Biggest gap between professional & enthusiast?
Discussion
pilchardthecat said:
Kevin Stadler - PGA pro golfer. Born 1980..... 5' 10", 18 stone.
3 top 10 finishes this year, has earn't over $5.2m since turning pro in 2002
Sportsman he is not
If he plays a sport to the same standard or better than a skinny guy, doesn't that just suggest his big gut isn't such an issue?3 top 10 finishes this year, has earn't over $5.2m since turning pro in 2002
Sportsman he is not
Or without the gut he may be the greatest golfer who ever lived, who knows?
Either way he's a better professional sportsman than 99.99% of everyone who plays anything. 5,200,000 reasons why.
samwilliams said:
pilchardthecat said:
Kevin Stadler - PGA pro golfer. Born 1980..... 5' 10", 18 stone.
3 top 10 finishes this year, has earn't over $5.2m since turning pro in 2002
Sportsman he is not
Athlete he is not.3 top 10 finishes this year, has earn't over $5.2m since turning pro in 2002
Sportsman he is not
Sportsman he most certainly is.
It's no coincidence that many of the multiple major winners were also obsessed with fitness and physique - Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo, Gary Player as examples.
simoid said:
A man playing a sport is not a sportsman?
Casey Hampton and Vince Wilfork; 2 of the better nose tackles in the NFL. Especially Wilfork who has played an unbelievable amount of downs in the last 2 seasons (most of any D lineman in the league I think)A lot of the big players in the NFL need to maintain the high weight, and are fined for being under or over their target weight (the weight is for their own protection) front 5/7 are (apparently) notorious for picking up fines once the weather turns cold and they aren't loosing as much water from sweating.
Cheib said:
It's not golf. It's possible for an amatuer to hit shots that are as good as a pro....hole a chip, sink a 30 foot putt or smoke a drive 300 years down the fairway. Or in other terms say a pro plays to plus 5 and an enthusiast plays to a handicap of 10 in percentage terms over 70 holes that isn't that big a difference. The nature of the game limits how much better a pro can be.
With ball sports the difference is much,much greater....you put the footballing/cricketing equivalent of an 18 handicap golfer (so someone that plays friendlies on a Sunday) and the difference would be just absolutely staggering. The cricketing equivalent of an 18 handicap golfer wouldn't be able to even see a cricket ball bowled by a professional fast bowler and could probably bowl all day and not get the sniff of a wicket.
Same with football....I remember reading that the main difference with the pro's is the accuracy of the passing but I don't think people have got any comprehension about the speed of the game or even how hard they kick the ball. I was lucky enough to spend a day at Arsenal's training ground a few years ago....stood right behind the net with Seaman between the sticks.....the power of the shots was ridiculous and the ability to save/parry them was pretty incredible too.
You could say the same about tennis too I suppose....enthusiast literally couldn't take a point off a top pro.
I do think professional cycling or say marathon running is a good one I would say the pro's do it in half to two thirds the time on an enthusiast.
My handicap is 2, I have played with a guy who didn't make it in the pro game. The things you talk about are so ignorant it is unreal. A 30ft putt? Thats like saying a good amatuer would pot a ball at snooker or hit the board at darts. With ball sports the difference is much,much greater....you put the footballing/cricketing equivalent of an 18 handicap golfer (so someone that plays friendlies on a Sunday) and the difference would be just absolutely staggering. The cricketing equivalent of an 18 handicap golfer wouldn't be able to even see a cricket ball bowled by a professional fast bowler and could probably bowl all day and not get the sniff of a wicket.
Same with football....I remember reading that the main difference with the pro's is the accuracy of the passing but I don't think people have got any comprehension about the speed of the game or even how hard they kick the ball. I was lucky enough to spend a day at Arsenal's training ground a few years ago....stood right behind the net with Seaman between the sticks.....the power of the shots was ridiculous and the ability to save/parry them was pretty incredible too.
You could say the same about tennis too I suppose....enthusiast literally couldn't take a point off a top pro.
I do think professional cycling or say marathon running is a good one I would say the pro's do it in half to two thirds the time on an enthusiast.
I think everyone thinks their own sport because they have experience of it, but I don't see how sports with no technique that the pros would be that much better.
Marathon running if you got fit enough to run that distance how would the pro beat you by that much if you were as fit as him?
With golf if you got that fit, Tiger Woods would make any of the top british players his little b
h at any course they were lucky enough to play him on. Rant over.
Benten said:
With golf if you got that fit, Tiger Woods would make any of the top british players his little bh at any course they were lucky enough to play him on. Rant over.
This would make sense if you wrote it at the top of Tigers career, but the top 3 players in the world are british.h at any course they were lucky enough to play him on. Rant over.
gmh23 said:
Benten said:
With golf if you got that fit, Tiger Woods would make any of the top british players his little bh at any course they were lucky enough to play him on. Rant over.
This would make sense if you wrote it at the top of Tigers career, but the top 3 players in the world are british.h at any course they were lucky enough to play him on. Rant over.Also for the golf being a sport thing Tiger is the first billionaire sportsman fact. You don't become a billionaire playing games.
I think people are confusing the title of this thread with 'the most physically demanding sport'?
Golf is definitely a sport. I dont play, never have, and dont watch it, but I woud say it is deffo a sport.
Personally, I'm not entirely sure of the answer but boxing would have to be up there due to the huge physical demands it puts on a pro, who will get seriously damaged and trains to levels that seem verging on the ridiculous to me. Motocross is another one where the pros are ridiculously fit too.
R
Golf is definitely a sport. I dont play, never have, and dont watch it, but I woud say it is deffo a sport.
Personally, I'm not entirely sure of the answer but boxing would have to be up there due to the huge physical demands it puts on a pro, who will get seriously damaged and trains to levels that seem verging on the ridiculous to me. Motocross is another one where the pros are ridiculously fit too.
R
Benten said:
....Tiger is the first billionaire sportsman fact...
Not yet. And with last few years of poor play and off course issues, his earning power has dropped a bit. Still, $600m is not bad really is it?Taking a lateral tilt to the OP title, bank account is gonna be the biggest gap between me and him!!
Edited by djstevec on Monday 7th May 10:26
djstevec said:
Benten said:
....Tiger is the first billionaire sportsman fact...
Not yet. And with last few years of poor play and off course issues, his earning power has dropped a bit. Still, $600m is not bad really is it?Taking a lateral tilt to the OP title, bank account is gonna be the biggest gap between me and him!!
Edited by djstevec on Monday 7th May 10:26
I think Forbes are reasonably reliable. And if he isn't a billionaire he is certainly the richest sportsman.
Gassing Station | Sports | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff