Late night bullshit: A "smart guy's" sport.

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by Pawnmower

well, i disagree with your definition of intellectual....& thought/thinking

it is more about harmony and getting your swing right than actually planning, strategy,drawing up and executing plays etc...

it is much more about FEELING than thinking...........there is no comparison the study and play calling and changing plays based on what the opponent is doing....

i agree that 98% of golf is internal....I just do not consider it 'thinking' or 'intellectual' .....it requires zero thought or intellect other than maybe club selection or whether or not to lay up or power over.........

As i stated , i call that zen, or harmony or feeling rather than
'thinking' or 'intellectual'.....getting your swing right

Its very similar to a baseball swing IMO.... if you think about it, its going to get ruined....it just has to come naturally (which takes a LOT of practice swings!)

Sounds about right to me. Golf is about tons and tons of practice, until you learn what each of your clubs does for you, and until your swing is all muscle memory.

I think most of the intellectual side of the game is not doubting yourself and not second-guessing yourself. I also think people watch way too much PGA and spend way too much time "thinking" before their shots. I find it's often counter-productive.

But that's just my opinion, and I barely play these days.

I'm not sure that pool (billiards) doesn't involve more thinking in a strategy/shot selection sense than golf.

[Ming the Merciless]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

I think most of the intellectual side of the game is not doubting yourself and not second-guessing yourself. I also think people watch way too much PGA and spend way too much time "thinking" before their shots. I find it's often counter-productive.

exactly... i really wasn't trying to nit pick or split hairs.......golf is all about the internal/mental/battle against self ...... but to me its not the same as an intellectual affair...

I think a battle of intellect requires opposing ideas........in a sense football (like chess) is a battle of ideas....yours against another person's

Golf is more like overcoming nerves or being perfectly calm, or having perfect consistent mechanics.........battling your own mind/body.

[Exoter175]

Originally Posted by Pawnmower

exactly... i really wasn't trying to nit pick or split hairs.......golf is all about the internal/mental/battle against self ...... but to me its not the same as an intellectual affair...

I think a battle of intellect requires opposing ideas........in a sense football (like chess) is a battle of ideas....yours against another person's

Golf is more like overcoming nerves or being perfectly calm, or having perfect consistent mechanics.........battling your own mind/body.

And that's that's the mental game before the analytical game takes place.

Shot selection alone takes more analytical skills than any other game, period. Then you get into the planning of your round.

In competitive golf, or if you're just a really, really good golfer, you'll take the time ahead of your round to strategize how you will attack the course for that round. Every single shot, including shot types so that if you don't execute the shot, you'll have the highest percentage of bailing yourself out, etc.

I should just probably stop now.

It is becoming rapidly and abundantly clear now that none of you have ever played Golf well enough to play it competitively, and most of you suffer from a general lack of reading comprehension when it comes to reading the part where I said "competitive" in my reference to golf.

Forget the battle of your inner demons and Tin Cup/Happy Gilmore shenanigans about Zen and Harmony, that's only one aspect of the game, and one that is present from the first round. From there, simply learning how to hit a shot is more analytical than any other sport, because you need to master math and science to truly understand it.

Also, understand that when I say "hit a shot", I'm not talking about taking a swing at a ball. I'm talking about trying to hit a 189 yard draw, over a branch with 28 yards of draw, 13 feet above the green into a 13 mile an hour wind, on an incredibly dry day.

Not, "hey bob, hold my beer and watch me whack this".

I'm speaking from a competitive narrative only, as it is the only way to compare a team sport which can only be played in competition to an individual sport that can be played wherever and whenever.

[Exoter175]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

Sounds about right to me. Golf is about tons and tons of practice, until you learn what each of your clubs does for you, and until your swing is all muscle memory.

I think most of the intellectual side of the game is not doubting yourself and not second-guessing yourself. I also think people watch way too much PGA and spend way too much time "thinking" before their shots. I find it's often counter-productive.

But that's just my opinion, and I barely play these days.

I'm not sure that pool (billiards) doesn't involve more thinking in a strategy/shot selection sense than golf.

Apparently I'm going to have to keep score for those who can't read the part where I said "Competitive".

As for your comment that Pool might take more thinking or strategy on shot selection, I'm sorry to come off vulgar, but you're ****ing stupid and clearly never played golf, golf well, or competitively.

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by Exoter175

Apparently I'm going to have to keep score for those who can't read the part where I said "Competitive".

As for your comment that Pool might take more thinking or strategy on shot selection, I'm sorry to come off vulgar, but you're ****ing stupid and clearly never played golf, golf well, or competitively.

I always find it to be a shame when people can't make a point without descending into personal attacks. Disappointing.

FYI I didn't (and still haven't) read whatever it is that you think I'm responding to. I have no idea why you're going off on me. I was responding to someone else.

I just think pool can be extremely difficult to play. There's a whole aspect to that game that golf just does not have. You don't really play golf defensively in quite the same way, leaving shots on the table in an effort to force your opponent into a bad position. There can be an unbelievable amount of strategy involved. Although I'm obviously not talking about $5 pitcher night at the local watering hole.

In golf, I've always found that's more about playing against myself. Sure your opponent can get in your head and vice versa, but again that's more a matter of mental strength as opposed to strategy. I'm always playing against myself, regardless of what the rest of my group is doing, knowing and pushing my own limits.

But, no, I don't play very often. And I won't ever play competitively. I'm not really a competitive kind of person. But that doesn't mean I can't have a philosophical grasp on a game, whether it's golf or football or tic-tac-toe.