Guest imyahuckleberry Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 ^I hear he's quite a ping pong player. All kidding aside, I do believe Woods is a great athlete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETBU89 Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I see him participate in an athletic sport against other world class athletes.... So because he isn't competing against world class athletes, Tiger himself isn't an athlete. Oh.... :hmm: In answer to the poll, though, Tiger is great, but as someone has mentioned previously, the game and technology have changed. IMO, one of the greatest is Bobby Jones - and a part-timer at that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clutchon18 Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 So because he isn't competing against world class athletes, Tiger himself isn't an athlete. Oh.... :hmm: In answer to the poll, though, Tiger is great, but as someone has mentioned previously, the game and technology have changed. IMO, one of the greatest is Bobby Jones - and a part-timer at that! Yes, because he isnt competing against other world class athletes, we have no way to gauge his athleticism. Ali fought against the greatest the era had to offer. Jordan competed against the greatest athletes his era had to offer. Jim Brown was on the same field with the best the world had during his time in the NFL (he also wasnt bad at lacrosse). Bo Jackson butted heads every Sunday with other world class athletes, then turned around and chased a fly ball down and hit a 95 mph fastball 450 feet. The best receivers in the NFL were time and again shut down by Deon Sanders. Unless you agree that the majority of Tigers competition are "world class athletes" I have a hard time labelling Tiger as the greatest athlete to ever live. I have no problem calling him the fiercest competitor ever; maybe the most mentally strong person I've ever seen. His will to win is second to none and he routinely displays a great deal of coordination. There is a story I heard once that Jim Thorpe beat a guy in a couple of things and the guy challenged him to a game of pool. Thorpe waxed the floor with him playing pool as well. After the match he asked the guy to go double or nothing on whether or not Thorpe could stand flat-footed and jump OVER the pool table. Thorpe doubled his $$$. That to me is an athlete.... A man who does things you previously thought couldn't be done through sheer strength, speed, or agility. I think of an athlete and think fast-twitch muscles, power, explosiveness and a desire to win second to none - as far as I know, Tiger has one of those characteristics. Again, I love the game of golf, but take the Masters for example - Perry, Cabrera and Campbell??? Athletes... Zack Johnson, Craig Stadler, Corey Pavin, Ernie Els??? I see nothing even remotely athletic about the majority of those players. Furyk was a very good catcher in high-school, Will MacKenzie is probably the most athletic golfer I've read about, Jerry Kelly could play some good hockey as a youngster. The top five players in the world are Woods, Mickelson, Garcia, Ogilvy and Harrington - would you go out on a limb and label any except Woods as an athlete?? Again, I love golf, but just dont consider the participants athletes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chase.colston Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 You don't take into account Woods' athleticism in terms of speed of his swing, the precise nature of his swing and the different ways he has to go about his game. Surely someone who played golf in college can attest to those things. You don't have to be 6-3, 215 and pure muscle to be an athlete. Mo Vaughn was a walking bowling ball and could still knock a 95 mph fastball 400 feet. Babe Ruth got downright disgusting in terms of weight and the way he carried himself later in his career. Still hit home runs. You think speed, agility, power, coordination when it comes to athletes. The speed of Tiger's swing is second to none. The power in which he plays is better than any golfer in history. You need some sort of agility to play golf, I would hope. Coordination? Duh. All that defines Woods and other golfers. So you defined Woods as an athlete. And years ago, players played hurt -- ACL's, fractures, everything. They weren't the pansies a lot of these athletes are these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clutchon18 Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 You don't take into account Woods' athleticism in terms of speed of his swing, the precise nature of his swing and the different ways he has to go about his game. Surely someone who played golf in college can attest to those things. You don't have to be 6-3, 215 and pure muscle to be an athlete. Mo Vaughn was a walking bowling ball and could still knock a 95 mph fastball 400 feet. Babe Ruth got downright disgusting in terms of weight and the way he carried himself later in his career. Still hit home runs. You think speed, agility, power, coordination when it comes to athletes. The speed of Tiger's swing is second to none. The power in which he plays is better than any golfer in history. You need some sort of agility to play golf, I would hope. Coordination? Duh. All that defines Woods and other golfers. So you defined Woods as an athlete. And years ago, players played hurt -- ACL's, fractures, everything. They weren't the pansies a lot of these athletes are these days. Second to none? Go check the driving stats on tour... hint bubba watson... Jack Nicklaus was a more powerful player (his long iron game is a testament to that), Cabrera is a stronger player, as is Watson, there are a couple of others as well. I guess we can just agree to disagree... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clutchon18 Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 So if you need athleticism to excel in golf, one would assume that the majority of golfers are athletes - right?