OT: "Golf Talk" - Tournaments, Pro's, Equip., etc.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 5:01 pm

toonarmy wrote:
One question, though, does this performance by a 59-year-old in a major put into question the athleticism required for pro golf?

Depends on your definition of "athleticism". I would say "technique" is more the key. You have to have rythym, balance, timing and flexibility.
Is that "athleticism"? I would say Pro Golfers are more "athletic" than Nascar drivers.

fletcher21 · Post by **fletcher21** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 8:05 am

JackB1 wrote:
toonarmy wrote:
One question, though, does this performance by a 59-year-old in a major put into question the athleticism required for pro golf?
Depends on your definition of "athleticism". I would say "technique" is more the key. You have to have rythym, balance, timing and flexibility.
Is that "athleticism"? I would say Pro Golfers are more "athletic" than Nascar drivers.

I'd agree about Nascar drivers possibly, but absolutely not open wheel drivers. How much did Watson take home for 2nd? Surely his best payday in some time.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 9:57 am

JackB1 wrote:I would say Pro Golfers are more "athletic" than Nascar drivers.

Don't even go there. A NASCAR driver must maintain concentration and display mental and physical stamina for sometimes for 30 uninterrupted minutes between cautions while participating in a sport in which he can be killed or severely injured at any time.

A golfer stands over and hits his shot for how long?

And Fletch is right: Just about any open-wheel driver probably is in better shape than most golfers.

Golf is a great sport filled with excellent athletes. I'm not ripping golf. But I'm tired of seeing the "drivers aren't great athletes" card played, because it's simply untrue. For every Tony Stewart you trot out as an example of an out-of-shape driver, I can put a John Daly under the klieg lights.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:06 am

pk500 wrote:
JackB1 wrote:I would say Pro Golfers are more "athletic" than Nascar drivers.
A NASCAR driver must maintain concentration and display mental and physical stamina for sometimes for 30 uninterrupted minutes between cautions while participating in a sport in which he can be killed or severely injured at any time.

Yes, they have to do all of that, but none of those things make you "athletic". Is it easy to do all those things? Heck no. But does it make you an "athlete"? I am not so sure.

toonarmy · Post by **toonarmy** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 1:10 pm

Chalk another one up for the old farts. 81-year-old not only qualified for a NASCAR event but placed 13th.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/fro ... car,177514

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 1:44 pm

JackB1 wrote:
pk500 wrote:
JackB1 wrote:I would say Pro Golfers are more "athletic" than Nascar drivers.
A NASCAR driver must maintain concentration and display mental and physical stamina for sometimes for 30 uninterrupted minutes between cautions while participating in a sport in which he can be killed or severely injured at any time.

Yes, they have to do all of that, but none of those things make you "athletic". Is it easy to do all those things? Heck no. But does it make you an "athlete"? I am not so sure.

If that's your definition of athletic, what in golf is athletic? Wrestling a 3,600-pound stock car at 200 mph takes more physical exertion than swinging a golf club, too. And F1 drivers? Controlling a speeding vehicle at 4 G's in a corner? That's not athletic?

Come on.

Take care,
PK

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 2:23 pm

I am loathe to participate in such discussions, but I am bored at work today, so...

I would say athleticism is embodied by several traits, such as balance, strength, body control, timing, coordination, reflexes, stamina, explosion, and the ability to train your body to reproduce finely tuned repetitive motions. I would not classify concentration or focus as an athletic trait, though it is required to excel at all athletic endeavors. You could say the same thing about intelligence or awareness--not 'athletic' traits, but certainly useful in all sports.

I also don't look at certain 'sports' as athletic or unathletic, but rather different 'sports' require different skill sets, with some 'sports' requiring nearly all traits, and others requiring very few. It's more like a sliding scale.

And PK I am a little confused--in the racing thread you mocked people who said Danica couldn't drive NASCAR because the cars have power steering, but here you describe it as 'wrestling a 3,600 pound car.' In all honestly, I will admit ignorance about what kind of condition one must be in to drive a stock car, either for a few laps or 500 miles.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 5:22 pm

pk500 wrote:
If that's your definition of athletic, what in golf is athletic? Wrestling a 3,600-pound stock car at 200 mph takes more physical exertion than swinging a golf club, too. And F1 drivers? Controlling a speeding vehicle at 4 G's in a corner? That's not athletic?

