GolfStinks

A Golf Blog for the Rest of Us!

  • Home
  • About
  • Most Popular
  • Categories
    • Stinky Golfer Paradise
    • Golf Life
    • The Pro Tours
    • Reviews
    • The Economics of Golf
    • Golf Growth & Diversity
    • Health & Environment
    • Golf Destinations
  • Golf Terms
  • Newsletter

POLL: Is Golf a Sport?

January 27, 2017 | By Greg D'Andrea | 11 Comments

Can something so picturesque really be a sport? (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

The dictionary defines “sport” as: “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” The dictionary defines “golf” as: “a game played on a large open-air course, in which…”

Notice I stopped in the middle of golf’s definition. Some will tell you there’s no need to read any further – that my question (is golf a sport) has been answered. Right there, after the indefinite article “a” is my answer – it’s the word “game” and that, they will tell me, is what golf is.

Well, I beg to differ.

You see to many, golf couldn’t possibly be a sport…Where’s the physical contact? Where’s the offense and defense? And, perhaps the most commonly cited reason why golf is not a sport: You can be out of shape yet still play it. There you have it – apparently to play a sport, you must be physically fit.

Again, I beg to differ.

Let’s examine the definition of “sport” a bit further. The dictionary uses the phrase “an activity” to describe it. To be sure, golf is also an activity, isn’t it? And it does involve a fair degree of “physical exertion and skill” does it not (see The Truth About Walking The Golf Course)? And would I be incorrect to suggest you play golf as an “individual or team” and you compete “against another or others for entertainment”???

Hmmm, that sounds exactly like what golf is to me. It doesn’t say anything about having to be in shape. And it says nothing about bashing each others brains in, let alone an offense and defense.

This all being said, could it be that society has come to think of sports as all physical exertion and very little skill? As if machismo is the only requirement – that the physical exertion part has to include some sort of impact with another player. Perhaps this is why so many are quick to exclude golf from the “sport” bucket? Golf to these folks is far too benign to be a sport.

But in my opinion, golf transcends the term “sport” and the term “game” – it meets all the defined criteria of a sport, yet includes no physical contact with other players (actually, it’s quite the opposite: It encourages camaraderie with your fellow competitors)! It requires minimal physical fitness, yet can be extremely good exercise. And it’s competitive as hell (ask any golfer), yet can be enjoyed solo.

But, perhaps I’m putting too much thought into this. What do you think?

Is Golf a Sport?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Filed Under: Health & Environment Tagged With: health, sports

Book Review: I Married A Nutritionist; Things I’ve Learned That Every Golfer Should Know

May 14, 2014 | By Greg D'Andrea | Leave a Comment

IMarriedANutritionistWhen the co-author of this book emailed me to write a review, I jumped at the chance – not just because the book’s topic was interesting and rather refreshing (proper nutrition geared towards the average golfer) but also because I had my own story to tell.

Up until fairly recently, I was like many other American males when it came to health: Overweight (by 30+ pounds); out of shape (which affected me both on and off the course); and too ignorant about proper nutrition to do anything about it.

I didn’t have the benefit of reading “I Married A Nutritionist” – if I had, I may have gotten healthier a long time ago. Instead, I ended up reading several books (not diet books, rather books on the food industry and how human beings should really be eating) over the course of several years, which led to me ultimately changing the way I eat and live.

What took me years to wrap my head around and apply to my daily life has been put inside a nutshell in Steve and Karen Roth’s book, “I Married A Nutritionist; Things I’ve Learned That Every Golfer Should Know.” Mr. Roth, a writer and golfer and Mrs. Roth, a certified nutritionist with a masters degree in holistic nutrition, tag teamed to write this book in a conversational style that the average person can truly comprehend (and trust me, understanding which foods are good for you and which foods are not can be very complicated).

This book literally teaches you how a person should eat – especially how to navigate in today’s world of processed foods; artificial flavors and colors; and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). From why eating grass fed beef is healthier to why buying “real” food should matter to everyone, “I Married A Nutritionist” is like having a chat with your own personal nutritionist (which was obviously the intention of the book).

But Mr. and Mrs. Roth don’t stop at what foods you should eat and why – they also provide recipes and meal prep tips along with advice to rid toxins from your life (both from the food we eat and the non-food products we use everyday).

The book’s subtitle (Things I’ve Learned That Every Golfer Should Know) is a little misleading because it’s really for everybody – not just golfers (it should be noted this is the “golfer’s edition” of the book, which was originally marketed as “Things I’ve Learned That Every Guy Should Know”). But in this edition, the Roths’ do try and highlight how their topic relates to golfers – especially in an early section of the book that covers what you should eat before, during and after your round.

