Golf is an activity that is enjoyed across the globe by millions of amateur golfers, and one where thousands of professional golfers make millions in international competitions. Golf has steadily grown in popularity over the last couple of years, to the point where it will return to the Summer Olympics in 2016. As golf rose in popularity across the world, critics began to question the status of golf in the sporting world. Golf is generally referred to as a sport, yet critics question whether golf technically fulfills the requirements of a sport. This debate is tremendously significant because if golf fails to meet the standards of a sport, then golfers aren't really athletes, just people who are skilled in the area of golf. A solution to this debate will decide whether Tiger Woods, arguably the greatest golfer to ever live, is to be placed in the same category as all time sporting greats such as Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth. Golf is indeed a sport and needs to be recognized as one because of its difficulty and required physical activity. Golf is not only a sport, but one of the most difficult and complex sports in all of existence.  

Golf is a sport because a serious amount of energy is exerted during the play of one round of golf. A usual round of golf (18 holes), can be played in either a golf cart or walking, with walking being the more physically demanding of the two. When walking a full round of golf, "1440 calories are burned" over the course of the 18 holes (Brown). This amount of energy burned is significantly more than other activities such as fishing, billiards or bowling that critics often compare golf to. On average, to burn 1500 calories while running a person would have to maintain a 7.5mph pace for almost two hours. Golf requires a lot more energy than most people give it credit for, especially while carrying a golf bag that weights between 15-25 pounds. Including warming up, practice swings and actual swings, a golfer can expect to swing a club more than 300 times in a round of golf. This golf swing, "uses almost every single muscle group in the body and the stroke uses quite a bit of energy expenditure" (Brown). A golf swing is a very unique motion compared to those used in other sports, making golf truly a full body workout. Extensive research has been done on the golf swing, including the factors that go into producing the most efficient swing. In order to perform a proper swing, "a combination of mobility, stability, strength, and cardiovascular endurance" is required (Evans). Of course, a golf swing can be performed without these traits, but in order to compete at the highest level of competition, one must be proficient in all areas. At the PGA Tour level, the velocity and power these athletes are able to generate in their swing is truly incredible. Rory McIlroy is a golfer who has clearly looked up to Tiger Woods in the way he prepares his body for a round of golf. Both men are essentially gym rats, and their performance on the course shows this. During the 2014 golf season, Rory McIlroy maintained an "average swing speed of 119.69 MPH" (Myers). This is an absolutely incredible statistic seeing that McIlroy only stands 5'9" tall. Due to his incredible athletic ability, McIlroy is able to produce one of the most powerful swings on the planet and dominate the PGA Tour. Given the amount of energy exerted in a round of golf and the athleticism required in order to perform a successful golf swing, there is no reason why golf should be excluded from the category of a sport. 

Golf is certainly a sport because competitors who lack athleticism and are not physically fit perform significantly worse than those with this quality. A major claim critics use to attack golf is the existence of overweight golfers on the professional golf association (PGA) tour; yet fail to acknowledge the disadvantage these men play at. In recent years, the breed of golfers who have overtaken the sport all have one thing in common, being their incredible levels of physical fitness. Golfers are motivated to maintain peak physical condition because of the significant relationship between fatigue and, "with changes in club head velocity and shot consistency" (Higdon). This essentially means that as golfers become more physically fatigued or tired, the consistency of their shots and accuracy are diminished. The more tired a golfer is, the worse he is going to perform on the golf course. This relationship motivates golfers who want to compete at the highest level to maintain peak physical fitness in order to limit fatigue. If a golfer can limit the level of fatigue on the course, it is inevitable that their scores and performance on the course will be taken to new levels. This experiment conducted by Nicholas Higdon also highlights the relationship between club head velocity and fatigue. As a golfer becomes more and more fatigued, their ability to hit the ball as far as possible also diminishes. This is extremely significant because in order to have success on the course golfers have to know exactly how far they will hit each given shot. When fatigue sets in and a golfer fails to hit their shots a consistent distance, they will fail to score as efficiently as possible. Boris Becker, former Wimbledon champion and superstar tennis player had his doubts about golf before he started seriously playing the sport. Previously he didn't agree that golf was considered a sport, but the more he plays golf the more he is an advocate for golf's place in the sporting world. In an interview he revealed, "It's why Tiger is so much better than everyone: He's the best athlete" (McCleery). Tiger Wood's superior athleticism on the course sets him apart from other competitors, and his success on the course is proof of this. A popular critique of golf is that golfers are not motivated to maintain physical fitness, but this along with many other experiments prove that the most physically fit competitors have the best chance of success on the course. 

Golf is a sport that has not been featured in the Olympic games since 1904 and one that will make its very anticipated comeback in the summer of 2016. This is a huge opportunity for the sport of golf to gain worldwide exposure and for the world-class athletes who compete in golf to be recognized for their accomplishments. In a video discussing the transition of golf back into the Olympics, one analyst proposes that golf was brought back into the Olympics because its competitors have transformed into more athletic people (sportzedge.com). These new waves of golfers are essentially gym rats, people who spend time and devote themselves not only to golf but to maintaining an elite level of fitness. This transition could have caught the eye of Olympic coordinators, and sparked the decision to bring golf back to the Olympics. Regardless of the reasoning for golf returning to the Olympics, it is still a landmark moment for the sport and all of its competitors and fans. Golf deserves to be in the Olympics even more so than sports already existing in the competition field. Golf is more of a sport than curling, table tennis, archery and equestrian, none of which require close to the athleticism and precision that golf demands. Golf has been a sport that has only gained popularity since 1904, leading many to question why it was ever removed from the Olympic games. 

