# Is Cycling/Mt Biking replacing golf as far as outdoor activities goes..



## RajunCajun44 (Aug 12, 2012)

Is biking replacing golf for outdoor activities ?

I hope so...

Mountain biking is the next ? Golf? | Singletracks Mountain Bike Blog

Golf Losing Up To One Million Players Annually | ThePostGame


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## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

If I could ride on the golf course, that would be awesome. Think of the pump track you could build.

Golf, on the other hand, uses a lot of mountain bike territory and not in a good way.


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## IFallDown (Mar 2, 2014)

MtbAZ44 said:


> Is biking replacing golf for outdoor activities ?
> 
> I hope so...
> 
> ...


YES!!!!!! Golf is dumb!!!!


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## Glide the Clyde (Nov 12, 2009)

Yep. Pretty much threw my bag of clubs into a back corner of my shed once I made cycling a lifestyle. That was 6 years ago.


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## Steineken (Dec 11, 2012)

Been mtb my wholr life but just started learning golf. Always said id pick it up when i got old and well i go 30 this week! 

Anyway im loving golf but i have to say cycling and mtb is as good for business. Made more connections on the bike than the golf course so i think its replacing golf in that aspect. 

We have a shut down course near me and its one of the funnest placest to ride ever! Natural step downs and lips everywhere. All the traps are grown over and make awesome jumps, best of both worlds!

Sent from my GT-I9192 using Tapatalk 2


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## MOJO K (Jan 26, 2007)

I'm going to take up golf when I'm too old to do anything fun.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

MtbAZ44 said:


> Is biking replacing golf for outdoor activities ?
> 
> I hope so...
> 
> ...


Those are 2007 - 2012 articles, and here's one from August 2014.

A Game of Golf? Not for Many Millennials - WSJ

Coincidentally we (my city, our IMBA chapter) have our bike park and some stalled single track on same property as city golf course. While the golf course committee has some struggles, we don't have a mountain bike community writing checks and giving time for their sport in the same way they do their gear.

With luck stalled single track expansion be behind us soon and awesome terrain too steep and deep for the golf course will be developed.

It's nice to have pump track, jump line a little single track and skills building features where the club house serves local beer.

Middleton Bike Park
Middleton Bike Park Pump Track Mountain Bike Trail, Middleton, WI
Pleasant View Trail Mountain Bike Trail, Middleton, WI

I wouldn't be too quick to say golf is dead, just not in the growth cycle it had. Road biking would sooner be the new golf than MTB riding.


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## 3ftabove (May 12, 2007)

I actually love golf, been back into it hardcore for the past year or so. Also, love biking, mostly for the adrenaline, but also for the same reasons... to be out in the nature and enjoy the good weather.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

3ftabove said:


> I actually love golf.... to be out in the [engineered and controlled] nature.


Fixed


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## John Kuhl (Dec 10, 2007)

What is golf?


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## CDK (Oct 1, 2013)

Golf is humorously expensive for what it is. I never understood why people spend so much to play it..
Riding a mountain bike (or any bike) is relatively cheap after the cost of the bike itself and is wayy more fun and exciting


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## Petti the Yeti (May 30, 2011)

Playing golf is great for if you just want a nice, relaxing day to goof around with some friends. Not all of my friends like cycling, but most will at least play a round of golf for shits and giggles. A game of "Best Ball" even means that you don't have to have any semblance of skill to enjoy playing, too. A $300 set of Walmart clubs is fine for me, and difference in cost of even a medium range bike means I could take those cheapo clubs to an 18 hole about 300 times, too.


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

How did the golf industry end up dying? Some thought that retired Baby Boomers would hit the links was part of it. But I think a big culprit had something to do with real estate market. Developers can sell houses for far more money if they back onto a golf course and the fancier the golf course, the bigger the premium. But not everyone who wants to live next to a golf course plays golf-so many courses sit relatively empty.

Some operators have cut back on watering and maintenance, allowing courses to exist in a more "natural" state. Others are grasping for new ways to sell to an audience, experimenting with faster-to-play courses and pay-as-you-go pricing. One course in B.C. is using eight-inch cups on the greens to make putting easier, while others propose going as big as 15 inches, roughly the size of a large pizza. One course is combining soccer and golf to appeal to kids who would prefer to kick a ball

Why Canadian golf is dying

I think a good compromise is mini-putt. Tiny courses low maintenance and a money maker... RIP golf


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

I'm also thinking I'll pick up golf when I'm older. 47 now, and still a few decades away from it with any luck.


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

Here's Robin Williams impression about golf RIP

NSFW... funny as heck 






BTW Robin Williams was an avid cyclist


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## gravitylover (Sep 1, 2009)

RIP Robin, gonna miss ya.

For me it's not like I'm giving up on golf but we spend so much on other things (like keeping the whole family properly geared up for mt biking) that there isn't much left for things like golf or skiing. For both of those sports it's the cost to do it after the gear purchase that is keeping us away.


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## Fleas (Jan 19, 2006)

In 2006 I quit my golf league to ride more. I've played once this year. I've ridden a lot more than that.

In NE Ohio there are more golf courses than most anywhere else (it's true - even with our terrible weather). Some of the nicest ones, with housing, have closed. One has been purchased by the local park system. Another may also be developed as a park. Others have been developed for housing. The rates have come way down (we played for $1/hole last Friday, with a cart). I AM hoping that MTBing literally replaces golf and they open some of that terrain as a bike park.

