I wouldn't go as far as to say that bowling isn't a sport but golf is definately ALOT harder to learn than bowling is.  I would probably go as far to say that golf is the toughest sport to fully learn and understand that you'll find.  Bowling is simple compared to golf.  I'm not knocking bowling I love the game and enjoy every minute of it but I can see where Rhome is coming from... he just took it too far.  He just does that to get reaction out of people just like dissing "neckcar" all the time lol.

Ummm, I agree with the first poster.

or very close.  

220 league is similar to 75 everyday!

Rome,He's an a**.

Also golf unlike any other sport is MORE technique specific!!!!

In other words because of the ball on the ground and only a 1/4 inch leeway up or down to hit the ball solid, many of the same things done in other sports(idiocyncrasies) cannot be gotten away with in golf!

For example we have bowlers who slide on the wrong foot and average over 200, some near 220 and over.  In tennis the game has players that swing up on the ball(topspin), try that in golf!  Or swing down on the ball, chopspin.  can do that a little in golf.  But in general one must finish on the front foot to break 75(anyone ever see anyone finish on wrong foot and break 85?) also one must swing on the downswing on the same plane or lower than the plane of the backswing.  In bowling I've seen not a ton but quite a few good bowlers bounce out on their downswing and still average over 220.

Summary, golf requires some absolute technique things to break 75 bowling really does not until one gets to the 230 range!

REgards,

Luckylefty
If you can't shoot 78 in golf you just haven't gone thru my training regime!!

I've taken and taught guys to break 80 in their first summer!!  Also took a woman and had her break 45 on her first ever 9 holes on a course!!!
Jim Rhome call me for lessons!  I can help, 78 here you come!!!


Edited on 2/23/2004 11:04 PM

I love bowling and I really wish it was possible to put it on the same scale as golf but it'll never get there.  Golf is just so darn spectator and sponsor friendly.  Courses make millions a day in revenue for a PGA event because of the size of courses and the way they can accommodate so easily.  Then because there is hundreds of thousands of spectators sponsors totally flip over the events.  That's why almost every PGA tour winner can offer a purses of 4+ million dollars.  You just can't have anything near that with bowling unless you started putting lanes in the middle of football fields and even then who would pay to sit in a nose bleed section of a stadium to watch dot throw roll a small dot down a thin strip and knock down some other dots lol.  

I know this doesn't really follow the topic of the post all that well but I figured I would add this because it does have baring on why some people don't consider it a sport or atleast a serious one.  It's sad but it's the truth and something we have to accept.  That's why I'll never get serious enough with bowling to try to make the PBA tour and why I am going to start trying for my PGA tour card in the next couple years.

Bowling is still an easier game to learn no matter how anyone looks at it.  For Rhome to say it wasn't a sport was idiotic but that's why he has his job... he keeps people interested either by pissing them off or making them laugh.

We can argue all day about which is easier to learn but there are just too many variables.  Although anyone who claims bowling is just as hard to learn as golf is sadly mistaken.  I have had more than enough experience in both to make this judgement and I'm not trying to say bowling is easy and anyone can do it because we all know that's not true.  What I am saying is you can't compare golf to any other sport in terms of learning the game.



EDIT - And Lefty... In the senario you stated 12 shots in golf would be an AVERAGE score(par is considered to be average or the score that you should normally have on the hole).  12 shots in a game of bowling would be a PERFECT game.  That isn't an even comparison IMO.

Edited on 2/23/2004 11:17 PM