Golf is a sport that is tremendously popular across the entire globe, and with the popularity also comes a full spectrum of critics who refuse to recognize golf as a sport. An overwhelming and particularly popular critique from those who oppose golf is to attack the overweight golfers who compete on the PGA tour. These golfers are overweight and in the eyes on critics, fail to represent an athlete or someone who can compete at the highest level in sports. These critics acknowledge baseball, basketball and football as the most dominant sports in the world, while these sports have their fair share of people who don't appear to embody an athlete. In baseball, New York Yankee's superstar pitcher C.C. Sabathia weighed over 330lbs while competing in major league baseball. Sabathia has maintained, "an obese body mass index (BMI) of 34" for the majority of his career as a baseball player (Bishara). Not only has Sabathia been competitive at the professional level, but has been dominant and earned the 2007 American League Cy Young award (awarded to the best pitcher in baseball). If baseball is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world, or at least in the eyes of sporting critics, how can a man in this condition compete at the highest level? Overweight athletes exist in all sports, including football. Granted, in some positions, such as lineman in the NFL, being very heavy and powerful is a necessary trait. For the position of quarterback, being heavy is not required but is only a disadvantage. Jared Lorenzen was a quarterback who had several record setting seasons in college at Kentucky, and carried his success into multiple years in the National Football League. During his time on the field, Lorenzen maintained a steady weight of 320lbs. This weight is ridiculous for a quarterback, and is about 100lbs over the average weight of other quarterbacks in the NFL. Critics love to call out overweight golfers, yet when put under the microscope; all sports have exceptions and competitors who don't appear to be athletes.  

Critics of golf love to point out the lack of tempo and pace of golf, and to also attempt to prove their opinions with a popular experiment conducted by ESPN. In this experiment, "ESPN ranked 60 activities by their athletic rigor using factors such as endurance, agility and strength, golf finished in 51st place" (Harmer). Golf is at a awfully significant disadvantage in this experiment, because the data was acquired during one hour of play. This is exceptionally unfair to compare different sports that operate on completely different time schedules. Golf is a sport in which a round takes about four hours, while a game like basketball can be played multiple times in an hour. While this experiment is accurate, when used to compare golf to other sports it is not the best representation of the sport. Yet another critique of golf is the apparent lack of potential for injury in the sport. In other popular sports, contact and physicality is inevitable, but this is not the case for golf. These critics fail to recognize the extreme potential for injury that golf presents, which are really not too difficult to discover. Strictly looking at the career of Tiger Woods, he has had to overcome over seven surgeries throughout his career. Especially in young golfers, the weight of golf bags has led to back injuries. In an experiment conducted in 2007, a large proportion of participants exhibited "symptoms of discomfort to the shoulder and lumbo-sacral spine" (Leigh). Although there is a large amount of competitors who experience injury in golf, it is an inevitable outcome that goes along with playing any sport. Golf maintains all of the same characteristics as other activities that are considered sports, including both injuries and the exertion of energy during competition. 

Another popular critique of golf is the success that older players can have in competition, even on the PGA tour. This claim is valid, as many golfers have seemed to get better with age. Tom Watson, at the age of 59, won one of the most highly coveted tournaments in the world, the British Open. While critics see this ability for people of all ages to compete as a negative characteristic of golf, it should be celebrated. Golf is truly unique compared to other sports, where most athletes can't expect to compete after the age of 40. Golf is a sport where a grandson can go out and compete with his father and grandfather, all on an equal playing field. This cannot be said for other sports such as football, baseball and basketball, where the physical strain of the sport is too severe. Golf offers a great way for older people to stay fit and healthy, as "a 40 to 60 year old male could play nine holes for five days a week and meet the surgeon general's standards for physical activity" (Kras). This goal of 45 holes of golf a week is easily possible for older and possibly retired people, and a fantastic way to stay healthy. Golf is so versatile because people of all ages can compete and play the sport for life. What golf lacks in physicality it makes up for in the mental department. Former NHL star and now scratch golfer Brett Hull acknowledges this, claiming, "the mental preparation and toughness in golf blows away what it takes in any sport" (McCleery). The mental strain of the sport is not taken into account during any of experiments on the physicality of sports, but it can be just as taxing and fatiguing as any physical activity. A professional golfer has to devote their attention to 18 holes, and if they lose focus they cannot expect to perform well. There are no timeouts in golf, not halftimes, and on a bad day a golfer can't sit ton the bench and rely on their teammates. Golf is not only a sport, but arguably one of the hardest sports in the entire world. 

Every year, tens of millions of people across the entire globe will enjoy playing a round of golf. While playing this sport, they will promote living a healthy lifestyle, they will compete in activity that is recognized on the Olympic level, and they will push to improve their performance in one of the most difficult sports in the world. If one is to question golf's place in the sporting world, it is only fair to put every single other major sport in the world under the same microscope. The case for baseball not being considered a sport can be made just as easily as the case against golf. If golf isn't a sport, then what truly is a sport? If one can improve their health and compete against another person; they are engaging in a sport. There is irrefutable evidence that has been compiled over the last century that golf is sport, leaving no reason for critics to question golf's place in the sporting world. Every claim against golf is solely rooted in opinion, coming from those who either don't play golf or have something against the sport. This is inevitable not only in the sporting world but for every debatable topic in the world. Once the proper research and evidence is compiled, one is left with not other decision but to confirm golf's status as a sport. 