The book is also unique in how it’s written – each chapter is literally a conversation between husband and wife – she the educated specialist and he the comedic golfer who uses clubhouse humor to put things in layman’s terms. Their back and forth banter might get a little corny but there were multiple times I laughed out loud – especially the part about preparing a whole chicken to cook in a crock pot.

But let’s get back to my personal story for a moment: As I mentioned above, I have read several books on the current food industry in this country and what human beings should be eating to live healthy. I don’t subscribe to any particular “diet” but I have learned good practices. Those practices allowed me to lose 40 pounds over the past two years. Later this year, I turn 40 and I can honestly say I’m in the best shape of my life (starting to sound like a late-night infomercial now, huh)?

My point in telling you this is that all the stuff I learned (and then some) is covered in “I Married A Nutritionist.” Being healthy doesn’t have to be hard – all you need is a willingness to change your eating habits and a guide on how to do it – the latter of which is this book.

“I Married A Nutritionist” is the perfect book to get you on a path to changing how you eat for the better. Eventually you might want to do some deeper dives on the subject, but this book will certainly get you started. And if you’re a golfer, you will definitely appreciate a few of the references within its pages.

If you have a willingness to change the way you eat so you can be healthier, then head on over to our Facebook page where you could win a copy of the book. Simply find and “like” the post on our wall for “I Married A Nutritionist” and that’s it – we’ll choose one winner next week!

If you don’t end up winning, you can always purchase a copy of “I Married A Nutritionist” HERE. It’s a great way for you or that golfer in your life to finally eat healthy and stay healthy!

Filed Under: Health & Environment, Reviews Tagged With: book review, food, golf book, health, i married a nutritionist

Back Pain and Golf

August 7, 2013 | By Greg D'Andrea | 2 Comments

back pain golfIt was the end of my senior year in high school. I was 17 years old and had never felt any back discomfort in my life whatsoever. But after golfing everyday for most of April, May and June for my high school golf team, along with practicing my chips and putts for many additional hours on top of that, something finally gave way.

I woke up one morning and literally couldn’t get out of bed. My lower back, right hip and a bit down my right leg were stiff and painful. I finally was able work myself into a sitting position and remember barely being able to walk to the car for my doctor’s appointment. One I reached the car, it was nearly impossible for me to sit inside!

According to the doc, it was my sciatic nerve acting up. He prescribed an anti-inflammatory and plenty of rest. Two weeks later, I felt back to 100 percent, but I wasn’t going to let that happen again. I began a stretching routine before each round, which I continue to this very day.

Fortunately, the issue has never cropped up again. Of course, I don’t play as much as back then, but that doesn’t mean I won’t ever run into problems. Now pushing 40, I realize I’m more susceptible to aches and pains – as well as easily aggravating old sore spots.

According to recent statistics, more than half of all male golfers (and nearly half of all female golfers) suffer some sort of lower back pain. If you play a second sport besides golf (like softball or even bowling), your chances for back pain increase by an additional 40 percent! And the risk goes up the older you get – especially for those over 50.

Want more bad news? Most recreational golfers (like many of us), work full time jobs where we sit at a desk for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. This puts us even more at risk for back problems! So what can we do to help avoid these lower back flare-ups (besides popping multiple doses of ibuprofen or acetaminophen or both)?

Well, according to this article from sportsmed.org, warming up before the round can lower your risk by more than half! Their study found that lower handicap golfers were also twice as likely to warm up for 10 minutes or more before each round (I warm up for probably 2-3 minutes)!

In addition to warming up before your round, it is strongly recommended you incorporate some sort of exercise program into your general life – especially one that helps strengthen your core, since a strong core can help stabilize you during a golf swing.

A few years ago, GolfDigest published this article specifically targeting exercise programs for golfers – and strengthening your core muscles was very important. According to the author, utilizing his golf exercise program three times per week will not only help rid you of pain, but also help improve your golf swing!

How about a massage? Did you know there were massages geared specifically for golfers? Not only that, the massage therapist actually massages you with…wait for it…golf balls! These types of massages, like the ones from SPABallMassage.com, make the following claims:

“Remarkably therapeutic, deeply relaxing, and essential to help golfers stay flexible and injury free. It combines smooth compression strokes with the therapist’s hands and forearms, deep trigger point and cross-fiber work with the SPAball Kaddy™ and golf ball, as well as performing essential stretches that every golfer needs to stay in top form.”