Come on.

Take care,
PK

I don't think of either golfers or race car drivers as "athletes".
Physical exertion doesn't define an athlete. Golfing and Driving a race car are both skills that demand very different attributes.

Here is the definition of "athletic", which doesn't exactly help

"off or pertaining to athletes; involving the use of physical skills or capabilities, as strength, agility, or stamina: athletic sports; athletic training. "

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 5:36 pm

lexbur wrote:I'm a big Tiger fan, but even more than the way he played, I was disappointed in how he acted. All that cussing and slamming his clubs down, what the heck, was he taking sportsmanship lessons from Rory Sabatini? I'm glad he missed the cut, I wouldn't have wanted to see two more days of that.

I'm glad for Stewart Cink. I "sort of" met him at Firestone a couple years ago. He nodded hello to me and my girlfriend, he seems like a cool guy.

pretty good story about Tiger and his lack of sportsmanship....
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?id=4347419

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:25 pm

Many of you may not know it, but Tiger gets fined by the PGA almost on a constant basis. Search through youtube and you'll find a good number of Woods' childish antics.

Here's a quick one:

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q-Y1T761x5I&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed>

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 12:35 am

Well I have a little tale to tell.

Today at my club I was playing a warm up round for next weeks club championship. Anyway they had a little contest going on Hole #5 which is about a 167 yard par 3.

Get a hole in one, get a $1000. My course is really windy at times so every hole is a challenge, and on #5 you need to clear a small pond in front of the green and then there are bunkers in the front right and two in the back left. The green is fairly large and it falls sharply off the to right front.

Anyway they had the pin tucked in the right corner and the wind was really kicking this morning. So I decided to go with a six iron and just try and put it on the center of the green. I was more concerned about the Nassau we were playing instead of going for the pin.

So I hit the shot pretty crisp and I lose it immediately in the sun. I say "I lost it" and one of my group says it's going right at it. I still can't see s*** and I hear Mark go "that's tracking right towards the hole"

A second later he and the pro tell me they think it went in. Now it's impossible to see from the tee box because of where the pin was. I was the first one to hit, my partner goes and hits another shot right at it and we lose his as well. Other two guy hit, one in the front bunker, one in the back.

Anyway we all head down there, I say to my partner that I probably rolled off the back. We pull up and there is a ball 2 feet from the pin, we start walking up all 5 of us and we see the two in the bunker and that ball. So we walk to the cup and BINGO! I'm in for an Ace!

This is not my first Ace, I've actually had a few more. But this was the first one worth anything. Everyone's yelling except for me, I just don't get that excited on the course and it was cool. Word spread before I was even off nine. The club picked up drinks for everyone for the whole day.

I went on to shoot a 38 on the front and a lousy 44 on the back, I blame the beer

The best part of the story was I was suppose to come home right after the round to do family stuff, I called my wife after i was done and here is how the call went.

"Hey, I just got done but I am going to be up here for a while"

"Why?"

"Well I had a hole in one and won $1000 and they are buying drinks for everyone"

LOUD SCREAMING on the other end of the phone.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 12:46 am

Congrats man. It's always good to be the Star of the show in any Golf Tournament and more so when you win the cash. Nothing more satisfying when you rub it in with your buddies.

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:34 pm

Congrats Danimal. Aces are exciting as hell.

I am coming off my best round of the year...a plus one 72

I took a double bogey on the par 3 15th hole. I blew a 5 iron over the green after I thought I had mis-clubbed. Could have been a 71 or even a 70 without the miscue. Damn!

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:57 am

Thats great DAnimal! I was lucky enough to see my hole in one roll in.
It was a 135 yard par 3 and it landed about 3 feet to the right of the pin and gently rolled right into the hole. Mine was great, but I didn't win 1,000! Way to go!

