like running or swimming.
- Golf has many more commonalities with other sports.
CON
- Golf better matches the definition of a game than a sport.
- Unlike a sport, golf does not require rigorous physical activity.
- If an activity does not make you break a sweat, or if it can be done while drinking and smoking, then it is not a sport.
- The fact that golf can be difficult and requires practice and skill to achieve proficiency does not mean it qualifies as a sport.
- Golf involves competition, keeping score, and declaring a winner, but those qualities alone do not make it a sport.
- Sports experts agree that golf lacks the athletic rigor needed to be a real sport.
- Athleticism does not correlate with performance when it comes to golf.
- If you can compete in a professional tournament with a broken leg, it is not a sport.
- The possibility of getting injured while playing golf does not make it a sport.
- The decision to include golf in the 2016 Summer Olympics is questionable.
- Golf does not require defense against the player’s opponent.
This article was published on August 1, 2019, at Britannica’s ProCon.org, a nonpartisan issue-information source.