Golfing is where I got the idea of enduro racing a long time ago: timing each hole as riders ripped through the swooping terrain (my local home course has some awesome elevation, rocks, and drops!). I started a thread somewhere (maybe not here) called "Golf Course Racing". I couldn't seem to sell the idea at the time, and timing seemed to be the biggest issue, but now look how popular enduro is.

-F


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## Zomby Woof (MCM700) (May 23, 2004)

I never played golf anyway. It's too slow and boring. Not to mention you have to join a club and pay expensive fees. It doesn't cost anything to ride my bike. Of course you can spend a lot on a bike. But you don't have to pay to use it. And you can ride it around straight from home and don't neccessarily require a special place to ride. Except we need to take our mountain bikes to trails.


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## Brisk Eddie (Jun 23, 2014)

I'm 62 and have never had any interest in golf. It's hard enough trying to find the time for everything else I want to do, never mind a day-long game of sticks-n-balls.
Lots of my friends play, but have no interest in bikes, I guess it's too hard. Go figure.


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Keep all the stuffed shirts on the golf courses and off the bike trails.


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## Nail Every Trail (Sep 28, 2012)

I like biking, snowboarding and golfing with an equal passion.

I'm fiscally screwed!

I'll be the dead old guy who leaves nothing behind for his kids except a gear locker.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I needed a PE credit in college and took golf. It was a fairly quiet and soothing thing to do, just whacking balls at the range for a little while.

But actually going out on a real course? Screw that. First time out on a "public" course and the others golfers were inconsiderate ***** to me. That was about the same time I was just getting into mtb riding. Haven't looked back. I haven't touched a golf club since.


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## CDK (Oct 1, 2013)

That has been my experience with golfers.. Many years ago I worked on a golf course and prob 80% of the golfers were total arrogant *****.


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## RajunCajun44 (Aug 12, 2012)

It's funny to think there are folks out there that actually think it's a serious form of exercise... 

I will say that being fit helps your golf game.... But playing golf won't make you fit...


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

My take on golf... Anything you can do with a cigarette in your mouth is not a sport. 

This drives my mom crazy because she's a lifelong avid golfer.


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## chuckha62 (Jul 11, 2006)

I still play golf from time to time. I like it but it's not cycling, so I guess I could take it or leave it. Unfortunately I gave up tennis for my bike(s). I still like tennis, but never take the time to play anymore.


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## TwoHeadsBrewing (Aug 28, 2009)

I hope not, and I'll admit it's for selfish reasons. I'd hope that more people would mean more trails, but how much empty real estate is there really? Would existing trail systems become toned down and flattened to be made more accessible and "safe"? 

On the flip side, more people could mean a stronger push towards building trails, bike parks, and pump tracks. Wherever there is a large group of people with the same hobby, there's a hundred opportunities to capitalize on it. Maybe instead of golf memberships there'd be a lot more bike park memberships with tons of features, obstacles, pump tracks, and miles of single track.


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## Petti the Yeti (May 30, 2011)

NYrr496 said:


> My take on golf... Anything you can do with a cigarette in your mouth is not a sport.
> 
> This drives my mom crazy because she's a lifelong avid golfer.


By that logic, cycling must not be a sport either, because I see dudes ripping trails with smokes all the time. Hell, I watched a guy ride past my rest area with a freakin' corn cob pipe one time.


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## 53119 (Nov 7, 2008)

i think pumptracks have to be the next evolution to grow interest even before trails just because of accessibility. turn golf courses into pumptracks!


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## Petti the Yeti (May 30, 2011)

53119 said:


> i think pumptracks have to be the next evolution to grow interest even before trails just because of accessibility. turn golf courses into pumptracks!


I completely agree. I've been trying to get my local trail stewards interested in making pump tracks in the area. So far none of them have done anything.


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## 53119 (Nov 7, 2008)

^hopefully will be getting dialogue started with local city parks people as well. don't give up! pumptracks are the best teaching tools for new riders. anything from groms on bmx to adults discovering mtbs.


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

IFallDown said:


> YES!!!!!! Golf is dumb!!!!


What make you say that? I thought it was awesome. That's the main reason I went back to play this January, preparing my game for my 4 month old girl. It might not be as exciting as mountain bike but I don't think it's dumb. Why do you think it's dumb?



CDK said:


> Golf is humorously expensive for what it is. I never understood why people spend so much to play it..
> Riding a mountain bike (or any bike) is relatively cheap after the cost of the bike itself and is wayy more fun and exciting


Lord knows I own a few bikes, and more sets of golf clubs but add all of my clubs cost together is not even equal to one of my bike. It cost me $10-15 each time I go ride on gas alone on the weekend.

It's a sport like everything else, it cost money to participate. It's definitely the cheaper than biking, shooting, bowling, diving(sky and scuba), even cheaper than basket balls(do you know how much them shoes cost), gokart, etc. If you compare golf with riding fixie then I get it.

