I hope it doesnt die out.. some golf courses make excellent jump sites.. and they are so kind too, they even put sandy landing pits right next to the jumps.

Excellent trollage.

If you’re serious though, you wont mind some MX-ers coming down and wrecking your usual trails?

£600 per year is roughly £8 per weekend – play both days and it is pretty cheap compared to some pastimes…

Obviously add on spending on balls and the initial puchase of clubs (£350 ish for a top set of clubs 2nd hand from ebay).

lightweight cary bag and carry it for some fitness

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E73RM9gS7bU[/video]

The Observer financial pages did an article about the rise and rise of Wiggle. The intro copy used the phrase…..

cycling is the new golf

I spat my coffee out, and nearly sold my bikes in disgust. Then I thought… actually, that’s great. If some preening, self-regarding, overpaid bell-end wants to spend thousands on the latest kit, that’s just more of it going cheap, hardly used when they move onto kite-surfing, or whatever the next ‘thing’ is, in 3 weeks time.

Unfortunately they all appear to be roadies. It figures, I suppose

Unfortunately they all appear to be roadies

yes, ‘cos you don’t have to put much effort in 🙂

… And they’d be more than familiar with being elitest, snotty, rude and aloof to people for not adhering strictly to some arcane and nonsensical ‘etiquette’:D

£600 per year is roughly £8 per weekend – play both days and it is pretty cheap compared to some pastimes…

Obviously add on spending on balls and the initial puchase of clubs (£350 ish for a top set of clubs 2nd hand from ebay).

lightweight cary bag and carry it for some fitness

You forgot to include the Audi repayments in your figures.

not adhering strictly to some arcane and nonsensical ‘etiquette’:D

If you’re a golferist, are you allowed to use Tiger Woods Signature golf clubs if you’ve not earnt them?

What is so fascinating about golf anyway?

I used hit a ball or two at the driving range because my mates are members but I still don’t get it.

It should not be sport but rather a hobby.

It should not be sport but rather a hobby.

I don’t think you are qualified to make that judgement having only hit balls down the driving range – where the only hazards are the separator bars between you and the next bay.

Completely different on a course – loads of mind games to keep under control.

Why do you think so many pros have such a problem keeping their performance level – it is mostly in the mind as they are all highly talented and would shoot in the 60’s regularly if there were no pressure.

Witness how many 63/64s are shot in the final rounds of competitions, when their is no pressure on someone who has shot a too-high score in the previous rounds.

Whereas mountain biking has mental challanges, they are completely different imho.

If you’re a golferist, are you allowed to use Tiger Woods Signature golf clubs if you’ve not earnt them?

If you can use them, you have earnt the right – titleist 681 type blades have a very small sweet spot.

Why do you think so many pros have such a problem keeping their performance level – it is mostly in the mind as they are all highly talented and would shoot in the 60’s regularly if there were no pressure.

Witness how many 63/64s are shot in the final rounds of competitions, when their is no pressure on someone who has shot a too-high score in the previous rounds.

Eh? Is that supposed to be good or bad? I have no clue.

Competitive hobby perhaps for the few but nothing more …

Competitive hobby perhaps for the few but nothing more …

Super excellent trollage.

Is there actually a rule that you have to dress like a 1970’s pimp?

Chewkw – of course you are entitled to your opinion. It would be fun to see you express it/test it in the gym with current pro’s. You may well be as fit and sporty as them, in which case you are probably an awesone mtb-er, but if not you might get a shock at just how athletic they are!!

Binners of course, its like cycling – lots of people doing Abba impersonations on their bikes!!

I have no clue.

precisely.

Golf is a great game, easy to have a go, hard to play well. Fabulous courses around the world supported by a huge tourism infrastructure. One of the world’s most lucrative games to play professionally. A game where you can play the same course as the pro’s do, get lucky or be well connected and you can play in a pro-am alongside the pros. The game has a massive following in Asia.

Golf participation is down in the US as it’s expensive to be a member of a golf or country club, cheaper in the UK but still expensive. That’s driving memberships down.

Arguably it’s cheaper to get into golf than mountain biking but its more expensive thereafter. I don;t know what the stats are for new mountain bike sales but I’m guessing they don’t look too healthy either.

EDIT; binner there is no rule to say you have to dress like a 70’s pimp and it’s not my style but it’s a lot of fun to play in a badly dressed group, particularly on a lads tour of Southern Europe for example.

I had the misfortune to attend a Burns night at the local golf club.

More Daily Mail readers per m2 that anywhere on earth.

I just wish I’d had a rusty old banger to park sideways across the Captain and Lady Captain’s parking spaces.

P-L, I though you had a plane to catch? Hurry up, the hard-working captain and lady captain may just have beaten you to the last seat!

That’s driving memberships down.

So membership is down …

For the few then? 🙄

jambalaya – It wasn’t a criticism. Surely the world would be a better place if we all dressed like Huggy Bear 😀

Why do you think so many pros have such a problem keeping their performance level – it is mostly in the mind as they are all highly talented and would shoot in the 60’s regularly if there were no pressure

I like golf but this is probably the worst defence of it being a sport ever.

