Football players play in the snow. Soccer players play in hurricane-like conditions. Baseball is sort of understandable not to play in heavy rain because a pitcher throws an unintended spitball on every pitch. But golfers can’t negotiate a little water on the green?
I’m talking about The Masters. Golfers were complaining about a little downpour during the second round, as if they were going to make 20 under par after 2 rounds otherwise. Some, like Vijay Singh, did very well, so it wasn’t as if all the golfers were affected.
It’s hard enough to play golf when the weather is perfect. When it’s wet, it’s damn near impossible. The ball picks up dirt and water and bits of grass, making it very hard to hit straight. If it gets really bad, sometimes the “lift clean and place” rule is put into effect, allowing golfers to wipe off the ball and replace it since the weather conditions are so difficult.
If you’ve played on a beautiful day on a wonderful coarse, and watched your pitiful efforts come to naught, and know that the very Gods are laughing at you, you’d understand.
And when you watch the masters play and watch them get that little friggin ball into a hole 200 yards away using a little stick, you’d know that telekinises is not only possible, but these guys have that unholy secret.
So they don’t want to play in rain? Ha! The masters could play in a meteoroid storm and kick your ass. They just hate getting mussed.
I think you ask the wrong question. If the purpose of a contest is to see who is the most skillful then football and soccer shouldn’t be played in adverse weather either. I think bad weather makes luck too much of a factor in determining who wins.
Speaking as a golfer who won his one and only tournament (OK, so it was a junior tourney contested by only about ten kids) in the rain, I don’t mind the occasional downpour.
What burns me is the people who say “Why do golfers get scared of a little thunder?” Why don’t you ask the lady who got hit by lightning at the course I used to work at? :rolleyes:
I’d say that golf gets rained out under similar conditions to baseball. Think about it, you’ve got this little white ball sitting on the ground during this rain. Under very rainy conditions, the damn thing is probably completely submerged, making a skilled shot nearly impossible.
Also, since the participants are so spread out, time wise, a player who started early in the day may have had decent conditions, and the players later in the day, hideous conditions. There are still differences in the conditions based on when you tee off, but it’s not usually THAT bad.
Rain also plays havoc with the greens, again, a little white ball, now rolling along the ground during a rainstorm.
[hijack]I recall the Ryder Cup several years back, when they played in Rochester, NY. There was a rainy day, and they played on. The greens were getting very saturated, so the grounds crew would have to use a roller squeege to dry off whatever part of the green was being putted over before each shot.
At one point, a member of the European team was lining up for a shot, and asked for the ground between his ball and the cup to be squeeged. The American players became very animated when the crew didn’t squeege behind the green, since that would have given the opponent almost a backboard to shoot against. The ball would have stopped immediately after rolling past the hole. [/hijack]
[golf joke]
The safest thing to do on the course during a thunderstorm is to hold a 1-Iron over your head.
Around me (in WI) there are plenty of deer hunting golfers, and I know at least 2 weight lifter-golfers.
But in answer to your original Q:
Men who golf and participate in other sports as well are NOT wussy.
Men who do no sports EXCEPT golf are wussy.
Men who no no sports at all are NOT wussy.
Women who golf are not wussy.
As an avid golfer I’d like to add: NEVER EVER play golf when lightning is present. You’re carrying 14 regulation lightning rods on your back, for cryin’ out loud!!
I play golf occasionally with a USGA official and when thunder or lightning are present anywhere in the horizon, we’re off the course. To her, nothing would be more embarrasing than an obit of a USGA official too stupid to get off a golf course when dangerous weather threatens.
Unfortunately, I find the worst compliance among men. Always wanting to finish out the hole or round inspite of lightning overhead. I play mostly with men and they are very reluctant to leave when it is best to run for the clubhouse. Even when the sirens and horns are blown. I think this goes back to the original topic where golfers are considered “wusses” when it rains.
Pro golfer Lee Trevino could say something about this. He and others thought they were doing the right thing by sitting down and taking cover, but staying on the course, during a lightning storm. They got hit.
Lee is damn lucky to be alive. He was hit TWICE. After the first time he was going to go around holding up a 1-iron, because “Not even God can hit a 1-iron.”
After the second time, he said “When God wants to play through, you let him.”
The spacing of the players makes fair competition impossible.
Oh, and if you want wussy, tennis players take the cake. One of the more controversial parts of the USTA lease at the National Tennis Center gives them rebates on their rent if too many planes fly over during play. A Met at Shea next door can have to stand in against a Randy Johnson throwing a rock hard baseball 100MPH near his head, but the tennis players get their bloomers in a bunch if some hits their rubber ball around and it’s too noisy.
A major league player has DIED from being hit by a baseball. Severeal have had their careers ended, or severly damaged, by being hit. Any world class tennis players who can say that?
