Five Golf Debates That Continue to Amaze Us

For those of us who love golf, we know how often arguments can start both on and off the course. What I wanted to do here was break down five of those arguments that have proven to stand out among the rest. There are reasons why people still discuss these issues and I hope to take a closer look at some of those reasons. Here we go:

5. Should women be able to play in men’s tournaments?

(Getty Images)

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about this one is of course Annika Sorenstam teeing it up on the PGA Tour. It was obviously a remarkable feat to accomplish, becoming just one of several LPGA professionals to play in a PGA Tour event. This is a question that has weight to both sides when you actually take a step back and look at it. On one hand, golf is a sport that is equally physically compatible for both men and women compared to other sports such as football. On the other hand, PGA Tour courses play at a much longer length than LPGA courses, which lead many to believe women should not be able to compete with men. Personally, I believe it would be very exciting to see women compete with men regularly in PGA Tour events because it adds an entirely new dynamic to both Tours as well as the events themselves.

4. Will anyone ever achieve the single year grand slam?

(The Fried Egg)

I know Bobby Jones technically has a grand slam but that was before the Masters was added. Since then, golf’s grand slam honors include all four major championships in a single year. Tiger Woods has come the closest, winning three majors in 2000 followed by a 2001 victory at the Masters. It’s a question that has come up so often, most recently during Jordan Spieth’s incredible run in 2015 in which he won the year’s first two majors and just missed out on the final two. Do I believe someone will win all four in a year? No, simply because the field is too deep now. In Tiger’s prime, he was on his own level. Nowadays, the most elite golfers in the world constantly challenge each other so much that it seems nearly impossible to stay ahead.

3. Should anchored putters be illegal?

(Getty Images)

This obviously shouldn’t even really be discussed at this point since 2016 was the first year that the anchored putter ban took effect. However it’s still a sensitive topic for those (not including myself) who have anchored or still anchor the putter. In their opinion, it really doesn’t matter how you get the ball in the hole and any method of doing so is fair game. This has become the voice of the more modern group of golfers. Traditional golfers believe the putting stroke should be a free-swinging motion like a golf swing, and openly oppose those who anchor the putter. I’m neutral on the issue despite never having anchored a putter before, and as I said previously the question should not even surface anymore since the ban is now in effect.

2. Nicklaus or Woods?

(Tony Dejak/Associated Press)

The tale of the tape shows Jack Nicklaus with 18 majors and 73 total PGA Tour wins, and Tiger Woods with 14 majors and 79 total PGA Tour wins. It is so difficult to compare the two of them, which is what makes this debate so fascinating. Which one of these two men is the greatest golfer of all time? Many will only go by majors, in which case Jack wins easily. Many will also look at total wins, in which Tiger of course has safely passed Jack. I genuinely can’t even begin to decide on who is the better golfer because it’s almost unfair to compare two different eras. However, this question will always hang around the golf world no matter where you are.

1. Is golf a sport?

(Sandals)

All my friends that don’t play golf will say it’s not a sport, and those that do will say it is. This is perhaps not even just a golf debate, but also a sports debate. It really is an age-old question that may never be resolved, but there are definitely arguments to both sides. As the article discuses, players such as Tiger seem to put golf toward the sport side while fellow players such as John Daly bring it back to more of an activity. At the end of the day, I do believe golf is a sport because it demands physical activity that requires skill and can be played competitively. And if that weren’t enough, the official definition of sport even lists golf as an example!