To those who say you'll pick up the game later, do it when you can. I'm on golf forums and many new members to the sport said practically the same thing, they wish they started earlier. I started young enough that after 10 years I could pick up the game and work my way back in relatively short time.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

53119 said:


> i think pumptracks have to be the next evolution to grow interest even before trails just because of accessibility. turn golf courses into pumptracks!
> View attachment 915256


There you go. Pump track, jump line, skills area & TTFs sharing same club house as the golfers.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/M...2!3m1!1s0x8807af50ff639561:0x8615df33ca438751



Petti the Yeti said:


> I completely agree. I've been trying to get my local trail stewards interested in making pump tracks in the area. So far none of them have done anything.


Tip: You have to do it yourself and be working with land managers.


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## CDK (Oct 1, 2013)

mimi1885 said:


> Lord knows I own a few bikes, and more sets of golf clubs but add all of my clubs cost together is not even equal to one of my bike. It cost me $10-15 each time I go ride on gas alone on the weekend.
> 
> It's a sport like everything else, it cost money to participate. It's definitely the cheaper than biking, shooting, bowling, diving(sky and scuba), even cheaper than basket balls(do you know how much them shoes cost), gokart, etc. If you compare golf with riding fixie then I get it.
> 
> To those who say you'll pick up the game later, do it when you can. I'm on golf forums and many new members to the sport said practically the same thing, they wish they started earlier. I started young enough that after 10 years I could pick up the game and work my way back in relatively short time.


So my logic is based on a convo with an old man avid golfer that I had last week.
We were talking about the new 15in holes that some courses are doing here and how ridiculous they are and how it just needs to be more affordable. 
He said that a good set of clubs costs $1500. (Which is right around the cost of a pretty decent mtn bike) And that this time of year in the Phoenix area maybe $40-$50 for 18 holes. That same course from Oct-April/Mayish will be at leased double that in cost. (this was for a normal nothing special course)

Me: I want the new 2015 Santa Cruz Chameleon R build. Its far from entry level and costs $2400. I will ride it 3 miles to the trails (which are free) and will keep it for probably 10 years =Way better value in my world


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

CDK said:


> So my logic is based on a convo with an old man avid golfer that I had last week.
> We were talking about the new 15in holes that some courses are doing here and how ridiculous they are and how it just needs to be more affordable.
> He said that a good set of clubs costs $1500. (Which is right around the cost of a pretty decent mtn bike) And that this time of year in the Phoenix area maybe $40-$50 for 18 holes. That same course from Oct-April/Mayish will be at leased double that in cost. (this was for a normal nothing special course)
> 
> Me: I want the new 2015 Santa Cruz Chameleon R build. Its far from entry level and costs $2400. I will ride it 3 miles to the trails (which are free) and will keep it for probably 10 years =Way better value in my world


I guess if you ride to the trail you can't beat the high labor and free $$$, sadly I don't live that close to the trail. The nearest trail to me is about 8-9 miles and I may have to ride thru questionable streets.

As for the cost of participation and equipments well, it's like any other sports, if you know what's good then you can get it cheap. I'm not talking eBay or CL, I'm talking reputable online store, or even manufacture pre-owned website.

I can pick up, which I did pick up a last year top shelf models clubs fill my set for less than $400, it would have cost $2000 retail.

A $40-50 round cost 20% less early in the morning and 50%or more less mid to late afternoon, so if you are on the budget and still want to play there are solutions, not to mention there are all kinds of online promotion you can just grab that would give you more than 50% off the green fee even on expensive courses($150+ per round)

I live 10 mins from my club and I can play and practice anytime I want for a fix price per month, what's not to like. Like cyclicious posted article, golf is dying the price is coming down like crazy. I'm not trying to convince you to give up biking and start golfing but it's not as expensive as you think.


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## xlash (Aug 6, 2012)

Complete no-brainer. 

- Cycling is way cheaper. You can get a bike from the police auction. 
- Cycling is good for your health and you can take it as extreme as you want it. 
- It isn't even bad for the environment unless you absolutely want it to be.
- It's a sport and a hobby. Lots of folks like working on their bikes: cleaning, polishing, fixing.
- You can cycle anywhere. You need a course or a warehouse to play golf.


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## dirt farmer (Mar 28, 2005)

Why, again, is mountain biking being mentioned in the same breath as golf?


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

xlash said:


> Complete no-brainer.
> 
> - Cycling is way cheaper. You can get a bike from the police auction.


Stop, stop! there, You've already won with that one I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy! What a come back.


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## shining_trapezoid (Mar 24, 2014)

Saying mountain biking is the next golf sounds really weird to me just cuz they're so completely different. Mountain biking is awesome, exhilarating, potentially dangerous and great exercise. In fact, almost any kind of cycling is like that. Golf is none of those things. I'll admit, I'm totally biased. I've always hated golf. I hate golf courses. I think they're a gigantic waste of land and resources. Trails require conservation, cooperation and sharing with other types of users (walkers, joggers, horses, dogs etc.). The best trails IMO are just skinny little paths out in the wilderness. Golf courses are the opposite of that. Maybe mountain biking could be compared to golf in the sense that there is always that part of the "scene" that's exclusive and expensive and there are guys on $5000 downhill bikes that pay for lift passes to use them, but that's not the first thing I think of when I think of mountain biking.
IDK. F*ck golf. That's what I think.


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## icecreamjay (Apr 13, 2004)

slapheadmofo said:


> I'm also thinking I'll pick up golf when I'm older. 47 now, and still a few decades away from it with any luck.


Bah, screw golf, I'm gonna take up fishing.


