Can golf be a sport if.......

[Poultice]

Embroidery and typing require dexterity.

 

[Lager Lout]

I would define a sport as something that needs a degree of physical dexterity to compete, and thus Golf, Snooker and Darts are all sports.

Games are played using only the mind, so Poker, Chess etc. are games.

So what about Ker-plunk? That needs a degree of physical dexterity.

LL

 

[Swanaldo]

Ker-Plunk! is plainly a sport. Not as much of a sport as Hungry Hippos though.

 

[LOG]

I would define a sport as something that needs a degree of physical dexterity to compete, and thus Golf, Snooker and Darts are all sports.

Games are played using only the mind, so Poker, Chess etc. are games.

In chess, do you use mental dexterity to move the pieces?

Snookerists will tell us about how the players are thinking X number of "moves" in front. Same happens in chess.

 

[Jason H]

By physical dexterity, I would expand and say the ability to perform a task that requires your physical ability to carry out the task at hand to be better than the physical ability of the opponent. Chess therefore doesn't come into this, as it is simply a case of moving your chess piece to the desired square. You don't score bonus points for moving your bishop 0.3 seconds quicker than the other guy.

Most sports have a large degree of mental focus and calculation required to perform, but without the physical ability to get the ball in the hole, or the dart in the double, you won't succeed.

 

[Antony Moxey]

Most sports have a large degree of mental focus and calculation required to perform, but without the physical ability to get the ball in the hole, or the dart in the double, you won't succeed.

What physical ability do you need to sink a 2ft putt that you don't need to move a chess piece or chuck a dart? All three are competitive passtimes whereby the winner is acclaimed by a definitive result, rather than a third party judgement (such as gymnastics, or ice dancing FFS, or synchro swimming FFFFFFS), so I'd suggest all three are sports. The others are games.

 

[elginCity]

..like the sport of Shove ha'penny.

 

[Jason H]

What physical ability do you need to sink a 2ft putt that you don't need to move a chess piece or chuck a dart? All three are competitive passtimes whereby the winner is acclaimed by a definitive result, rather than a third party judgement (such as gymnastics, or ice dancing FFS, or synchro swimming FFFFFFS), so I'd suggest all three are sports. The others are games.

How do you get to within 2 feet of the hole in the first place?

Wikipedia has a lovely definition of a sport, which fits my argument perfectly:

A sport is commonly defined as an organized, competitive, and skillful physical activity requiring commitment and fair play. It is governed by a set of rules or customs. In a sport the key factors are the physical capabilities and skills of the competitor when determining the outcome (winning or losing). The physical activity involves the movement of people, animals and/or a variety of objects such as balls and machines. In contrast, games such as card games and board games, though these could be called mind sports, require only mental skills. Non-competitive activities such as jogging and rock-climbing, are usually classified as recreations.

Gymnastics, Ice Dancing and Synchro Swimming are sports, however unpalatable. They shouldn't be in the Olympics as I disagree with having any "judged" events in the Games, though.

 

[BigBanker]

In chess, do you use mental dexterity to move the pieces?

Yoda would.

 

[Gussy]

Golf.....


.....ruins a good walk!