Is golf a sport or an activity? Let’s take a stab at it. In the beginning, for the shepherds whacking rocks around the Scottish moors, golf was definitely an activity, serving to alleviate the boredom of watching sheep and probably a good way to stay warm. Today, there is no argument that golf is a sport. At its highest levels golf is played by athletes who train constantly and are in tip top shape. Golf requires flexibility, hand eye coordination, balance, and strength.  Even at its lowest levels, where most of us dwell, golf is a sport. We work out, we watch videos, we practice, we keep score, and we dream, we dream of shots arcing in the sky, landing like feathers next to the pin. You don’t dream about an activity. It’s not like wow I dreamed about that bike ride we took. Golf is a sport. 

So, what kind of golfer are you?  Are you a walker or rider? Wait a minute, we just established that golf is a sport and now I am asking you, do you walk or ride?  I can’t think of a sport where you ride except for maybe NASCAR. It’s hard to imagine Lebron James using a scooter to go up and down the court or Mookie Betts chasing down a fly ball on an ebike. Only golf has the option to ride a device between turns to play. As a result, the experience of the walker and the rider are distinct.  Let’s look at the differences between the two. 

 Golf courses are beautiful places, and the walker gets that experience. He relishes the outdoors. Whatever the conditions he has the gear, sun hat, sunscreen, bug spray, rain suit, band aids you name it. He walks the course, carefully noting his surroundings paying attention to the elements the sun, the wind, and the topography. On his way to his ball, he has the time to think. When he arrives at his ball, he knows exactly the shot he wants to play. He pulls the trigger with the confidence that he has considered everything. After the shot, hit or miss, he repeats the process until he successfully holes out. Sound like fun? Believe me it is. 

  The rider is in a cart. Set before him he has a smorgasbord of snacks including the obligatory bag of potato chips that afford the chance to disrupt twice, when you open them and when you eat them. In the cup holder is his beverage, refills are in the cooler in the basket. Plugged into the dash is the phone programed to play the tunes which emit from a speaker mounted from the roof. I play with a friend who plays Bob Dylan on a loop. I’m pretty sure Dylan didn’t have golf in mind when he wrote “Like a Rolling Stone” but maybe he was channeling the shepherds. The cart, think couch, exists to ferry the player to his ball with breakneck speed. Arriving at the ball the shot is taken with only a modicum of concentration and then it’s time to get back to eating, drinking, and dancing. Now I’ve exposed my bias, but am I wrong? 

  For all of us in the second division I know there are some who must use a cart for health reasons and if that allows you to play the game you love then that’s a good thing. For the rest of us golf is meant to be walked. So, get off the couch and give it a try. You might like it and it’s good for you. The average golfer walks five miles in a single round. That’s ten thousand steps which means that the beer at the end of your round is on the house (diet wise). 

  As for the age-old question is golf a sport or an activity? I believe golfers who walk are playing a sport and golfers who ride are having an activity.