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

shining_trapezoid said:


> Saying mountain biking is the next golf sounds really weird to me just cuz they're so completely different. Mountain biking is awesome, exhilarating, potentially dangerous and great exercise. In fact, almost any kind of cycling is like that. Golf is none of those things. I'll admit, I'm totally biased. I've always hated golf. I hate golf courses. I think they're a gigantic waste of land and resources. Trails require conservation, cooperation and sharing with other types of users (walkers, joggers, horses, dogs etc.). The best trails IMO are just skinny little paths out in the wilderness. Golf courses are the opposite of that. Maybe mountain biking could be compared to golf in the sense that there is always that part of the "scene" that's exclusive and expensive and there are guys on $5000 downhill bikes that pay for lift passes to use them, but that's not the first thing I think of when I think of mountain biking.
> IDK. F*ck golf. That's what I think.


Not your finest moment there I guess.

Golf is like none of the things you have mentioned about cycling.

It's a the game of honor and pride, it's the only sport that the players pros and amateurs can call penalty on themselves, the practice that's still going today. It's the game that you can enjoy with your parents and your kids at the same time and still be competitive. It's been called by many the greatest game ever, why do you think that is?

Here's is the similarity between the two sports, both requires you to try hard not to try hard, stay relax is the key. Both utilize visualization, in the nutshell it using your skills to perform something you have not precisely done before but thru visualizing how you can do it, you do it.

Your view of the world outside your front wheel is mind numbingly narrow, I almost feel sad for you. I'll put you in our prayer tonight. C'est la vie.:thumbsup:

Go on I'll let you have the last word.


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## el poseur (Oct 17, 2010)

Sedona Bike & Brew Festival

Mountain Bike Race

Sedona, Arizona - Sedona Golf Resort - Arizona Golf Courses - Sedona Wedding Venue - Juniper Bar & Grille


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## CDK (Oct 1, 2013)

el poseur said:


> Sedona Bike & Brew Festival
> 
> Mountain Bike Race
> 
> Sedona, Arizona - Sedona Golf Resort - Arizona Golf Courses - Sedona Wedding Venue - Juniper Bar & Grille


That is sick! I wish I knew about it sooner. I would have been all over this


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## RajunCajun44 (Aug 12, 2012)

shining_trapezoid said:


> Saying mountain biking is the next golf sounds really weird to me just cuz they're so completely different.


That's not how I looked at it.. I think there are a lot of folks who just like getting outdoors and away from the house to do some sort of hobby... I know I enjoy getting outside...

And with obesity being a huge problem in the USA, I would think folks might gravitate towards an activity that would help them lose weight and keep it off..


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## RajunCajun44 (Aug 12, 2012)

el poseur said:


> Sedona Bike & Brew Festival
> 
> Mountain Bike Race
> 
> Sedona, Arizona - Sedona Golf Resort - Arizona Golf Courses - Sedona Wedding Venue - Juniper Bar & Grille


Let me get this straight... I'm going to travel to Sedona to ride on a golf course ?? too ridiculous for words...


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## Roaming50 (Apr 30, 2009)

Glide the Clyde said:


> Yep. Pretty much threw my bag of clubs into a back corner of my shed once I made cycling a lifestyle. That was 6 years ago.


Ha. I did that back in 1994 when I realized that I did not have the time for both golf and mountain biking. I still have the clubs in the attic but haven't used them in 20 years.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

mimi1885 said:


> It's been called by many the greatest game ever, why do you think that is?


Because the old ultra-conservative people that said that never really did anything exhilarating or adventurous in their life?


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

Jayem said:


> Because the old ultra-conservative people that said that never really did anything exhilarating or adventurous in their life?


Ha ha, true that, though best golfer of all time are not the ultra conservative, actually not even on tour, look up Titanic Thompson, the greatest proposition gambler.


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## shining_trapezoid (Mar 24, 2014)

mimi1885 said:


> Not your finest moment there I guess.
> 
> Golf is like none of the things you have mentioned about cycling.
> 
> ...


Oh take your condescending BS and shove it. And golf is not a sport. It's a game.


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## WHALENARD (Feb 21, 2010)

Wait....are we talking about bike polo?

That's seems fun.

Or at least the hippies on clunkers I saw doing it looked like they were having fun.

Then again they also seemed quite baked.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

I bet it really pisses off the golf die-hards how popular frisbee golf has gotten.


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

Are you kidding, I'm elated! less crowded.


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## shredeveryday (Aug 12, 2014)

golfing sucks how wants to waste their time playing golf when you could ride mountain bikes you got to risk it to get the bisket shure don't do that playing golf


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## Nuck Biker (Jul 3, 2014)

53119 said:


> i think pumptracks have to be the next evolution to grow interest even before trails just because of accessibility. turn golf courses into pumptracks!
> View attachment 915256


That is beautiful art. Where is that?


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

Hey shining_trapezoid, thanks for the neg rep and ****myself, I'd like to buy a vowel, and O. I'll solve the puzzle. Golf myself. Thanks. 

Join us anytime when you grow up yeah?


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## CDK (Oct 1, 2013)

mimi1885 said:


> Hey shining_trapezoid, thanks for the neg rep and ****myself, I'd like to buy a vowel, and O. I'll solve the puzzle. Golf myself. Thanks.
> 
> Join us anytime when you grow up yeah?