The difference between a sport and a game is a sport is a physical activity where as a game manly mental.

Chess has some physical activities ie you move the pieces. But it is clearly many mental hence it is a game not a sport.

What your suggesting above is that actually hitting the ball is nt very hard and most of the challenge is mental, which would mean it isnt a sport ! The opposite to what your trying to argue !

In reality hitting the ball well requires a fair bit of skill so it is currently classed as a sport.

I would nt be surprised if the English language does develop new words to more accurately describe events.

For instance in the future

Running,Cycling,Rowing,Swiming,etc = Challenge
Football,Badminton,Tennis,etc = Sport
Golf,Darts,Snooker,Motor racing,etc = Event
Chess,Monopoly,etc = Game

The real question is where does cricket fall in the above list ? i’d have to put it in with Golf, Darts and Snooker myself.

Excellent trollage.

If you’re serious though, you wont mind some MX-ers coming down and wrecking your usual trails?

It was indeed a joke 🙂 although saying that.. I bent the forks on my first proper mountainbike 20 odd years ago jumping into a sand pit at the local golf course.

Hurry up, the hard-working captain and lady captain may just have beaten you to the last seat!

ideal outcome, but seats still available. 😐

more of it going cheap

High-end sales of bikes & bike kit to MAMILs is the only time I believe in the economics of trickle-down.

Golf is not a sport.

A sport is something you need to have a shower after.

Golf is a game, or a pastime or something. If golf’s a sport then so are darts and chess.

I’ve played golf from time to time, its pleasant enough and figure its the sort of thing I’d get into properly when I hit 70 or reach the point in my life where I want to avoid my family at the weekends but I’m too lazy to do something physically taxing.

I don’t understand why you need to dress like such a **** to play golf though, those slacks with a polo shirt tucked in, like you’re a speaker at a Microsoft conference or something. Other than a waterproof jacket, its not like golf demands technical clothing, is it? Why can’t you just wear what you want?

When I see young people playing golf dressed like that I always think they’ve missed out on something pretty fundamental in their youth if they’re happy to do that. Bit like young Tories.

One of my mates got into golf a few years back because that’s what people did at his work and he wanted to join in. Fair play, but then I met him one day walking about Safeways with a golf glove on. That’s just not on.

The real question is where does cricket fall in the above list, …

Excuse for a few pints perhaps? 😆

That’s a sport almost everyone can afford … few pints that is.

The real question is where does cricket fall in the above list

Sport. I’ve seen them run about a bit. Do enough of that on a hot day (especially wearing those jumpers) and you’ll need a shower after.

Running,Cycling,Rowing,Swiming,etc = Challenge
Football,Badminton,Tennis,etc = Sport
Golf,Darts,Snooker,Motor racing,etc = Event
Chess,Monopoly,etc = Game

Blimey! some people don’t half over-think things

Isn’t it all just ‘stuff to do’?

Is feeding trolls a sport or a hobby?

Blimey! some people don’t half over-think things

🙂

I work at Imperial College that may explain things.

I’m very much one of the more laid back, anything goes type round here.

Also I’ve been reading this

The Etymologicon

A sport is something you need to have a shower after.

😆

Definately in decline, people has less time to commit now and also prefer more instant ‘gratfication’. The FIL is a keen golfer and a number of his local clubs are struggling. Its not fashionable now and the majority of players are now physically incapable or dead.

I think it is a bit more of a physical and mental challenge than we give it credit for but its unlikely I will be found swinging a golf bat in the future.

Apologies for the clarksonism.

The difference between a sport and a game is a sport is a physical activity where as a game manly mental.

Golf is a physical activity with a far high degree of precision required than mountain biking.

If the physical side was easy then everyone would be shooting par scores, wouldn’t they?

fees have dropped 400%!

maths fail

Isn’t it basically just a bit of a stroll? With a few beers and some right-wing conversations afterwards?

I played on the 27 th of December for the first time in just over two years, it cost me £14 to play on the tower course which is a 9 holer as I couldn’t face all full 18! I rode my bike the day before, it was free! Golf takes up so much time, probably 4/5 hrs for a full 18 in the summer! That, the cost, and the lack of fitness it was giving me in those 4 hrs are why I stopped playing. I did really enjoy it tho but not as much a the blast out on boxing day!!!

but then I met him one day walking about Safeways with a golf glove on. That’s just not on.

As much as agree with that being all kinds of wrong

It says nothing at all about golf,

It just proves your mate is a total Numpty 😉

fees have dropped 400%!

maths fail

He he, that’s some discount 😳

At the risk of feeding the trolls……………..anyone who has played golf at a reasonable level will tell you that it is physically demanding. To compare it to darts and snooker is, quite frankly, ridiculous!

One of the reasons Tiger Woods came to the fore (pardon the pun) was due to his strength and level of fitness which forced others to follow suit in order to remain competitive. If anyone is in doubt about that, try playing 36 holes of competitive golf in a day and hitting up to 500 balls every day on the practise ground in order to gain and maintain that sort of level.

There are obviously examples which disprove the rule eg. John Daly but equally there are others who would put many on here to shame. Nice article on the fitness regime of Gary Player HERE