Road Cycling - Golf vs Cycling... trying to win a debate

Don't know of very many sissies and old-men married to this either:

http://www.saviodsilva.org/mod/3/elin/5.jpghttp://www.saviodsilva.net/01/158/elin/3.jpg
http://www.cafe.se/cc-cafekvinnor/kvinnor_vi_alskar/00_06_elin_nordegren/elin_nordegren_1_468.jpghttp://thesandtrap.com/archives/imgs/tapins/elin_nordegren.jpg
Danno...that's worth a second or maybe even third look...you always come through brother :D
My friends and I follow Tiger at the Buick every summer when he comes to town and many times his then g/f and now wife is in tow and she is as fine as Tiger is talented.
Tiger flatly beats Lance in the hot babe category...who cares if she can't sing. ;)
Golfers not athletes? Most long golf ball drivers can throw a baseball and football farther than anybody else too and I would pick Tiger Woods to whip Lance Armstrong in a hundred yard dash. Tiger can stuff a basketball like a NBA player.
Cheers,
George

I say it's a wash on the clothing. UCI should make a new rule banning pink clothing, like their previous ban on shorts that aren't black...


I feel sorry for Ullrich and his Barbie pink T-mobil colors. Eu.

I played golf in college. A custom set of clubs from Callaway , taylormade etc.... can run $5-7K's. Just like a nice bike. And to get specs just like tiger or Lefty will cost just as much as an IF or Serotta fully decked out etc..... Quality coaches like Nicolas flick school etc.....cost a grip just like carmichael's. Playing pebble once a year when its open to the public $ 200 plus, thats if you can get in ...... depending on where you live a good course can run $5 to 6 k a year in green fees, balls etc... it just depnds on how much you play and the level you play at. Not everyone can the TPC but its an awesome course, just like not every one can go up Duez etc.... Same rule applies in golf like cycling, like basketball. If you can't play with the stuff from walmart or target then the stuff from eastbay or taylormade, serotta, Vanilla etc won't help you either.
P:S: Eldrick's wifey is banging ............

I say it's a wash on the clothing. UCI should make a new rule banning pink clothing, like their previous ban on shorts that aren't black...

It was sort of a joke. Like the pot calling the kettle pink.

I guess I ain't no good at jokes. :(

Bean counters just seem to find a way to take the joy out of everything don't they?

It was sort of a joke. Like the pot calling the kettle pink.

I guess I ain't no good at jokes. :(Yeah, good joke too! I'm gonna find some kilts to wear at the next tournament! That's great for a good laugh. But wearing pink!!! Someone's gotta pass some regulations to protect the riders from sterilization!!!

I played golf in college. A custom set of clubs from Callaway , taylormade etc.... can run $5-7K's. Just like a nice bike. And to get specs just like tiger or Lefty will cost just as much as an IF or Serotta fully decked out etc..... Quality coaches like Nicolas flick school etc.....cost a grip just like carmichael's. Playing pebble once a year when its open to the public $ 200 plus, thats if you can get in ...... depending on where you live a good course can run $5 to 6 k a year in green fees, balls etc... it just depnds on how much you play and the level you play at. Not everyone can the TPC but its an awesome course, just like not every one can go up Duez etc.... Same rule applies in golf like cycling, like basketball. If you can't play with the stuff from walmart or target then the stuff from eastbay or taylormade, serotta, Vanilla etc won't help you either.
P:S: Eldrick's wifey is banging ............
+1
BTW...ain't Eldrick no more...Tiger formally changed his name.
And quite right about the wife...she sure is...also seems extremely mellow.
George

I hate golf, it's not a sport it's a game like billiards bowling or darts. I think it is absolutely bulls%!t when they say Tiger Woods is in the running for athlete of the year :o

And why can in a business setting someone in the middle of a conversation can just start air golfing and nobody sais anyhting. Would it be professional to start practicing my jump shot WTF.

If you want to close a business deal with me. get ready for a fifty miler not a 9 holer.