Haha
I guess i should also say that i have met a bunch of jerk offs on mountain bikes too. Im with you there someone needs to grow up.
Maybe ill get neg rep and a "golf myself" comment now


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## shredeveryday (Aug 12, 2014)

and maybe ill never golf and never think about it personal preference !!


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## shining_trapezoid (Mar 24, 2014)

mimi1885 said:


> Hey shining_trapezoid, thanks for the neg rep and ****myself, I'd like to buy a vowel, and O. I'll solve the puzzle. Golf myself. Thanks.
> 
> Join us anytime when you grow up yeah?


I don't need to grow up any more than you do with your condescending self-righteous attitude. You "feel sorry for" me and you're gonna pray for me cuz I don't like golf? What the f*ck ever.


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## 802spokestoke (Jun 20, 2012)

I think people like golf because it isn't very physically taxing and it gives them something to strive for (although it usually ends up being a bad tan and too many beers). I should know, I worked one summer at a golf course where I could also play for free. It took me the entire next summer to ride off the 20 pounds I put on being lazy and eating pizza afterwards because we were too sun-baked to do anything else. I don't see many of the people I interacted with there throwing away the clubs and buying a bike, ymmv. Thanks for the Robin Williams video! Too bad about that guy. Addiction/mental illness is f'd up. "Even the alligators are like, ahole!" HA HA HA! I know bikers like that too, though :eekster:


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

shining_trapezoid said:


> I don't need to grow up any more than you do with your condescending self-righteous attitude. You "feel sorry for" me and you're gonna pray for me cuz I don't like golf? What the f*ck ever.


If you think I'd do that because you don't play golf then you don't need a prayer, you need to stay in school. Well don't do drugs and please do us all a favor don't breed.

Not your finest day. No no.

Sent from my iPad mini using Tapatalk HD


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## shining_trapezoid (Mar 24, 2014)

mimi1885 said:


> If you think I'd do that because you don't play golf then you don't need a prayer, you need to stay in school. Well don't do drugs and please do us all a favor don't breed.
> 
> Not your finest day. No no.
> 
> Sent from my iPad mini using Tapatalk HD


That made zero sense.


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## Petti the Yeti (May 30, 2011)

bitflogger said:


> Tip: You have to do it yourself and be working with land managers.


The main problem my stewards have with the pump track idea is that 1: "It won't be popular here" and 2: "We don't have enough room on our land grant to expand with something like that"

I would be more than willing to dig a pump track, but finding a spot where it wouldn't be bulldozed within the week is an issue in my town..


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## procos (Jan 7, 2006)

Wow and I thought cyclist were cool and open minded. Man was I wrong. Close minded and arrogant is how I would describe a lot of the people on this thread.


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## 802spokestoke (Jun 20, 2012)

Why are mountain bikers all of a sudden cyclists? Yea, yea, in theory we ride bikes. Buuuut...I think there are many destinctions within the genres. You can wear many hats, but some people in the mountain bike community choose to avoid spandex, don't like dodging traffic, and enjoy a playful, if not tastless jab from time to time at the expense of golf and road riding. Put us in jail, I guess.


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## procos (Jan 7, 2006)

shining_trapezoid said:


> Oh take your condescending BS and shove it. And golf is not a sport. It's a game.


Golf is not a sport? Give me a break. You are obviously a closed minded idiot. I golf, cycle, snow ski, Wake surf, Wake board, grouse hunt, fish and play hockey. I wouldn't say any of these are more sports than the other. However since you aren't as well rounded you can go on saying things that are just stupid. And I'll keep playing golf at my country club, riding my Ibis Ripley, skiing Utah 3 times a year, Wake surfing behind my 2013 Malibu Wakesetter MXZ 24, grouse hunt behind my 2 setters, fish off my Whaler Outrage and play hockey with my buds.


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## procos (Jan 7, 2006)

shredeveryday said:


> golfing sucks how wants to waste their time playing golf when you could ride mountain bikes you got to risk it to get the bisket shure don't do that playing golf


Who is how?


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## 802spokestoke (Jun 20, 2012)

Your first two posts are rather contradicting.


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## Chester4 (Aug 12, 2014)

I know this won't stop the debate or whatever, but as someone who plays golf and now mountain bikes as well. I can see where people take enjoyment from both. For different reasons. You can say that playing golf isn't as physically demanding as mountain biking, and for 99% of cases you would be correct, but does that make it any less enjoyable for the people that find happiness in it, no.. I play golf when I need a nice relaxing day of outdoor enjoyment, and when I feel like pushing myself and getting a good workout as well as the enjoyment, I bike. Or let something else decide, if I want to drink beer while I'm out, I golf. No beer, bike. Got 4 hours of daylight left, golf. Only two hours until dark, bike.. Why does it have to be a one or the other thing..? I saw someone brought up the point of land use, and I may be alone on this, but my area has no shortage of trails to ride or golf course to play. So I don't see how one would benefit from the removal of the other. In fact my local golf course is literally a 60 second drive from the trailhead of my favorite trail, but I seriously doubt the closing of the golf course would draw any new riders or attention to the trail. And the comments on the money required to golf vs bike. It all depends on what you WANT to spend, just as I'm sure you all know that you don't have to buy a $5k bike to downhill, you don't have to have a $2000 set of clubs to play, I'm a broke college student and I have the time and money to golf and ride a couple times a week each.


