posted Dec 19, 2008

Perhaps an adapted version of Golf would be OK. Like modern pentathlon. You could have horseback golf, shooting range golf, 10km jogging golf, synchronised dancing...with golf

It's just not an Olympic event

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posted Dec 19, 2008

I love playing golf but I don't watch any on TV other than the last 9 holes of the Masters and Open. I used to watch it more but then I paid for Sky Sports 2 for a year and slowly I woke up and smelled the coffee and cancelled my subscription. I've been to a few pro events and watching it live is even less exciting. Perhaps I'm not normal.

Nevertheless, regardless of its spectator appeal, I think it should be an Olympic Sport but I'm not sure if it should be individual or team based, or both.

Hopefully the current financial climate will help get to rid of a lot of the pointless tournaments.

I reckon many top pros would like to see less of them but would play for an Olympic title for free and even cover up their advertising.

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posted Dec 19, 2008

Matty,
you're right you don't get Argentina and Brazil playing each other every week - you do, however, get them raising their skirts to every passing punter/country in order to entice a pay packet for a game almost anywhere in the world. That's not to mention the pre-season tournaments in Asia etc that involve about 4 EPL teams, how often did Man U and Portsmouth play before September this year?

As has been said these golf events generally raise money for charity and surely there is nothing wrong with that? In the same way not everyone likes the idea of pro-celebrity events but they also raise money for charity and increase interest in the sport outside of those who normally watch - again, nothing wrong with that.

The beauty of golf is that it's very rare that it's the same '16 top pros' week in, week out. Take the Chevron, no Padraig Harrington, no Anders Romero - 2 of the stars of this season - and obviously no Tiger himself, yet you see a top player like Fred Couples, at 49, competing with SOME of todays top players. For people like Luke Donald, who has been out injured for most of the season, or Paul Casey who has been woefully short of form this is essentially the equivalent of a pre-season friendly which will hopefully help them going into 2009.

On the Olympics, there have been quite a few posts on here about that and you'll find that the vast majority of us have been against it for a whole host of reasons. Obviously we don't speak for the golfing community but I feel it is a fair indication of the thinking of golfers in general.

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posted Dec 19, 2008

Why not make it an olympic sport but give it amateur status as it should be (unlike Tennis at the olympics) and use it for young up and coming golfers.

Should be a good spectacle in a team format...

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posted Dec 19, 2008

Why bother with the olympics they are overbloated and boring. It should be kept to track and field, all sports have their majors or world cup etc what is the point of golf or for that matter 90% of the existing events in the olympics - none - lets focus on the athletics and forget the rest. A second point i am completly fed up with the debate about a uk football team in the olympics - like come on does anyone out there care can anyone name any past winners - no!! enough said, football has the world cup, golf has the majors no need to be in the olympics

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posted Dec 19, 2008

Absolutely right JPGjohnny.If the Olympics is not the pinnacle of the sport then it should not be included. As for golf being included. Well think of those shapely figures like Boo, Fred and Phil from the US Ryder cup team. Top of their game they may be but athletes, please!

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posted Dec 20, 2008

Golf as an olympic sport? I can understand sports like baseball, basketball, rugby 7s and football (soccer) being included in the olympics as they do require even a small degree of athletisism. Golf involves standing still whilst swinging a rod over your head, hitting a gob stopper over a 400 mile field and then walking/go-karting across said field in the hope its landed in a 3 inch hole. Hows that athletic? Can't see it fitting in somehow. Whats next Olympic snooker?

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posted Dec 20, 2008

Not sure your argument holds up.

Shooting, archery and equestrian are Olympic Sports.

Define 'athletic'.

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posted Dec 20, 2008

I'd also suggest that the purpose of the Olympic Games is no longer necessarily to provide the pinnacle of competition but rather to provide opportunity for all the nations to compete in each sport without favouritism.

That helps to promote sports in smaller countries. The Olympics can create pride etc in smaller or less developed nations. e.g. NI have only 1 Olympic gold that I can think of (Mary Peters) but they're good at golf.

I would also suggest India would gain from Olympic golf. They could win it to go with their first medal won this year.

Golf also has the added advantage of being unpredictable. Even Tiger doesn't win all the time.

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posted Dec 23, 2008

There is a place for golf in the Olympic Games, but it should be for amateur players.

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