Here is the bottomline, although some pool players might argue differently. It’s not only unfair but also distorted thinking
that attempts to correlate and compare playing golf versus playing pool. Admittedly, pool requires tremendous skills to
become highly skilled and many hours of practice. It is akin to taking a journey and along the, you acquire new found appreciation for the game of pocket billiards, develop your skills to advance and become a accomplished pool player.
However, whilst golf also has to be learned and practiced in order to become highly skilled, it is more challenging athletically than pool and is a reason why you have so many high handicap amateur golfers that play golf for many years. Golf is absolutely more challenging physically to master with so many moving parts to developing a great golf swing, using different clubs, hitting golf balls off varying turfs, trouble shit recovery, applying muscle power or a softer swing trying to make a golf ball travel miles to drop into 18 cups on greens with undulations, varying conditions. 2” putt tap in has the same value as a 300 yard drive & hitting a golf ball that far is a physical very few amateur golfers can do.
My son just took up golf a year ago. He is 30 years old and was fitted for clubs and he lives in San Diego where the top name golf club manufacturers are headquartered. He had 3 fittings; driver, woods and irons. On his 1st fitting, he startled the professional doing the fitting. So much so that he beckoned a co-worker to come and look at my son being fit for a Taylor Made Ci4D Driver. He was blown away at what he was seeing and seemed excited about it.
His average swing speed during the fitting was 114.73 mph. His fastest was 116 mph. The balls on the simulator showed all the technical specs and by the end of the fitting, he was blown away by what he was told. Only 1% of
amateur golfers have swing speeds like he exhibited and the average swing speed for PGA pros on tour is 114 mph.
Now it does not mean he would ever reach his potential as a amateur but his has the raw skills to develop into a incredible golfer. He’s played Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego (North & South courses) and his scores were not
very good shooting high90’s and low 100’s. But that because his short game and putting were awful but distance was not a problem. He hits his friend’s clubs since he only has a driver I got him for his bday. He hits a 5 iron 210-20 yds & drives over 300 yds. but his scores reflect why he needs lessons if he wants to become a good golfer.
The golf fitter explained that golfers that have played a lot of baseball often have faster swing speeds but nonetheless, he told my son very few people that get fit have swing speeds like he demonstrated. But the road to becoming really good at golf is a journey and some never attain it despite being blessed with the raw talent to become a great golfer.
The Olympics have diluted the meaning of sports and there are events now that are comically allowed despite not being a sport. When break dancing is now an Olympic event you can gold medal, GTF outta here. It is hardly a sport.
Pool is not a sport and is just a game of skill but a far cry from being really considered a sport. You do not need athletic
skills to compete in pool or to improve your performance. Sure, you might need lessons from a pool professional or help learning the nuances of the game. But trying to label it pool a sport or comparing it to golf is simply one’s ego. It
is not comparable with golf and is so much easier to learn and master. Why? It’s because it’s basically a parlor game
that takes up a lot of space, not a parlor sport. I love pool and played it all my life but pool doesn’t qualify as a sport.
I anticipate that others will defend pool and argue it should be included in the Olympics. That’s fine to do because it
deserves to be included as much as break dancing. But pool will never be a sport because athleticism is neither a pre-requisite or a critical component for developing into a great pool player. Although countless books have been written about the game of golf, don’t be misled by the titles, Golf is referred to as the game of golf but that doesn’t change that club selection, shot execution, smart course management and weather variables are all factors in how you perform. A golf swing has a lot of moving parts to it involving the lower body, upper torso & arms whereas pool is pretty basic.
The U.S. Golf Championship used to be played with 36 holes played on the final day walking the golf course. It has since reverted to only 18 holes on Sunday. Golf carts are not allowed in the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship. Golf was always intended to be physically demanding whereas pool is a parlor game that involves walking around the pool table.
There isn’t any athleticism needed to become a great pool player because different skills are involved. But there’s going
to be people arguing differently why pool is a sport rather than a game but it’s because it sounds better but it isn’t true.