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## shining_trapezoid (Mar 24, 2014)

procos said:


> Golf is not a sport? Give me a break. You are obviously a closed minded idiot. I golf, cycle, snow ski, Wake surf, Wake board, grouse hunt, fish and play hockey. I wouldn't say any of these are more sports than the other. However since you aren't as well rounded you can go on saying things that are just stupid. And I'll keep playing golf at my country club, riding my Ibis Ripley, skiing Utah 3 times a year, Wake surfing behind my 2013 Malibu Wakesetter MXZ 24, grouse hunt behind my 2 setters, fish off my Whaler Outrage and play hockey with my buds.


You are obviously a complete douche bag. You don't know anything about me or how "well rounded" I am. You can go on bragging about how many expensive toys you have but it doesn't make you any better than anybody else and it doesn't make golf a sport.

As somebody already said, if you can do it with a cigarette hanging out of your mouth, it's not a sport. A lot of golfers are total fat-as$es. Swinging a club and sitting in a cart while getting drunk is just sort of a weird activity that I'm sure some people like doing. I have just as much of a right to dislike it as you do to like it.

I think it's pretty funny how many people get defensive and get their panties in a bunch when somebody says they don't like golf. If golf is a sport, then so is croquet, pool/billiards, chess, Tetris...


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## jjaguar (Oct 6, 2011)

Petti the Yeti said:


> By that logic, cycling must not be a sport either, because I see dudes ripping trails with smokes all the time.


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## 802spokestoke (Jun 20, 2012)

I smoke a pack a day. (Trust me I'd love to quit.) I'm good for about a 10 mile ride with 2k vert. Sprinting on the otherhand, I'm toast.


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## CDK (Oct 1, 2013)

Smoking cigarettes is nasty and pointless. Just quit if you really want to all you have to do is decide to stop. Yep its that easy


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## Zomby Woof (MCM700) (May 23, 2004)

Although I never played golf and find it boring, I did like the movie "Caddyshack". It had some real good laughs and didn't require you to be a golfer to enjoy it. But I never bothered with "Tin Cup".


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## Ladmo (Jan 11, 2013)

I think golf has a couple things working against it. Many people think it costs too much money for what you get out of it, and it takes a large chunk of your day to participate in. With all the competition for people's limited disposable income and time, this activity doesn't measure up in many people's minds. 

Mountain biking, on the other hand, is a growing activity because people see it as a good value relative to cost and time commitment. 

It isn't whether golf costs more or less than other activities, and it isn't whether golf takes more or less time than other activities. It is that the cost and time commitment of participating in golf isn't winning out with the public relative to other activities that complete for people's money and time.


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## Fleas (Jan 19, 2006)

We (the MTB contingency and the park managers) had a great argument about the "impact" of MTB trails. They were asking about ongoing maintenance (valid question), but then someone on their side began ignorantly citing "habitat fragmentation", "erosion", and "sediment loading" baloney where it did not apply.
Then we asked to compare MTB trail construction, impact, and maintenance to all the golf courses they managed.
...and what those maintenance costs (hours, equipment, manpower, materials) were.
...and what was their impact in herbicides and pesticides released into the environment.
...and what is their actual utilization in users per acre of impact area.

We have a LOT more trails these days.
I'm waiting for the fiscal reality to set in, at which time someone will cut the budget and one their golf courses will be allowed to return to its natural state and no longer be a golf course. Then maybe it will have a bike trail.

-F


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

CDK said:


> Smoking cigarettes is nasty and pointless. Just quit if you really want to all you have to do is decide to stop. Yep its that easy


Yes, you are absolutely correct, the best way to stop smoking is just stop. I try to reduce quantity, not working til the night I found out that my wife is pregnant, I tossed the pack and have not smoke since.

Disclaimer below:


802spokestoke said:


> I smoke a pack a day. (Trust me I'd love to quit.) I'm good for about a 10 mile ride with 2k vert. Sprinting on the otherhand, I'm toast.


Best way is just stop. I vape e-cig now, believe me it works. I change my smoking habit when I start vaping, now I do it so little it's almost like only smoking one a day. PM me if you have any question.

I remember posting about mountain bike riding on some golf forum, most people have positive respond, and the negative ones are more like time constraint. It's a surprise to me that some here have more negative view of other sport outside mountain biking.


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## IFallDown (Mar 2, 2014)

mimi1885 said:


> What make you say that? I thought it was awesome. That's the main reason I went back to play this January, preparing my game for my 4 month old girl. It might not be as exciting as mountain bike but I don't think it's dumb. Why do you think it's dumb?
> 
> Because I suck and it makes me look bad. Now having said that am I not allowed my own opinion? I am happy you enjoy it, good for you! then again its your choice.


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

IFallDown said:


> Because I suck and it makes me look bad. Now having said that am I not allowed my own opinion? I am happy you enjoy it, good for you! then again its your choice.


Holly crap! thanks for your honesty. It's brutal.


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## Mookie (Feb 28, 2008)

I'm actually surprised at the strong opinions being expressed about golf here. I play golf, albeit less now and only sporadically. Here are some of my thoughts on golf.

It's an outdoor activity, beats sitting on your butt in front of the TV.

You can make it as cheap or expensive as you want. You can get a decent set of entry level clubs for probably around $300.00 new, probably less if you buy used. 