+1
BTW...ain't Eldrick no more...Tiger formally changed his name.
And quite right about the wife...she sure is...also seems extremely mellow.
George

LOL I played against him in college got destroyed, so I get to call him Eldrick. I have seen her about ten feet away and she is stunning in person. not to many people around who look even better in person. She is one of the few however.

I hate golf, it's not a sport it's a game like billiards bowling or darts. I think it is absolutely bulls%!t when they say Tiger Woods is in the running for athlete of the year :o

And why can in a business setting someone in the middle of a conversation can just start air golfing and nobody sais anyhting. Would it be professional to start practicing my jump shot WTF.

If you want to close a business deal with me. get ready for a fifty miler not a 9 holer.


Try hitting a golf ball consistently on the driving range and see how long it takes to master it with a driver, then try every other club in the bag.

prince 9331 Try winning a 9 ball billiard tournament.

I ain't saying it ain't hard to be a pro or even good, but tiger woods ain't no Ray Lewis, Lance Armstrong, or Lebron James

14max it is true that your totals come out to roughly the same numbers but going to the following year you will see with cycling you wont have too many of those same costs where in golf you will still have to pay for all those greens fees. Now granted you can pay for upgrades with cycling the following year such as new stem or whatever you really want but similarly in golf they have new woods and all kinds of gear that the avid golfer will easily spend to equip himself.

...the following year you will see with cycling you wont have too many of those same costs where in golf you will still have to pay for all those greens fees.

Right. That's where golf and cycling diverge. The initial costs notwithstanding, it's much more costly to play golf than it is to get out and ride. The fact that I love both is fiscally insane...

Cycling for me is an out and back activity from my house. Generally, there is no intervening highly caloric visit to a facility like a 19th hole. Somehow, I just can't imagine myself limiting my 19th hole intake to a V-8 juice.

prince 9331 Try winning a 9 ball billiard tournament.

I ain't saying it ain't hard to be a pro or even good, but tiger woods ain't no Ray Lewis, Lance Armstrong, or Lebron James

Maybe but he would excel in any sport he wanted too. And see how hard it is for other sport stars to hit a stupid golf ball. i see it every year at Tahoe it's funny and brutal. And these are guys who are at the top of thier respective sports.

C'MON! Just look at a golfer's attire:
http://www.killipsphotography.com/killipsfeatures/Golf.jpg

Compared to a cyclists:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39261000/jpg/_39261593_once_afp.jpg

'nuff said :mad:

OK, so....Golf is for sissies and old men, and cycling is just for sissies?

Tiger would not excell in any other sport. He's been playing golf since he could walk.

Barkley and those other atletes who suck at golf probably didn't pick it up until their teens or twenties.

Hell tiger woods IMO isn't even in the same category as Tony Hawk, or a fat offensive lineman. I know accountants that can dunk and I am sure you might even find a pro bowler who could bench 225 that doesn't make them great athletes, so why should tigers would be considered a great athlete when his "Game" doesn't even involve running.

C'MON! Just look at a golfer's attire:
'nuff said :mad:

LOL! Well done!

Tiger would not excell in any other sport. He's been playing golf since he could walk.

Barkley and those other atletes who suck at golf probably didn't pick it up until their teens or twenties.

Hell tiger woods IMO isn't even in the same category as Tony Hawk, or a fat offensive lineman. I know accountants that can dunk and I am sure you might even find a pro bowler who could bench 225 that doesn't make them great athletes, so why should tigers would be considered a great athlete when his "Game" doesn't even involve running.

I've never thought sedentary sports constitute great athletes. My neighbor is huge into NASCAR and golf and I equate Nascar to people with incredible stamina - as in being able to withstand G's and hours of racing - with great hand, eye, feet coordination similar to video game players. Come on how can a guy be an incredible athlete well into their 50's in NASCAR? Same with golf. My take is cycling is 75% physical and 25% mental, while golf is the opposite. Maybe we could call them mental athletes....