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:32 am

That's cool Jack.

I was having this discussion yesterday and I haven't really gotten excited on any that I've had. But I have not seen one of them go in the hole, I think there is a big difference. It's hard to jump up and down and scream 5 minutes after you hit it.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 5:24 pm

Danimal wrote:That's cool Jack.

I was having this discussion yesterday and I haven't really gotten excited on any that I've had. But I have not seen one of them go in the hole, I think there is a big difference. It's hard to jump up and down and scream 5 minutes after you hit it.

I didn't jump up and down and scream either. I was playing with 2 other guys I just met at the course. But, as soon as I got home, I called everyone and told them

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:50 pm

Danimal wrote:That's cool Jack.

I was having this discussion yesterday and I haven't really gotten excited on any that I've had. But I have not seen one of them go in the hole, I think there is a big difference. It's hard to jump up and down and scream 5 minutes after you hit it.

I agree. My only ace was on an elevated 125 yard par 3 (see pic). I knew it was a good shot but never saw it drop. Ball hit 15 feet behind the hole and spun back down the green and in. Hopefully my next one (if it happens) will be fully visible

Pin was at the bottom so it was not visible from the tee box. The course is a Donald Ross design too.

fletcher21 · Post by **fletcher21** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 9:50 am

I will be at the PGA Championship this weekend. The first person I hear yell "get in the hole!" I am going to beat over the head with a shovel.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:47 am

So we should be looking for a guy with his hat turned sideways and a wife beater on in the crowd?

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:06 pm

fletcher21 wrote:I will be at the PGA Championship this weekend. The first person I hear yell "get in the hole!" I am going to beat over the head with a shovel.

Please do so.

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:08 pm

Heading to a very solid course tomorrow to, hopefully, continue my hot streak. One par three on this course is over a 200 foot drop from the tee box. Last time I played there was my brother's bachelor party...I don't remember much

I am loving my new driver...TaylorMade Burner 2009. First swing with it I drove a 310 yard par 4. It can only get worse.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 9:40 am

fletcher21 wrote:I will be at the PGA Championship this weekend. The first person I hear yell "get in the hole!" I am going to beat over the head with a shovel.

Please!!!!! and hit em again for me.

The Pros must get so tired of hearing that all the time.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 9:42 am

Diablo25 wrote:Heading to a very solid course tomorrow to, hopefully, continue my hot streak. One par three on this course is over a 200 foot drop from the tee box. Last time I played there was my brother's bachelor party...I don't remember much I am loving my new driver...TaylorMade Burner 2009. First swing with it I drove a 310 yard par 4. It can only get worse.

That's quite a poke! My favorite is a Mizuno MP-600. Great feel and weight to that driver. The Burner is always a solid choice though. Very popular driver.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 10:52 am

JackB1 wrote:
Diablo25 wrote:Heading to a very solid course tomorrow to, hopefully, continue my hot streak. One par three on this course is over a 200 foot drop from the tee box. Last time I played there was my brother's bachelor party...I don't remember much I am loving my new driver...TaylorMade Burner 2009. First swing with it I drove a 310 yard par 4. It can only get worse.
That's quite a poke! My favorite is a Mizuno MP-600. Great feel and weight to that driver. The Burner is always a solid choice though. Very popular driver.

Funny enough my original Burner Driver (late 07 model) was replaced by the 09 model as the glue inside the head came loose and you could hear the little piece everytime I would hold the Driver.

I like it, the shaft is a bit longer than the 07 model and therefore a bit harder to hit it accurately, but when done correctly, I find I have that extra five yards compared to the 07 model. The Burner goes far but I am really inclined to go down from the 460CC model to the lesser heads like the R9 which I believe is 425CC and the new trend seems to be going down in size again. Smaller sweep spot but it's supposed to go miles when you hit it well.

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 10:04 pm

Here is that above mentioned hole that drops 200+ feet. I parred it with a 7 iron. Fun hole. I ended up shooting a 77. Doubled the par 5 18th hole. THAT pissed me off. Was even on the back until that debacle. Still played well.