;)
Posted on 08/29/2003 10:42:38 AM PDT by robjna
The following is forwarded not to offend tennis, basketball, football or soccer fans. It is, rather, an attempt to put everything in its proper perspective.
Ever wonder why golf is growing in popularity and people who don't even play, go to tournaments or watch it on TV?
These truisms may shed some light.
Golf is an honorable game, with the overwhelming majority of players being honorable people who don't need referees.
Golfers don't have some of their players in jail every week.
Golfers don't scratch their privates on the golf course.
Golfers don't kick dirt on, or throw bottles at, other people.
Professional golfers are compensated in direct proportion to how well they play.
Golfers don't get per diem and two seats on a charter flight when they travel between tournaments.
Golfers don't hold out for more money, or demand new contracts, because of another player's deal.
Professional golfers don't demand that the taxpayers pay for the courses on which they play.
When golfers make a mistake, nobody is there to cover for them or back them up.
The PGA Tour raises more money for charity in one year than the National Football League does in two.
You can watch the best golfers in the world up close, at any tournament, including the majors, all day, every day for $25 or $30.
The cost for a seat in the nosebleed section at the Super Bowl will cost around $300 U.S. or more.
You can bring a picnic lunch to the tournament golf course, watch the best in the world and not spend a small fortune on food and drink. Try that at one of the taxpayer funded baseball or football stadiums. I brought a Coke into Oriole Park at Camden Yard last year, and an usher came to my seat and told me I had to dispose of it, or I would not be allowed to stay in the stadium.
In golf you cannot fail 70% of the time and make $9 million a season, like the best baseball hitters(.300 batting average) do.
Golf doesn't change its rules to attract Fans.
Golfers have to adapt to an entirely new playing area each week.
Golfers keep their clothes on while they are being interviewed.
Golf doesn't have free agency.
In their prime, Greg Norman, Arnold Palmer and other stars, would shake your hand and say they were happy to meet you. In his prime, Jose Canseco wore T-shirts that read 'Leave Me Alone'.
You can hear birds chirping on the golf course during a tournament.
Ladies are welcome players.
At a golf tournament, (unlike at taxpayer-funded sports stadiums and arenas) you won't hear a steady stream of four letter words and nasty name calling while you're hoping that no one spills beer on you.
Tiger Woods can hit a golf ball almost three times as far as Barry Bonds can hit a baseball.
Golf Courses don't ruin the neighborhood.
Finally, here's a slice of golf history I thought
Why do full-length golf courses have 18 holes, and not 20, or 10 or an even dozen?
During a discussion among the club's membership board at the venerable St. Andrews in 1858, one of the members pointed out that it takes exactly 18 shots to polish off a fifth of Scotch. By limiting himself to only one shot of Scotch per hole, the Scot figured a round of golf was finished when the Scotch ran out.
Now you know!
Actually, private golf clubs are often among the most heavily-subsidized professional "sports" venues around. Find your nearest private country club and do some research at the local municipal building on their property tax records. Many of these places pay property taxes that are comparable to farms or other agricultural land uses. I also seem to remember a story in the last few years about country clubs that get special tax exemptions as "natural preservation areas," too.
That's fine with me. The influence of Tiger Woods has been this: more inexperienced people - who haven't bothered to learn the rules - attempting to play golf. I'll be happy if they stay home to watch a tournament on TV, as long as they're not on the hole ahead of me at my course.
So I become an athelete when I play euchre with 3 other people? :^}
There was a guy named Pete Gray who played years ago. There was also a kid named Joe Nuxhall who pitched for the Reds when he was 15 years old. I believe both of these were an anomaly related to the shortage of big-league talent during World War II when a lot of players were serving in the armed forces.
;)
Actually, no...it derives from a Scots word, gouf, meaning a strike or a blow. The "l", as in walk, talk, could, should, calm, and, decreasingly, Palmer once was silent.
As a rule, acronymns-as-etymologies (the most popular being POSH, WOP, TIP, COP, and if you'll excuse me, F*CK), at least as far as words older than the twentieth century are concerned, are bunk. "Gentleman Only Ladies Forbidden" is, I'll admit, a new one on me.
Is there any other way to play euchre?
SD
MMM, yummy sake (that's sah-kee).
I would estimate about 0.2 at best.
The great thing about golf is that you can play at a lot of the courses they hold tournaments at. You or I could play a round at St. Andrews or Pebble Beach but we'd never be able to play basketball at Madison Square Garden.
The Kingdome was over 10 Million in the hole when it was blown-up. It was subsidized because it couldn't cover it's debts.
The Seattle Muni's, on the other hand, are not subsidized - they've covered their debts and are now turning a profit.
Actually there is. I have actually played several variations with only two players and one with only three players.
I want all the golfers on this thread to tell me if they notice the same thing. If there is a foresome of black golfers they will ALWAYS play from the blue tees no matter how shitty their play. They can shoot 120 with 10 mulligans, but damnit, they think they are Tiger Woods and are going to play from the blue tees.
I am not implying any racism or bigotry in any way, shape, or form. Just pointing out my experience on the course the past 5 or 6 years.
I also had a fun time with a group as described above last year. It was four black guys, who couldnt play to save their lives in the foresome in front of me. On a Par 4 of about 400 yards I bombed one trying to drive the green. The rest of my group was back around the 150 yard marker and I drove up to the green and started walking toward it. They all looked at me and asked what I was doing. I said "Looking for my ball." Some guy in the group with a real bad attitude looked at me and said "There is no way your ball is anywhere up here! You can't hit a ball that far!" And in a real pissed off tone. I said to him "Why don't you go look in that bunker and tell me if you find a PRO V1 with two black dots on it." He found it and proceeded to putt out and go to his cart cursing up a storm to himself. I yelled over to him "Hey, buddy. Wanna have a long drive contest for some cash?!" He drove off and was really pissed.
Another time a few years ago at the turn the group infront of us went into the proshop and complained I was hitting in to them. The pro came out and talked to me. I proceeded to tell him, yes, I was hitting in to them. But they were on the greens and I was on the tee. If you want me to wait until they clear the green on all the par 4s before I tee off and make everyone behind us wait then I will do so. The pro responded, "well, they didn't tell me about that detail."
I couldn't play basketball in my driveway.
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