ARE GOLFERS CONSIDERED ATHLETES?
Are golfers athletes?
The so-called physical sports fans scoff at the idea, saying they're just well-fed, well-dressed people who have the ability to hit a little white ball straight.
Arnold Palmer converted many with his muscular sloping shoulders and aggressive style of play. Gary Player made believers of others with him penchant for physical fitness and Jack Nicklaus changed more minds with his awesome power.
STILL, THE DOUBTERS REMAINED when Palmer was named, Athlete of the Decade (1960s) when they said he wasn't qualified.
Bill Fitch, coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, is a believer.
"Sure, they're athletes," Fitch said last summer. "I've played football, baseball and basketball and there's no tougher game to play than golf."
Fitch, by the way, has become a golf addict.
Nicklaus should have helped dispel this non-athlete myth years ago. Few remember, but Jack was an All-City baseball catcher when he was in high school in Columbus.
BOB GOALBY WAS A QUARTERBACK at Illinois, although he said last summer, "The longer I'm away from football, the better player I was."
Inroads are being made every year to convince the non-believers.
The 1971 list of new winners on the PGA tour points out a strong case for the golfer-athlete.
J. C. Snead, winner of the Tucson and Doral Opens, was an all-around athlete in high school and he gave up a professional baseball career to make his living in golf.
Jerry Heard, winner of the American Golf Classic, was a standout athlete in high school and at San Jose State, both in football and baseball.
DeWITT WEAVER is another. He was a high school football star, who turned to golf when he found himself competing with Don Meredith for the quarterback job at Southern Methodist Weaver won the first U.S. Professional Match Play title.
Then there's Hale Irwin, who won the 1971 Heritage Classic. Irwin was a fine girder in high school and at the University of Colorado.
If this doesn't convince you, play 36 holes one day from the back tees at Kirtland Country Club. There's an experience that should convince you.
This article originally appeared in the Cleveland Plain Dealer January 10, 1972.
Reproduced with permission.