Most of those costs either aren't really bicycling costs (you'd eat whether you were bicycling or not) or are costs (travel expenses) that would be identical on a golfing trip.


Yeah, but I wouldn't eat as much as I do when I'm cycling, and I wouldn't eat as expensively. If I were at home, I'd buy the most inexpensive groceries, and keep the calorie intake down around 2000 calories per day. When I'm out on my bicycle, I'm stuck eating whatever I can get ahold of out there which is often pricey convenience store and restaurant food. I'm also consuming 5000+ calories.

Its really a trick question.. One can definitelly spend more money to play golf than bike as there some high end country clubs where the dues are $100,000 per year or more.. Throw in a couple of super expensive trips, high end clubs, etc etc the cost can be off the charts.. However that is not how most down to earth every day folks do it.. I can play golf locally at county courses for $25 per round.. If I keep my club purchases down and wait every 5 to 7 years to obtain new equipment than I can really keep the cost of my golf down.. As I can with cycling.. A new bike every ten years, some clothing etc every year without going overboard and it doesnt cost that much either.. Of course if I had a pocketfull of cash and wanted to buy 2 or 3 high end bikes per year, travel to the TDF.. Stay in one of those Italian hotels that cater to cyclists, I could blow a wad of cash on cycling too.. Maybe in the neighborhood of those rich golfers..
So thats why I think that its a trick question..
Another way to ask it is overall on average who spends more per year on their sport cyclists or golfers? Than I would go with golfers..

Well said PedalMasher

I have played just about all sports and many competitively including swimming and am a fair tennis player and downhill skier as well and say that golf is without question a sport. All the guys here that say that golf is not a sport I can beat easily and likely can beat you at all the other sports you suck at as well.
:D
George

For those of you who think that Tiger isnt an athlete than try hitting a golf ball 320+ yards time in and time out, then try hitting an elevated green from 230 yards out with a 4 iron and get it to stay there.. Hit accurate 9 irons from 150 yards..Then get say 50 yards from the hole and see how many balls you can hit inside 10 feet.. Then get on super fast greens that would have the average person talking to themselves and make half as many puts a Tiger does..Then let see you get out there on the course and try to repeat this.. Add the enormous pressure of performing in major events and most would be shaking so hard that they couldnt get a tee in the ground let alone hit the ball..You could start this from birth and would in all likelihood still suck..

Golf does have both a physical and mental side but the downside in tournament golf is every stroke has to be counted and when things start going badly it gets awfully hard to stop the bleeding..I have played golf with professional athletes both football and baseball players and none of them diminish the athletic abilities of professional golfers.. I always get a kick therefore when some overweight sports writer trying to make a name for himself on ESPN belittles them.. Walk a mile in their shoes I say.
I played a little[very little] college golf years ago[steel shafts balata balls and wood heads were still in vogue] at a bigtime football and athletic university and was surprised that we had an all county half back, all county quarterback, an all Long Island basketball guard,and a number of other players who had played sports besides golf in high school on our team.So the golf team although not big could handle itself rather well in pick up games of basketball, baseball and football.. I thought for what its worth that the best athletes from other sports who picked up golf the quickest were baseball players, then basketball players and then football players.. Our golfers were of course better looking and smarter than those on the other teams :p .. We still have one active professional golfer from that team who makes more than a million per year on the senior tour.Hows that for smart. Our top basketball and football players of those years have long since retired. :)

i think cycling comes out cheaper on the argument of not having to pay a greens fee to ride your bike.

for both riding and golf the "up front" investment for a bike and gear or a set of clubs can range from a few hundred to thousands of dollars, depending on how much you want to spend, so that aspect should be considered more or less equal.

for golf, no matter what, you have to pay greens fees or membership fees, whereas a bike, once purchased it is essentialy free to use until something wears out.

say you are a very commited recreational cyclist, you ride 10,000 miles a year. lets say a set of tires, a chain and lube run you about $100 every 2500 miles. times 4 is $400, tack on another $200 for something major wearing out (say a bb) and a few trips to the shop, and you are at $600 for riding 10,000 miles!!

you would spend that much (~$50 a pop) going golfing just ONCE A MONTH for a year.

so you can ride every day or golf once a month for the same price.