Now, I’ve never received one of these types of massages, but I’m definitely willing to give it a try! The bottom line is back pain is a reality for half of the golfers out there – and we weekend hacks are at even higher risk. At the very least, stretching before the round can help. But working in some sort of exercise – especially one that targets your core – can not only help you be pain free, but also can help your game to boot.

As always, check with your doctor before implementing any stretching or exercise routine. But in the end, staying healthy can allow you to play this game well past retirement age – I know that’s my goal!

Filed Under: Health & Environment Tagged With: back pain, exercise, golf, golf digest, Golf Health, health, lower back pain, massage, sciatica, spaballmassage, stretching, swing

Golf Course Allergies

April 26, 2013 | By Pete Girotto | Leave a Comment

golf allergiesIt’s inevitable. For the past few years it seems I couldn’t wait for the warmer weather and golf season. When it finally came, so did the allergies. I don’t ever remember having allergies like this. I know, I know…the human body goes through changes every X amount of years blah blah blah. But I think that’s a bunch of hooey. I’ve yet to see supported documentation from a reputable medical source on that.

Yet, I have allergies now and didn’t before, hmmmm. Rather odd if you ask me. Regardless of why, it’s time to do something about it. I want to golf symptom free. No feeling crappy, or watery-eyes and sinus head aches. What to do, what to do? Well, I’ve  looked into precautions and remedies and came across some interesting and weird stuff.

There’s the no-brainer stuff like using otc allergy meds or getting a script from the doctor for something stronger. According to data from aafa.org (Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America),  you might want to avoid the mid day tee times when the pollen count is highest. Also, playing on true links style courses with very few (if any) trees but unfortunately, this is the U.S. and  true links style courses are the minority.

Obviously, we can take the prescriptions and otc drugs but some people prefer more natural relief. They rather do it with the least amount of chemical intervention as possible. Stuff like, eating local honey, cool mist humidifiers and saline nasal rinses seem to be common natural methods of keeping allergies to a minimum.

Whatever path you may choose, the goal here is to hit the local track and enjoy your round symptom free. What are you doing still reading this? Get out there already!

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

Filed Under: Health & Environment Tagged With: aafa.org, allergies, health, otc drugs

An Indirect Golf New Year’s Resolution

January 2, 2013 | By Chris Chirico | 4 Comments

Is it time to make some indirect changes to your golf game?

For the past two years I’ve gone against my better judgement and made some golf related New Year’s resolutions.  I say against my better judgement because I already knew there was no way I was going to follow through.  I never do.

But each time, my resolution was fairly simple and very attainable.  All I resolved to do was play golf more often…that’s it!  But each time, it simply didn’t work out.  As usual, things just get in the way.  So this time I’ve decided that I’m going to try something not really golf related.  But at the same time, it somewhat is.  I’m going to resolve to take better care of myself.

See, especially over the past several months, I’ve noticed some changes in my physical condition, and not for the better.  It became pretty noticeable during and toward the end of the golf season.  I noticed toward the end of the round I was more tired than I would normally be.  And it wasn’t just golf – it was in other routine activities as well.  I just felt a little more worn out than previously.  Like it was becoming more of a struggle toward the end.

So now maybe it’s time to go back on some things I once said I would never use as a New Year’s resolution.  I probably still won’t join a gym.  But I am going to have to seriously start working on my weight and obviously watching what I eat.  And that hurts because I love to eat!

But, besides the obvious health benefits, I think getting myself into better physical condition will also benefit my golf game.  Again, I’m not so concerned about my final score although I’d like to do better.  I’m more concerned with feeling better at the end of my round and not dragging my ass from holes fourteen on.  And if I feel better once I hit the 19th hole, I’ll care even less about the three-digit score at the bottom of my card.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Filed Under: Health & Environment Tagged With: diet, health, new year, New Year's resolution

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Awards

Badges Badges Badges Best Mens Blogs Badges

Advertisements

GPI


 


Archives – Read all 1,000+ GolfStinks Posts!

Blogroll

  • Aussie Golfer
  • Black Girls Golf
  • Devil Ball Golf
  • Front9Back9 Golf Blog
  • Geoff Shackelford
  • Golf Blogger
  • Golf For Beginners
  • Golf Gear Geeks
  • Golf Girl's Diary
  • Golf News Net (GNN)
  • Golf Refugees
  • Golf State of Mind
  • Golfgal
  • My Daily Slice of Golf
  • Pillars of Golf
  • Ruthless Golf
  • The Breakfast Ball
  • The Grateful Golfer
  • UniqueGolfGears.com

Questions / Advertise

info@golfstinks.com

Disclaimers

See here

Privacy Policy

See here

Copyright © 2009-2024 GolfStinks.com - All rights reserved.