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETBU89 Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Using your logic, Clutchon, I'd have to agree with you. I play golf, yet I am the most UNathletic person I know. Pathetic, really. He is a great GOLFER - athlete or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clutchon18 Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 The flip side LV is I've seen and played with thousands of golfers and a lot of times, the better athlete is not the better golfer. I lettered in FB 3 years and baseball all four and got my brains kicked in by plenty of guys who couldn't even sprint forty yards or catch a lobbed football from 10 yards. There is nothing even remotely athletic about standing over a downhill 6 footer that breaks left to right on fast greens with some cash on the line.... It doesnt make a hill of beans how fast, strong or agile one is when facing such a putt under pressure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETBU89 Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Reminds me of the quote by Bobby Jones: "Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course, the space between your ears." It requires some athleticism and skill, but golf is more a mental game. **Oh, and to clarify - my lack of athleticism is pathetic - not my golf game, even though it could use a little work, too. <_< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chase.colston Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Second to none? Go check the driving stats on tour... hint bubba watson... Jack Nicklaus was a more powerful player (his long iron game is a testament to that), Cabrera is a stronger player, as is Watson, there are a couple of others as well. I guess we can just agree to disagree... Cabrera a stronger player? You talking in terms of arm strength or overall ability? Hopefully neither, and especially I hope you're not saying Cabrera is a better golfer. If so, you're credibility just went out the window. Golf is a sport. Sports are played by athletes, no matter what a dictionary defines an "athlete." And Tiger is one of the greatest athletes of all time. Period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hondo#17 Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Hale Irwin was a defensive back at U of Colorado. Had to be an athlete to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatcat255 Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 I would not watch golf on tv if it weren't for Tiger Woods. When he is not playing ... the announcers are dull, the style of play is dull, and there is nothing to entice me to watch. I hate the fact that he has brought in all those goofy pretend fans that yell, "GET IN THE HOOOOOOOOLE!" after every shot ... but even when he loses, the atmosphere is much better than normal. He makes shots that nobody else can make, he gets himself out of trouble that others can't, he provides a spark to the game that nobody else can, and he lifts the level of competition (and announcing) to another level. Even though it has transformed into a NASCAR-like sporting event, Tiger has resurrected the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETBU89 Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 I'm waiting for Tiger to hit that one shot which actually does go "IN THE HOOOOOOOOOOOLE!" - right into that idiot's piehole! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldogbacker Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I would not watch golf on tv if it weren't for Tiger Woods. When he is not playing ... the announcers are dull, the style of play is dull, and there is nothing to entice me to watch. I hate the fact that he has brought in all those goofy pretend fans that yell, "GET IN THE HOOOOOOOOLE!" after every shot ... but even when he loses, the atmosphere is much better than normal. He makes shots that nobody else can make, he gets himself out of trouble that others can't, he provides a spark to the game that nobody else can, and he lifts the level of competition (and announcing) to another level. Even though it has transformed into a NASCAR-like sporting event, Tiger has resurrected the game. .....and he often gets himself into trouble by trying to make ridiculous shots that he should never even try. I think he is the best ever, IMO but he could be even better if he would play consistently like he did at the last British Open he won, where he used his driver ONE time the entire 4 days!! He would be way more consistent without that club in his bag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjtwii Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 Just dont agree he is an athlete.... Here's the definition of athlete athlete - a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength agility - the power of moving quickly and easily; nimbleness So point out where Tiger has proved he is agile, strong, has high stamina?? It's golf, it doesn't matter how fast, quick, strong, or in shape one is.... Well, Tiger can bench press 450 pounds. So he definately has strength. Stamina? -> Try playing 91 holes on a broken leg and two torn ligaments in your knee. Now, I'm not saying he is the greatest athlete today, because he may not be. But you can't say that he isn't. Tiger has the best golf swing of all time and he is the greatest golfer of all time. You could argue, his numbers don't show that yet. Well guess what, he's 33. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjtwii Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 .....and he often gets himself into trouble by trying to make ridiculous shots that he should never even try. I think he is the best ever, IMO but he could be even better if he would play consistently like he did at the last British Open he won, where he used his driver ONE time the entire 4 days!! He would be way more consistent without that club in his bag. I agree. He could be better. And sometimes he shouldn't hit the driver. But Tiger is Tiger. And he likes testing himself. If he can win a tournament doing crazy shots he would much rather do that than take it easy. It's just how he competes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjtwii Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 Yes, it was amazing!!!!!!!!! The way he picked up that heavy tee and pushed it into the ground and then the coordination to make that little white ball sit on it without falling off - amazing... Then to really show off his strength, he pulled a 