I have played just about all sports and many competitively including swimming and am a fair tennis player and downhill skier as well and say that golf is without question a sport. All the guys here that say that golf is not a sport I can beat easily and likely can beat you at all the other sports you suck at as well.
:D
George

if golf is a sport then pool, bowling and cheerleading are all sports too :rolleyes:

hell at least cheerleading can work up a sweat.

I think a point that needs to be made is this. There is a difference in saying professional golfers arent athletes and saying you dont have to be real athletic to play golf. You are just wrong if you say pro golfers arent athletes. If you look at many golfers they were accomplished in other "mainstream" sports like baseball, football, or basketball. You can say it doesnt take all of that much athletic ability to play golf. I think it does take a considerable amount, but that isnt the point. The point is if you say pro golfers arent athletes, you are incorrect. I like to measure athletic ability by which group would compete better in a decathalon. These ten events seem to be a good measure of all parts of being a good athlete. Strength, coordination, endurance, agility, etc. If you got all pro cyclists and pro golfers and had them do these ten events, I would be interested to see which group would win. To be fair, you would have to give two months to both groups to train. Who do you think would win?

I'm a 4 handicap, have played 100 rounds/year and also ride 5500 miles per year. Here's my take:

100 rounds per year at $30/round = $3000
Golf Balls: 100 per year at 4$ ea = $400
New Golf Clubs new driver and other club $600 per year (note: new irons every 6-7 years at $800 ea)
Other $500
Total for golf is approx $4500


25 organized rides at $20 ea = $500
Time trials 9 at $15 ea = $135
New wheels = $800
Tires/tubes/chain/cassette= $200
Doctors visits for aches= $50
New bike clothing $400
Travel to rides (organized & training in mtns) = (35 trips x 60 mi/each x $.40/mi) =$800
Lodging for overnights-and meals = $400
Total = $3300

Geez.........Neither is cheap.........No wonder I don't have any money!!!!

From my view the cheerleaders are probably among the most coordinated athletes on any field or floor.. Can you imagine the average football player trying to perform half the moves that are required of the cheerleaders??Alot of cheerleaders both male and female come right from the gymnastic team.. You want ahtletes try duplicating those moves..

nobody has ever taken up golf to save money, have they?


well unless you consider schmoozing while golfing a form of saving money.

"There are many sunk costs in cycling such as tools, clothing, accessories, etc, etc, but I told him that paying green fees and cart is like buying a new bike jersey for every ride, which seemed to bolster my argument. He on the other hand is able to expense about 33% of his fixed costs due to golfing w/ business associates. Do you think the IRS would mind if I expensed a ride with my co-workers???"


it's wild that golfers can deduct their golfing but not cyclists. Doesn't seem right, does it? We should
at least get a break (in the States) on healthcare.

Stop calling golf a sport. Driving a 320+ golf ball does not equal a sport.

You walk, the ball isn't moving, the guys your playing against aren't trying to hit you or out run you. When you get to the end of a tournament and you think your about to win you don't get hit with a right cross and pickup your mouth piece off the floor.

I grew up playing Soccer, football, basketball, Boxing, track & field, I later picked up Boxing, Martial Arts, Weight Training and Cycling. These are sports.

Only reason I got riled up is that I always here this crap about Tiger Woods being a great athlete when 80% of his competition is fat, old and out of shape. Tiger is always in the Athlete of the year running, yet Floyd Mayweather Jr. is not when he has dominated other physically elite athletes for 12 rounds while punching the crap out of each other. That's an athlete

Golf is a game. A game of one highly refined skill. There is an innate talent involved - eye/hand coordination - which can be honed by repetition. But, no need for speed, strength or endurance is necessary to be a good or great golfer. The high swing speeds that lead to the long drives on TV are in fact, reproduced by many a duffer. The difference lies in the fact that the pro golfer can put the 320 yard drive in the fairway 3 out of 4 times or better.

