by onintwo 27 Replies latest jw friends
Ha! Just wondering if there is anything the WBTS could possibly say against this wonderful game. Probably the only knock would be that it's so addictive and it would take up all of your time. There goes field service. Oh, and money for green fees,.... that could be going into the Building Fund! .....Oh well, since the weather is so darn wet and cold and non-conducive to actually getting out and playing, I just thought I'd stir up the golfers who may be on this board.
Onintwo
Hi Onintwo!
Well, you realize shafts, balls and traps are involved. (Tee Hee Hee)
Welcome to the board!
The only position endorsed by the FDS is missionary. Good putting style but drives are a tad short of the pin....
carm
And you can only have one hole in one..
Where is the fun in that???
Not enough witness golfers to make an issue out of it. Maybe, just maybe an area has a number of golfers, it becomes a problem to some when the 'golf bug' sets in! Other than that, they would say, keep it in balance or under control.
Guest 77
Don't laugh, but I do recall an article some years ago (20 maybe) about a professional golfer that gave up the game because of the competitive nature of the sport. Also, it mentioned that you were hoping others playing would not play well since then you would be more likely to win.
You'll have to check you WT CD but there really was an article on it.
***** Rub a Dub
Yep, thats what they would say..LOLOLOLLOOLLL
No sense of humor whatsoever....and get to selling those mags!
Dear Brother Weakperson,
Just ask yourself, would Jesus have played golf?
Englishman.
-Would you rather hit a ball, or go the hall?
-The only iron you should use is the one you use to press your dress shirts for field service.
-Do you shoot for par...or jump in the field service car?
-When times in service get tough, do you shoot from the rough?
-Are you more concerned with hitting out of the trap, or going out in service distributing our CRAP?
Integ.
Why Is Golf So Popular? By Awake! correspondent in Hawaii MANY golfers from Japan fly here to Hawaii in search of the perfect swing. In Japan membership in the most elite golf club may cost $1.5 million, which does not even include the annual dues. The average club membership fee is presently about $188,500! Thus, only 15 percent of Japan's golfers play on a real golf course. Not content with hitting balls at local driving ranges, they come to Hawaii, where they are willing to pay as much as $100 for a round of golf-and consider it a bargain. Whoever it was that first hit a ball with a stick with the objective of putting it into a small hole in as few strokes as possible probably could never have imagined the kind of popularity and passion that this game would eventually generate. In Hawaii alone, there are 64 golf courses, among which is the Ala Wai, perhaps the world's busiest. In the United States, where golf is a $20-billion-a-year industry, 1 person in 10 plays at least one round a year, and there are 5.5 million people who play at least once every other week. It is no exaggeration to call it a boom, but why? What accounts for this popularity? How It Began Although no one is quite sure when or where golf got its start, it is known that a number of golflike games were played in Europe and Great Britain more than 500 years ago. However, it was in 1457 that golf was first mentioned as a game played in Scotland. The game, it appears, had become so popular that King James II felt the need to pass a decree to ban it so that his subjects could spend more time practicing archery, a skill needed for the defense of his kingdom. By 1744 a group of Scotsmen decided that it was time to organize this game, give it a set of written rules, and establish a golf club. Thus came into existence the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. Ten years later, another group of players at St. Andrews, Scotland, formed their own club, which later became known as the Royal and Ancient Club of St. Andrews, or simply the R. and A. It is considered by many the arbitrator of the rules and regulations for the game. In its early days, golf was played among the hills and dunes close to the seashore. This was done for practical reasons. Sheep and rabbits kept the grass short. Natural sand traps were formed where sheltering sheep wore down the topsoil to the sand beneath. Only the royalty and the rich could afford the expense and time to travel to these links, as they were called. It was definitely not a game for the common folk. In fact, one had to be rich just to afford the golf balls. The earliest golf balls were fabricated of bull's hide, tightly stuffed with chicken or goose feathers and hand stitched. They were expensive to make and did not last long. It was the discovery of the resin from the Palaquium gutta tree from Malaysia in 1848 that made it possible for a new, cheaper ball to be manufactured. This made golf more affordable, and the game soon became popular. Broadening Appeal In addition to the falling cost of golf balls and clubs, a number of other factors contributed to the broadening appeal of the game. The industrial revolution allowed the common folk more time and money to spend on recreation. The developing railroad made travel to the golf courses easier and cheaper, and golfers could even travel to and play on different courses. The invention of the lawn mower made it possible for golf courses to be built where it was formerly considered impractical because of tall grasses. People are attracted to golf for various reasons. It allows some the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and to get a little exercise at the same time. For others it is a chance to get away from the stress and strain of their daily routine and find a little peace and quiet on the fairways and greens. Still others enjoy the social aspect of golf-it is a game that people of different ages, backgrounds, and abilities can play together. And there is no violence attached to it. Still, part of the attraction of golf lies in the friendly competition made possible by keeping score. Contrary to the way most other games are played, in golf the lower the score the better. There are several ways to keep score. In match play, the player who puts the ball in the hole with the fewest strokes wins that hole, and the player who wins the most holes in the entire course wins the match. In score play, the player with the lowest total number of strokes for the whole course is the winner. With more people flocking to the courses, tournaments began to be held to determine who were the best players. At first, winners in the tournaments were awarded a medal. Later, prize money was added. Soon to come on the scene were the golf professionals, who made their living by playing from tournament to tournament and by representing a golf club as resident professionals. The Fever Spread In 1894 the U.S. Golf Association was established, and golf's popularity skyrocketed in America. With the advent of international travel, golf fever spread to other parts of the world. In time, air travel made it possible to stage tournaments all over the world, and today satellite television coverage has brought the excitement, as well as the scenic beauty of world-famous golf courses, into the living room. The golf boom has really taken off. And so has the size of the prize money; it grew from less than $10,000 per tournament in the 1930's and 1940's to well over $1,000,000 nowadays. Since the game of golf goes hand in hand with a beautiful setting, it soon became the centerpiece of many popular vacation spots. To lure the tourist dollar, most of the world's exotic resorts boast golf courses designed by architects. Real-estate developers also recognize the profit potential by including first-class golf courses as a prime attraction in their residential developments. Business Week magazine reports that 70 percent of the golf courses being built today are part of a real-estate development. Golf Hawaiian Style Today, Hawaii is a golfer's paradise with 61 more courses being planned. Even so, that may still not be enough to satisfy the demand, for as the present fitness-conscious generation ages and finds sports like jogging, tennis, and racquetball a bit too strenuous, many of them are making the switch to golf. For others golf is a good way to do business. The long walks or rides between holes allow plenty of opportunity for businessmen to make their deals. "It's given me five hours with clients I never would have had before," said a manager of a financial institution, who conducts most of her business on the golf course. Some even feel that it is a necessity to play golf well in order to advance and be accepted in the business world. Although most people associate golf with the rich and famous, public courses have helped to change that picture. They allow those who cannot afford to join a country club to enjoy the game. National statistics show that nearly half of the golfers in the United States are clerical or blue-collar workers. Residents of Hawaii, for example, can play on a public golf course for under ten dollars. Even though there may be less expensive ways to spend a day than on a golf course, for a golfer nothing quite equals the pleasurable sensation of hitting a ball with a well-placed swing and seeing it fly down the fairway onto the green. The peaceful atmosphere, the aroma of fresh-mowed grass, the manicured landscape, and the company of friends are all pleasant fringe benefits that enhance the business at hand-the pursuit of the perfect swing. July 8th 1992 Awake P21-22