You don't have to belong to a club to play. Green fees vary widely but you can go to a municipal course and pay less than $30.00.

At the courses I go to most of the folks are regular joes. Everybody is friendly and courteous. The rate of Dbaggery is no more or no less than what I see on the trail.

Is it a workout in the same way that running or cycling is? No. Does it have to be to be a workout to be a legit outdoor activity? No. However it's a bit more of a physical activity than you might realize. We always walk the course and after 9 holes you've walked between 1.5 and 3 or more miles, depending on yardage. Since when is that a bad thing?

Most important, it's fun. Why bust on people who are merely going outside to enjoy themselves, doing something they like?


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## RajunCajun44 (Aug 12, 2012)

Mookie said:


> We always walk the course and after 9 holes you've walked between 1.5 and 3 or more miles, depending on yardage. Since when is that a bad thing?


I thought walking was frowned upon or not allowed... and even if it was allowed, I think most golfers would use a cart..


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

MtbAZ44 said:


> I thought walking was frowned upon or not allowed... and even if it was allowed, I think most golfers would use a cart..


LOL, it not frowned upon. We love to walk, we can use push cart or some of us use drones to carry the clubs around and when caddies are not available to carry us around.


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## Mookie (Feb 28, 2008)

MtbAZ44 said:


> I thought walking was frowned upon or not allowed... and even if it was allowed, I think most golfers would use a cart..


It depends on where you go. Most country clubs require carts whereas most municipal courses don't (although some do). Other public courses may or may not require carts. I've never experienced an anti walking vibe or pressure to use a cart at those courses that don't require them.


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## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

I always said I would take up golf when I hit 80. Now even that sounds too young.


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## falconpunch79 (May 30, 2012)

I hope airlines start treating bikes like golf equipment when it comes to baggage fees. For some reason golf equipment is exempt from oversize/overweight fees on Alaska Airlines, but not bikes.


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## roc865 (Jun 29, 2009)

I got into golf for a few years and took some lessons. Once I was playing a full 18 for a few years, I realized how much I hate golf after the 9th hole.


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## Eddie88 (Jun 21, 2014)

I like golf most when I'm back at the clubhouse enjoying a burger and beer and watching the golf babes.


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## ratskrad (Jun 13, 2014)

Went out yesterday with my 25 year old son and played golf for the first time since 1988. Had fun but am not sure if I am ready to pick the game back up again, I figured I have 15 or so years to wait until I am 70 to really start playing. I am more then happy riding 3-5 times and week in the summer and skiing 3-5 time a week in the winter.


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## thegock (Jan 21, 2014)

CDK said:


> Haha
> I guess i should also say that i have met a bunch of jerk offs on mountain bikes too. Im with you there someone needs to grow up.
> Maybe ill get neg rep and a "golf myself" comment now


Hey shining_trapezoid, thanks for the neg rep and ****myself, I'd like to buy a vowel, and O. I'll solve the puzzle. Golf myself. Thanks.

Join us anytime when you grow up yeah?

I just don't get when posters start cursing on a forum. 'Grow up' is a start.

I like mtb, road biking, golf, snowboarding and ultimate, but at age 59 I don't play much ultimate, which I prefer. I like mtb best but snowboarding is great and road biking is fun, too.

Golf, for me, requires a lot of time to play and practice. It's more fun when you are in the seventies or eighties rather than triple digits for 18 holes.

Please let me know which of these is a sport.


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

Eddie88 said:


> I like golf most when I'm back at the clubhouse enjoying a burger and beer and watching the golf babes.


Usually join by these ladies at the club house


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## CHIEF500 (Aug 30, 2012)

Been biking for the past 3 year, I have dropped lbs and reacquired the addiction that I had with running prior to back surgery in 200. Golf had gone by the way side over the past 5 years. Biking has moved into one of my passions right behind surf fishing.


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## andytiedye (Jul 26, 2014)

Certainly mountain biking was the principal after-work social sports activity when I was working in Santa Cruz a while back, while golf was played by noone. Alas, I could not ride with them as they were far beyond my skill level.


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## H0WL (Jan 17, 2007)

About 10 years ago, I rode a trail at Tapatio Springs (golf resort and development) west of San Antonio, TX. As I was riding along a section of trail with a 15 or 20 ft drop off on one side, I looked down to see a perfectly coiffed woman in bermuda shorts and polo shirt tapping in a putt on a perfectly manicured green. She was very fit and spending time outdoors, so there is no criticism implied. I just smiled at the different realities.

Apparently a major portion of that Tapatio trail system has fallen to housing development at the resort.

In the past, golf was considered as a critical element of creating bonds among businessmen, so likely there were men out there playing who detested the game, but felt obligated to play. Idle speculation here, but perhaps the advent of computers, email, social media has changed that paradigm or simply a different generation of businessmen.



Rev Bubba said:


> I always said I would take up golf when I hit 80. Now even that sounds too young.


Yah, an ex boyfriend (60+ at the time and who introduced me to mtn biking) claimed he'd absolutely definitely take up golf when he hit 90.


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## philip5296 (May 15, 2014)

Agreed. I used to play golf not so much because I really liked it. On the contrary I thought it was boring mostly. But it was good for business. 