Golf is more akin to shooting pool. Minnesota Fats was hardly an athlete

Stop calling golf a sport.

Drives you nutty, eh? Golf is an activity/game more than a sport. I'll defer to the dictionary which states:

golf (glf, gôlf) KEY

NOUN:

A game played on a large outdoor course with a series of 9 or 18 holes spaced far apart, the object being to propel a small, hard ball with the use of various clubs into each hole with as few strokes as possible.

I think a point that needs to be made is this. There is a difference in saying professional golfers arent athletes and saying you dont have to be real athletic to play golf. You are just wrong if you say pro golfers arent athletes. If you look at many golfers they were accomplished in other "mainstream" sports like baseball, football, or basketball. You can say it doesnt take all of that much athletic ability to play golf. I think it does take a considerable amount, but that isnt the point. The point is if you say pro golfers arent athletes, you are incorrect. I like to measure athletic ability by which group would compete better in a decathalon. These ten events seem to be a good measure of all parts of being a good athlete. Strength, coordination, endurance, agility, etc. If you got all pro cyclists and pro golfers and had them do these ten events, I would be interested to see which group would win. To be fair, you would have to give two months to both groups to train. Who do you think would win?

I know that cycling doesn't really help me get into running shape. Example: This weekend I did my first cyclocross race - it involves a fair bit of running and climbing up small hills. My legs are thrashed today. And I cycle at least 100 miles a week for 9 months a year. However, the strength events notwithstanding, I would give the clear edge to the cyclist for the cardio superiority alone. Anyone else?

Stop calling golf a sport. Driving a 320+ golf ball does not equal a sport.

You walk, the ball isn't moving, the guys your playing against aren't trying to hit you or out run you. When you get to the end of a tournament and you think your about to win you don't get hit with a right cross and pickup your mouth piece off the floor.

I grew up playing Soccer, football, basketball, Boxing, track & field, I later picked up Boxing, Martial Arts, Weight Training and Cycling. These are sports.

Only reason I got riled up is that I always here this crap about Tiger Woods being a great athlete when 80% of his competition is fat, old and out of shape. Tiger is always in the Athlete of the year running, yet Floyd Mayweather Jr. is not when he has dominated other physically elite athletes for 12 rounds while punching the crap out of each other. That's an athlete

I agree on average that is takes more athletic ability to play football, soccer, baseball, etc. You are totally wrong in your statement that 80% of Tiger's competition is fat, old, and out of shape. This is just plain wrong. Most PGA golfers train hard and are in shape. Also, you seem a little to angered by this whole discussion. Calm down, not that big of a deal.

the golf club my parents belong to cost 60 thousand dollars to join before monthly expenses:0 Maybe yall have heard of it? Druid Hills Golf Club, the one in the papers for not letting Gay couples use their facilitys... A bad move for sure, its more complicated than that but anyways... sorry to thread hi-jack!

Yet, anyone engaging in the "activity" of cycling, or the "game" of golf, is "sporting".

Golf may not have made Tiger an athlete, but trust me, he is. Cycling 'can' make you an athlete, and that's where the difference may lie.

I know that cycling doesn't really help me get into running shape. Example: This weekend I did my first cyclocross race - it involves a fair bit of running and climbing up small hills. My legs are thrashed today. And I cycle at least 100 miles a week for 9 months a year. However, the strength events notwithstanding, I would give the clear edge to the cyclist for the cardio superiority alone. Anyone else?

Cycling doesn't help your running, but with proper training pro riders can become great runners because of they are built for endurance sports.

An example, Laurent Jalabert just recently ran the NY marathon in a very respectable time of 2h55min. That's almost at a 4min/km pace. Most average runners can't do that for 5km. Lance was a good triathelete before devoting himself to cycling he can certainly run a marathon under 3 hours. I'd like to see a golfer doing a marathon under 3 hours.

