Spring is a very mixed season. I love the warmer weather and layering down, but I hate the spike in allergies in line with the season. However, I can deal with allergies as long as it means I can play my favorite sport, golf.
I will never understand the strong distaste for golf. It should be regarded as one of the top sports the world has the privilege to play. It encapsulates the main reasons people love the warmer weather. Golf allows one to be outside for numerous hours, spend quality time with friends and requires minimal physical exertion to play. Plus, the craziest annual weekend in sports happens at a golf tournament.
One issue people have with golf is the amount of time it takes to become a great player. I can attest golf is a difficult sport, and I still struggle every time I play, but the reward for being a great golf player outweighs the work put in tenfold.
Golf has the delight of not requiring much physical activity. ESPN ranked 60 sports based on skills such as speed, endurance and flexibility. Due to golf being a sport where you can ride a cart the entire time, which leads to few injuries, it’s ranked 51 on the list. Ever wonder why so many retirement communities have golf courses? It’s because golf is one of the few sports you can play well into your 80s.
Former PGA Champion John Daly is very much past his prime at 57. One of Daly’s rounds is iconic within the golf community. In an 18-hole round in 2008, Daly smoked 21 cigarettes, drank 12 diet cokes, ate six bags of M&M’s and consumed zero ounces of water. This round also occurred on a nearly 100 degree mid-August day.
Other gripes people have with golf are the game being too boring or it's too hard. While those are valid arguments, it is clear some have never witnessed the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
If someone is looking for a sporting event on par with a frat party, this is the tournament. People who attended the tournament this year got so rowdy, alcohol sales were suspended. Words cannot describe the pure insanity behind this event. Streakers, beer snakes and unending chaos at the Phoenix Open makes an outstanding case for the craziest sporting event of the year.
While the Phoenix Open is an outlier when it comes to the experience one sees at a golf tournament, it shows those who claim golf is boring are mistaken.
Americans are playing golf more than ever before. According to the PGA, more than 41.1 million Americans play golf, up from 32 million in 2016. This is due to multiple factors surrounding the ways people can play and intake golf. Venues such as Topgolf have skyrocketed the popularity of the sport among younger generations.
Finally, golf is an amazing vehicle for fundraising. In 2022, the total amount of money raised for charitable causes was approximately $4.6 billion, a 16% increase compared to the $3.9 billion raised in 2016.
The next time you hear someone dragging golf through the mud like an uneducated person, remember the absolute insanity of John Daly and the Phoenix Open, the relaxation of the sport and the good that derives from fundraisers.
Golf will always hold a special place in my heart. I’m a very busy person whose schedule puts me in many different places throughout the week. However, if there’s one place I’ll be regularly, it’ll be the golf course.
Quinn Elfers is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to share your thoughts about the column? Let Quinn know by emailing him at me989022@ohio.edu.