Now I mountain bike the local single track about 5 days a week and don't golf at all. I don't see myself going back to golf anytime soon. Those guys are snobs anyway, mostly (and for what reason I'll never be able to guess). Never met a snobby mountain biker. They either don't have anything to say or they're very friendly. Not much in between has been my experience.


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## procos (Jan 7, 2006)

philip5296 said:


> Those guys are snobs anyway, mostly (and for what reason I'll never be able to guess). Never met a snobby mountain biker. They either don't have anything to say or they're very friendly. Not much in between has been my experience.


First of all that is a huge blanket statement to say those guys are snobs. I am amazed. I have met plenty of snobby mountain bikers as well as golfers but to use a blanket statement and refer to all golfers as snobs is irresponsible.


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## philip5296 (May 15, 2014)

LOL! You used a blanket statement to snub my blanket statement? "...plenty of snobby mountain bikers..."

Who cares bro. This is just a chat forum and you know what they say about opinions; mine included. Go ride your bike. (-:

Anyway the point I was interested in making is that mountain biking appears to be much less "elitist" than golf and certainly more inclusive of a wider spectrum of society. I enjoy this aspect of the sport and have had many positive interactions with fellow enthusiasts.

Furthermore, speaking to the string topic; I used to play golf. Now I ride a bicycle. That is all. Thanks.


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## H0WL (Jan 17, 2007)

Also, in the advertising world, golf used to be a main "go to" image to represent active older adults. I've noticed now that advertising uses active older adults riding bikes, usually some kind of hybrid or cruiser, but at least they are on bikes and turning the cranks. They also usually look like they have been dosed with some kind of happy pill (Valium and speed maybe?) for the photo shoot, but that's a whole different story.


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## BobbyWilliams (Aug 3, 2004)

Oh come on guys, mountain biking is still a small niche sport, especially compared to something like golf. No you want to know what is going to replace golf? The big and growing sport of Curling! There are curling clubs cropping up and Monday morning around the water cooler at work its clear everyone is bragging about their stone placement in the last game they played that weekend. 

Sure you have to join a club like in golf but its not that expensive, there is no real equipment cost as the stones belong to the club. The land impact is minimal since its played inside. And you want to get some exercise? Try sweeping harder!

Yep, definitely Curling is going to be the nail in Golf's coffin! Mountain biking is fun and all, but its really not all that mainstream. Tell the average person you mountain bike and they will ask if you have been out to rail trail.


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## H0WL (Jan 17, 2007)

Hurry hard to a bonspiel, my friend. 


BobbyWilliams said:


> Oh come on guys, mountain biking is still a small niche sport, especially compared to something like golf. No you want to know what is going to replace golf? The big and growing sport of Curling! There are curling clubs cropping up and Monday morning around the water cooler at work its clear everyone is bragging about their stone placement in the last game they played that weekend.
> 
> Sure you have to join a club like in golf but its not that expensive, there is no real equipment cost as the stones belong to the club. The land impact is minimal since its played inside. And you want to get some exercise? Try sweeping harder!
> 
> Yep, definitely Curling is going to be the nail in Golf's coffin! Mountain biking is fun and all, but its really not all that mainstream. Tell the average person you mountain bike and they will ask if you have been out to rail trail.


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## eugalc (Nov 15, 2008)

Golf's okay, but mountain biking is better, at least for me. I am kind of retired from golf. It was fun for a while, but it got frustrating in that as much as I played, my expectations, which I guess were too high, always exceeded my abilities.

As for attitudes, I probably saw more on the course than the trails. Maybe this was fueled by alcohol? Too many times while golfing I remember having some obnoxious group breathing down our necks and getting huffy on the links because we were playing too slow, even though there was usually a group in front of us five putting and lining up all of their putts, even 1-foot gimmes. To create distance from these clowns we would usually wave them through, then laugh as they crumbled at the tee box with an assortment of slices out of bounds and 100 yard dribblers barely getting by the ladies tee. There are a lot of really bad golfers out there.


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## doctock993 (Jun 23, 2009)

Maybe if I had started golfing at 9yo so that I would have a well honed and consistent swing I would have enjoyed it far more than I did when I tried to learn in my 30's. I found it to be extraordinarily frustrating to be any "good" at golf.

I lived for 4 years on a 27 hole course that I never played, while a very nice set of Calloway clubs gathered dust.
I finally sold the clubs and used the money to help fund my first mountain bike.
Haven't looked back since...


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## Roy Miller (Sep 19, 2007)

For those who don't know Curling is the biggest party going


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## Roy Miller (Sep 19, 2007)

*And not Or!*

I ride up to 200 days a year and golf about 20 times a year. I can remember saying that I'd play golf when I got older but after cycling for the past 25 years I don't seem to be much older. Golf in the winter in the PNW isn't so good so we ride and ski. People seem to have a lot of hostility and a need to be part of the something better. I't just a different way to spend your day. Tuesday is my favorite day of the week. Golf with my brother, then a club ride with my roadie friends and finally some well earned post ride beer. My time on the bike is split 70% dirt and 30% road. We're budget golfers, sometimes only paying $13 a round. People are drifting away from golf because is is very difficult to play well. *Eugalc*. Expectations are your biggest enemy on the golf course. You need to attain a Zen like state to play well. That's why the guys playing thru screw up so much (extra pressure). All activities are better when done away from the hordes. Back Country skiing is awesome because of the solitude.


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