For a long time at the Sports Guru’s house, we have had the conversation about which sports have athletes and which have guys and gals that just do the sport. There is no doubt the major sports: football, basketball, baseball are played by athletes. Secondary sports like horseshoes, poker and archery are played by everyday people who do not have to be in the best physical shape. So what about golf?
For many years, golfers were heavy (Craig “Walrus” Stadler, John Daly) and many smoked (Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus in the old days). Not today. These guys are pumped, finely tuned machines who hit a tiny white ball with a stick very far. You can credit one person for this change, Tiger Woods.
When he burst on the scene at age 21 he was a scrawny 155 pound kid. He is now a chiseled 32 year old weighing around 180 pounds, with large arms and a very thin waist. The thin waist is very noticeable among professional golfers these days. While no one knows for sure exactly what Tiger does when he works out (National Security is not as tight as Tiger’s Security Team) Golf Magazine in its August 2004 issue took a crack at it.
They reported, five days a week of three to five hour sessions at the gym; thirty minutes of aerobic warm-up followed by thirty minutes with a physical therapist to stretch his entire body; another half-hour of cardio on a treadmill, bike or stepper followed by strength training; on some days, he does lots of lifting and on others he uses all the equipment you would find at your neighborhood gym (you’ve been lately?), finally a cool down and he is done. Did I mention that he also runs three to four miles everyday (on grass)?
So when Tiger needed arthroscopic left knee surgery on April 15th, 2008, just days after finishing second at this year’s Master’s Tournament it came as a surprise. He left himself eight weeks to recover for the US Open in California. As you must know by now, Tiger is playing today in an eighteen hole playoff with Rocco Mediate for the championship.
Why did I say “must know”? Saturday evening, Tiger put on one of the greatest displays of golf ever seen. NBC was lucky enough to be broadcasting in prime time and the nation was able to see him get two Eagles (two under par) in the last six holes. Throw in an incredible chip shot that bounced in on number 17 for a Birdie (one under par) and for those who witnessed him grimacing in pain and limping on that left knee after every shot, we were left shaking our heads again. Tiger begin Father’s day with a one stroke lead and while he started terribly, he steadied the ship and was in contention to win. Again it came down to dramatics as Tiger needed to make a 12 foot Birdie on the 18th hole to force today’s playoff with Rocco Mediate. Tiger took his time, measured the shot and made the putt. He followed the ball dropping into the hole with a lot of fist pumping and hand slapping with his caddie Steve Williams.
No matter what happen today between Tiger and Rocco, Tiger Woods has ended the argument for all time about if golfers are athletes. Heck the guy has his own sports drink named after him……
Your Friend in Sports,
Dave the Sports Guru
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Arnold Palmer, Craig Stadler, Golf, Jack Nicklaus, John Daly, Masters Golf, Rocco Mediate, Steve Williams, Tiger Woods, US Open
I just started watching golf this weekend, and I cannot believe how intense the game actually is. Since my experience was limited to mini golf, I wasn’t aware of how much focus and calm is needed. However, me and my boyfriend are going to start working on our golf swings and hit a green. And to help us really focus while we practice, we use a focusing supplement from http://getabsolutecalm.com/sports/?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=media&utm_content=Sports&utm_campaign=Blog.
[...] Golfers – Are They Athletes?Again it came down to dramatics as Tiger needed to make a 12 foot birdie (one under par) on the 18th hole to force today’s playoff with Rocco Mediate. Tiger took his time, measured the shot and made the putt. …When You Need to Know About Sports – http://sportsnerds.wordpress.com [...]
1. Archers are athletes – I know for a fact that you, Mr. Sports Guru, cannot draw back a 400-pound crossbow (400-pound refers to the amount of torque and force needed to full the string back).
2. Poker on television is not played by athletes. It also is not played by normal guys. It is played by very strange people who wear glasses with dinosaurs on them, wear stupid hats, and do ridiculously hard mathematical formulas in their head.
3. Bring up the Big Debate – “Is Nascar a sport?”
NASCAR is a sport. But that’s for another day.
Sports guru you’re an idiot. You don’t have to be an athlete to be good at, or excel, in golf. Tiger is an athlete,okay. What does that have to do with the question in hand? What of the other 99.9% of golfers? What of the sport itself? You don’t need to be a good athlete to win in this sport or even to be real good at it. I know you love golf but face facts.
You would not be the first or hundred and first to call me an idiot. My point had nothing to do with who is good at golf. I agree lot’s of golfers would never be caught dead in the gym or running a 10k. I guess I could of used the title are “Professional” Golfers – are they athletes.
Thanx for the comment.
Dave the Idiot Sports Guru