Papa Hemingway said that there are only three real sports: rock-climbing, auto-racing and bull-fighting. The rest are just games..

You don't need hand to eye cordination in golf the ball only moves after you hit it. You need hand to eye cord in football,tennis, baseball (speaking of fat and out of shape ) please refer to Al cy young winner B. Colon. If you don't think golf is atheltic try and be a scratch golfer. Skiers, snowboarders, race car drivers, motorcycle riders, pole vaulters, high jumpers, long jumpers then they would all qualify as non athletes also. Strong men aren't athletes they are just strong. Also there are many football players who couldn't run a marathon in 5 hours much less 3 hours. And a whole lot of hockey players and baseball players are in the same boat. And how many Marathon runners or cyclist can squat 400lbs for 10 reps or bench 225lbs for 25 reps? a bunch I bet ........ NOT.

Ok. If hitting a ball with a stick isn't a sport, what about bicycle polo?
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/mss/images/news/oldnews/07_july/bicycle_polo.jpg

And if, Golf isn't a sport, then where is Frolf classified?
http://www.lansingcitypulse.com/040901/featureimages/frolf.jpg

C'MON! Just look at a golfer's attire:
http://www.killipsphotography.com/killipsfeatures/Golf.jpg

Compared to a cyclists:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39261000/jpg/_39261593_once_afp.jpg

'nuff said :mad:


But they are wearing PINK!!! :D

What a load. All I get from my golf course is leeches who prey after the wealthy with BS investment schemes. If you think a golf partner is letting you in on a deal, you're getting swindled. My local club is private, expensive, and full of people the world is much better off without.

I can not say this about cyclists.

So turn it around, come up with a business venture of your own, and learn how to make the system work for you, instead of working against it.

Hell, you're already in the club!

You know, you don't have to LIKE the people you do business with. You don't really think they actually like each other, do you?

Look at the success rate of golfers vs. bikers over, say, a year.

I am willing to bet there are SIGNIFICANTLY more people who go buy a set of clubs, hit the driving range a few times, get impatient, and give up, than there are people who buy a bike, hit the road, and decide biking is not for them.

<--Raises hand. :o I have a set of golf clubs and shoes in my garage with about 3 years of dust on them. Oh well, at least I only paid a couple hundred dollars for that gear. I didn't give up because I'm impatient though. I gave up because I suck. Well, that and the crowded courses and high greens fees.

I have about $1000 in surfboards hanging in my garage but I actually do use them. Just not as much since I've started riding again.

I agree on average that is takes more athletic ability to play football, soccer, baseball, etc. You are totally wrong in your statement that 80% of Tiger's competition is fat, old, and out of shape. This is just plain wrong. Most PGA golfers train hard and are in shape. Also, you seem a little to angered by this whole discussion. Calm down, not that big of a deal.

Most? I'd be amazed if it was even half. :rolleyes:

If you love golf that is great. If it helps you relieve stress, enjoy the outdoors or be around friends it may very well be a wonderful past time. to each is own and I never said that golfers are morons or any stupid comments like that.

I just was responding to someone saying tiger woods is this insane above average athlete. I could probably out lift out run and out box Tiger Woods. He is great at his game but he is not one of this worlds greatest athletes. He doesn't out run, out box, out lift, or defeat his oponents with his unbeleivable endurance. He plays a game better, I might be able to have more skill as a soccer player than most, but if i am slow, out of shape or lack the endurance none of that matters.

John Dailey is also a great golfer, would anyone like to defend him as a great athlete?

Tiger Woods is the exception not the rule when it comes to golf.

Most? I'd be amazed if it was even half. :rolleyes:

It really is not something that has to be speculated. If you look at the current PGA pros, you would see most are in shape. I am fairly familiar with the current pros and cant think of more than 15 that I would consider fat and out of shape.

Done properly, golf is definitely expensive.

Done properly, cycling is not.


Even if you go the expensive route with both, once your are all Tigered and Lanced up, you can still go for a bike ride for free. With golf it's the other way around entirely.

My $.02 any way.