Isn't all this true of tiddliwinks? Or Snap!

er, no. Not unless you are flipping a tiddlywink 300 yards down a treelined fairway with the wind coming from the right, while trying to avoid the bunkers on the left and protecting a one shot lead.

Typically in tidlywinks or snap cheating is encouraged. whereas in golf if the ball moves on you at address while its just you there to see it, its up to you to man up and take the penalty; the temptation to cheat, to nudge a ball onto a nicer lie, or turn a blind eye to something is always there. I will concede that losers at home with nothing better to do phoning in penalty shots that the player missed, after seeing something on telly on the slo-mo close up, is going a bit too far.

Let's see:

"the physical"

both golf and tiddliwinks require a degree of physical coordination. Both, when played outdoors, require compensation for the weather, wind in particular.

"the mental, dealing with the pressure"

That's something one brings upon oneself, the man behind me here was greatly pressured on the weekend trying to ensure that his lawn was vacummed to the standard of the neighbours.

"the fact its just you against the course with no where to hide"

tiddliwinks is also a game in which there are no teams, each player takes a turn under the scruntiny of opponents

"the moral aspect of self policing the rules is unique"

tiddliwinks does not usually involve an umpire.

And, tiddliwinks does not cause any direct harm to people who have not chosen to participate. Tiddliwinks does not entail any institutionalised discrimination. Tiddliwinks is not riddled with snobbery and no tiddliwink player drives a Caddy, still less a Cadillac station wagon.

I resent the last part of you sentence.

You have a right to consider golf the best game in the world. You don't have a right to declare that anyone who disagrees with your view is an idiot.

Sense of humour failure?


My opinion, is that anyone that fails to see golf as the finest game ever conceived, is an idiot. YMMV of course.

Is that better

Actually no.

Try a different thread then, this is the golf one.

Not only are you calling me an idiot but now you want to tell me what to do.

Sad.

Maybe A nice round of golf would make everything seem better?

No not going to happen.

My view of golf is almost identical to Novo's view of hockey (iced variety).

I never read the hockey threads, Ive no interest in it so I leave it to those that do (it seems the decent thing to do). I can imagine though.

I dont like the business of golf particularly, all the tarting up that goes on, the over preenig of the course when the game was invented upon the rough waste links land, the up selling of equipment that will do nothing to improve a player compared to last years gear, the endless lessons that just serve to confuse most players. The game itself though is another thing. There is no finer game IMO.

It's all fair comment.

And I have nothing against tiddliwinks and for a long time believed it had a place in the modern Olympics with other events such as curling and the modern pentathlon.

The thing with golf that fascinates and troubles me in equal measure is building the perfect swing.

Unlike IainK I unfortunately think about it to much. You need to develop a technique that enables you to consistantly strike the ball appropriately in any situation from fairway, rough to sand. As one develops the focus on individual parts often leads to neglect of other parts resulting in frustration and ill timed hitting of the ball. A good swing is when practice has made permanent and you can strike the ball well on any surface under any observation or pressure with out having to overthink the situation or occasion.

Then there is the short game which in some respects is a different set of rules altogethar.

It's interesting watching people implode on the golf course and having played both games I think for outsiders they really underestimate the concentration and poise required for a good round of golf that I think only some one who has played cricket would understand. the concentration required in golf is similar to playing a disciplined innings in cricket.

Where is the course where you can play for $30 a day Iain and how far is it from Downtown? Is it easy to get tee off times there?

I like golf. It's a great game. It's basically a 5 mile walk with some pals while whacking a ball with a stick. At it's simplest, what's not to like?

But... I don't like people who take golf seriously. I don't like the sort of people who join golf clubs. I really don't like the sort of people who run golf clubs. I don't like dress codes to play golf, though the way some people dress to play golf is highly amusing. I HATE golf carts with a passion. Golf carts should be banned. If you can't walk round a golf course, then you shouldn't be allowed near the place.

I don't like the artifical perfection of North American courses, I much prefer rugged links courses nature that it started out as.

I'm a rubbish golfer, probably around the 100 on a good day. I played at the weekend and was still on my first ball until the 16th hole which was a personal best for me.

A lot of people think golf is an elitist game. Some 'golf club people' certainly do, but I say f*** 'em. Golf is just a simple, simple game that takes practice to play well, and the more people who go and play golf while thumbing their noses up at the pastel-coloured-and-co-ordinated clowns, the better.

I agree with all of the above.

To be good at golf is an investment of time and a bit of money at a range and course. That is as serious as I get. I want to be competent at golf and I view it as reasonable hobbie to get me outdoors and away from the TV and pub.

I usually just whack on some long shorts and a polo shirt when I play. I have a cheap pair of golf shoes and was fortunate to sell into an online golf retailer in the UK so got a set of clubs on the cheap. A friend won an expensive driver at his golf club but was left handed so sold it to me again knock down.

I've done corporate golf days on invitation and I love them purely because I drink a bottle of beer a hole and crawl back into the club house. They are a great day out.

Its not downtown, its at the end of my road! Usually I just walk on... 2hrs if you drive like you stole it, depending on the traffic.