46" long club with a 90 gram shaft out of his bag - sheer power..... Then when he had to traverse those steep hills between the tee and the green for four days in a row - and never once fell down.... WOW... And then to really show off how far he'd come stamina wise, he carried his own clubs..... Unbelievable... Look, I played golf in college, so I know first hand it is a great game that is really fun to play and intensely addictive. But I will forever disagree that golfers are athletes. Maybe because when someone says athlete, I think Jordan, Brown, Jackson.... I think great agility, speed, power, coordination... So of Tiger is a great athlete, you also have to throw Padraig Harrington into the mix, he won both majors coming into the Masters - right.... Have you seen that guy try to walk and chew gum at the same time?? How about Cabrera - i bet he's fast???? Seen those guns on old Jim Furyk - stout???? The most ironic part of the whole argument is the fact that the guy who is supposedly such a great athlete is fighting injury... The performance in the Open furthers my point - name one other sport where the "athlete" could have won with a torn ACL and a fracture??? It takes so much more athleticism that in the other sports they would have been unable to perform at all, much less at a championship level.... Just because people say HE is an athlete doesn't mean that Cabrera is too. Or any other golfer (not saying none of them are.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlowJack Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Just dont agree he is an athlete.... Here's the definition of athlete athlete - a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength agility - the power of moving quickly and easily; nimbleness So point out where Tiger has proved he is agile, strong, has high stamina?? It's golf, it doesn't matter how fast, quick, strong, or in shape one is.... To me, an athlete is someone that excells in any sport he plays in-they're just naturally gifted, athletically. All I've ever seen Woods do is strike the golf ball (and strike it VERY WELL) so let's not call him the "greatest athlete". He is definitely at the top of HIS sport... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRISTLE Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/4192...on_getty300.jpg - TOM WATSON - Another great ATHLETE????? 59 years old, hip surgery.... Please, all of you Tiger great athlete believers, name one other sport where a 59 year old can produce such results - in a major no less. Can you imagine a 59 year old LB playing in a Super Bowl?? How about a 59 yr old pitcher throwing a complete game shutout in a world series.... WOW.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjtwii Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/4192...on_getty300.jpg - TOM WATSON - Another great ATHLETE????? 59 years old, hip surgery.... Please, all of you Tiger great athlete believers, name one other sport where a 59 year old can produce such results - in a major no less. Can you imagine a 59 year old LB playing in a Super Bowl?? How about a 59 yr old pitcher throwing a complete game shutout in a world series.... WOW.... Too bad the topic wasn't about a 59 year old as an athlete or not!!!! Or you would be spot on!!! :thumbsup: But I'm pretty sure we are talking about Tiger Woods here. And what a 59 year old does has absolutely nothing to do with whether Tiger is a great athlete or not. But good try though! :highfive: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blimblat Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 Tiger woods is the best athlete ever! No doubt he has already surpassed Michael Jordan, and who ever else they think can contend with those careers. Best mental game, Best performance under pressure i have seen any human perform. Chuck Norris wears Tiger Woods Pajamas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETBU89 Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 I just wish he showed better sportsmanship and self control. I am so tired of seeing his clubs "slip" out of his hands like that. I watched the entire British Open and no one else had that problem. When they showed the final collage of the tournament, he was always shown hitting the ball and then his club hitting the ground. He forgets the "gentleman" part of the game. Honestly, Tiger only beats himself. Once he loses control of his emotions, it is VERY difficult for him to win. Mentally, he loses it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjtwii Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 I just wish he showed better sportsmanship and self control. I am so tired of seeing his clubs "slip" out of his hands like that. I watched the entire British Open and no one else have that problem. When they showed the final collage of the tournament, he was always shown hitting the ball and then his club hitting the ground. He forgets the "gentleman" part of the game. Honestly, Tiger only beats himself. Once he loses control of his emotions, it is VERY difficult for him to win. Mentally, he loses it. I honestly don't know how you can say he loses it mentally. You are entitled to your opinion about what he does. But he is the most mentally strong athlete in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETBU89 Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 So that's why he didn't make the cut at the British Open ~ he was so mentally strong. **A little overdramatic, don't you think? "The most mentally strong athlete in the world"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjtwii Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 So that's why he didn't make the cut at the British Open ~ he was so mentally strong. **A little overdramatic, don't you think? "The most mentally strong athlete in the world"? Did Michael Jordan win every game? No. Did Roger Staubach win every game? No. You can't blame his mental toughness on one tournament. He has the 2nd most tournament wins and major wins in the history of the game and he is 33 years old. He won the Master's (if I'm correct) after losing his father. But he's not mentally tough :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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