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Golf and its Growing Popularity
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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!


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: golf; sports
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To: Moonman62
I bet the public participaton is related to the economy. Private clubs (I'm a muni player) around here are giving away memberships yet they're still building courses like there's no tomorrow.
81 posted on 08/29/2003 12:02:33 PM PDT by Proud_texan
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To: Alberta's Child
He had 2 arms, but only one hand. His name was Jim Abbott.
82 posted on 08/29/2003 12:03:01 PM PDT by Phantom Lord (Distributor of Pain, Your Loss Becomes My Gain)
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To: PhilipFreneau
I took up golf about 3 years ago (retired) and some of the nicest people I have ever met have been on the course sharing a cart. I have a lot to learn and have made many mistakes and not one person ever had anything nasty or mean to say. If anything they went out of their way to be helpful. It is about the only thing I am not good at that I say I truely enjoy.
83 posted on 08/29/2003 12:03:53 PM PDT by engrpat
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To: Protagoras
I have actually played several variations with only two players and one with only three players.

We used to play a three player version that was OK, but the 2 handed euchre I know is not any fun.

SD

84 posted on 08/29/2003 12:03:55 PM PDT by SoothingDave
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To: Phantom Lord
400 yd drives? Kinda cool. Maybe you could have a contest with Tiger or Daley, they can't hit it that far.
85 posted on 08/29/2003 12:05:27 PM PDT by Protagoras (Putting government in charge of morality is like putting pedophiles in charge of children.)
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To: Alberta's Child
Virtually no property taxes would have been paid on it in comparrison as it was mostly actual farm land with a small, piece of crap 18 hole course the guy built.

Jim Goodnight, owner of SAS bought it, the surrounding land, and built 3 championship courses, thousands of homes and a dozen very large shopping centers. The total value of all the real estate is probably approaching, if not over, a billion dollars now.

86 posted on 08/29/2003 12:05:49 PM PDT by Phantom Lord (Distributor of Pain, Your Loss Becomes My Gain)
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To: Phantom Lord
I haven't noticed the "blue tee" problem with black fellows, but with 20- and 30-somethings who don't want anyone to think they're lacking in the testosterone department. These yahoos step purposefully and manfully up to the blue tee, take innumerable practice swings, waggle, waggle some more, finally take a cut - and watch the ball travel about 100 yards before hooking into the adjoining fairway. Never fails.
87 posted on 08/29/2003 12:06:31 PM PDT by mountaineer
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To: SoothingDave
but the 2 handed euchre I know is not any fun.

It was fun for me until I found out it was a sport if I played alone, then I didn't like it because I'm not into sports, just games. :^}

88 posted on 08/29/2003 12:08:51 PM PDT by Protagoras (Putting government in charge of morality is like putting pedophiles in charge of children.)
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To: Protagoras
I would like to qualify for that Tiger Trap thing Buick is doing and then tell Tiger instead of closest to the hole, we are going for the longest drive.

Daly seemed real long to the golfing world because the avg drive on the PGA Tour back in 1991 was a short drive of about 265 and he was bombing them 300 to 320, some times up to 340. No one else was doing it. No though, that is to be expected from most of the players, mostly due to technology changes in both the drivers and the balls.

89 posted on 08/29/2003 12:09:25 PM PDT by Phantom Lord (Distributor of Pain, Your Loss Becomes My Gain)
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To: Blood of Tyrants
Wow! That was a fast reply! Although I must admit that if some little puke tried to put me into the wall at 180 mph, then had the audacity to brag about it on his radio, I would be tempted to introduce him to Mr. Knuckles at the nearest oppurtunity. But, this thread is about golf, I just had to ask what you meant.
90 posted on 08/29/2003 12:09:39 PM PDT by zygoat
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To: Phantom Lord
Oh, now I remember.

Yeah, it sounds to me like baseball wouldn't exactly be a "sport," either. Especially when you consider how non-athletic many of those players are in the first place (especially pitchers).

91 posted on 08/29/2003 12:10:05 PM PDT by Alberta's Child
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To: Psycho_Bunny
I appreciate your condescension.

There are plenty of public golf courses that don't turn a profit and are propped up by the City that operates them.

92 posted on 08/29/2003 12:10:39 PM PDT by Grando Calrissian
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To: Alberta's Child
Especially when you consider how non-athletic many of those players are in the first place (especially pitchers).

Does David Wells come to mind? And he threw a perfect game!

93 posted on 08/29/2003 12:10:47 PM PDT by Phantom Lord (Distributor of Pain, Your Loss Becomes My Gain)
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To: Grando Calrissian
Of course there are. But there isnt a single stadium that runs a profit for the government. There are thousands of muni courses that make hundreds of thousands and millions for the government that operates them.
94 posted on 08/29/2003 12:11:38 PM PDT by Phantom Lord (Distributor of Pain, Your Loss Becomes My Gain)
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To: Phantom Lord
Let's not forget Mickey Lolich. That was one prodigious gut.
95 posted on 08/29/2003 12:12:42 PM PDT by mountaineer
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To: Phantom Lord
You are mixing apples and oranges here. You're telling me how much property tax revenue this land generates, but every time you post something about it there is another feature that shows up. First it was a golf course with a bunch of homes around it, then it had shopping centers added to it. Maybe there's 1.8 million square feet of office space, too.

I'm trying to get a grip on how much property tax revenue a private golf course generates. Maybe your example isn't a good one, because there may be one "owner" of all the property around the golf course. I'm talking specifically about a stand-alone golf course (Upper Montclair in New Jersey, for example -- where they have a Senior PGA Tour event every June) without any adjacent homes on the same property.

96 posted on 08/29/2003 12:16:55 PM PDT by Alberta's Child
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To: Phantom Lord
Wells may be a top-rate pitcher, but let's be blunt here -- the guy is a fat slob.
97 posted on 08/29/2003 12:17:42 PM PDT by Alberta's Child
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To: Phantom Lord
Daly seemed real long to the golfing world because the avg drive on the PGA Tour back in 1991 was a short drive of about 265 and he was bombing them 300 to 320, some times up to 340.

He was here in Pittsburgh earlier this summer, driving balls across the Mon river.

SD

98 posted on 08/29/2003 12:18:15 PM PDT by SoothingDave
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To: Alberta's Child
Stand alone private clubs with no homes on it are a rarity.
99 posted on 08/29/2003 12:20:22 PM PDT by Phantom Lord (Distributor of Pain, Your Loss Becomes My Gain)
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To: mountaineer
That was one prodigious gut.

Babe Ruth

100 posted on 08/29/2003 12:21:03 PM PDT by Protagoras (Putting government in charge of morality is like putting pedophiles in charge of children.)
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