Should Golf Be Considered A Sport?

What defines a sport? There has been a controversy, whether or not golf should be considered a sport. If old men, injured athletes, and people of all backgrounds and athletic ability can play this sport, can you really consider it a sport? The Oxford dictionary states that a sport is, “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” Golf can be considered a sport by the definition alone, plus golf is supported by the same athletic companies, athletic association, and the media as every other nationally recognized sport.
Golf originates from a game played in the eastern coast of Scotland in the Kingdom of Fife during the 15th century, although unlike
The Oxford dictionary first states that a sport requires physical exertion. The Free Dictionary by Farlex says, physical exertion means, “the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit.” The physical exertion differs depending on the skill, personal ability, and weather. When golfing, a golfer uses a minimum of 17 muscles groups in the synchronizing movement between the hands, wrists, arms, abdomen and leg, according to a study by British Medical Journal. When a golfer swings the club, they must use and have proper form for optimal swing and get the most distance and control on the
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a skill as “the ability to use one's knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance”. The skill the golfer needs can be broken down to the personal ability of the golfer and understanding how outside variables will affect the ball. As many golfers can attest, if you want to do well on the course, it requires skills. The personal ability of the golfer, is the stance and swing the golfer uses use in order to have control over where the ball goes. Golfer’ use their skills to determine what club will give them their desired results, where they should hit the ball, how hard, and the swing of the club to determine how the ball will fly in the air. Golfer’s use their skill in their ability to read the green, so when they are putting, they get the ball in the hole in the least number of strokes. Furthermore, golfers must be able to understand how the weather will affect their ball, if it rained prior to the match, or if it is windy the golfer must know what the best way to get their ball to land where they want, even before they even hit the