There has been plenty of controversy over steroids in some of the other major sports. Are golfers using too?
The game of golf has been around for at least 500 years but reached great popularity in the United States in the early 1920’s. Golf is a game where special clubs are used to hit a small ball from a starting point through a series of holes in as few strokes as possible.
As with any physically taxing sport, the question of steroid use will arise. Although there are no substantiated cases of steroid use in Professional Golf, many players say it is a very real possibility. Use of steroids in other sports and the insistence of medical experts that steroids enhance performance, have many believing that steroids will inevitably reach pro golf.
Although golf is considered a sport of mental endurance it requires a certain amount of physical ability. Let’s face it, the stronger the individual, the more power they could put into a swing. Steroids, being performance enhancing drugs and muscle builders, could in fact give any athlete an advantage in a sport where power and stamina was needed.
Mark Twain defined golf as “A good walk spoiled”. Golf requires a person to walk in start stop periods through a course of at least 9 holes and this walk can be very taxing on the knees and back of the athlete. Building stamina through steroid use could be said to help with this but then again, this would require the athlete to seek medical attention and the doctor would have to prescribe legal steroids. These steroids however are not to be prescribed for muscle enhancement.
In all actuality, steroid use in golf is about as likely as steroid use in chess. Golf is still considered a gentleman’s sport and although some rumors have found their way into locker rooms and country clubs, there is no known steroid use in golf. It is also highly unlikely that a professional golfer would resort to the use of steroids, not only because of the Doping Law in sports but also because steroid use does not improve agility or skill, the 2 most important factors in golf.
While some athletes persist in taking steroids, believing that they provide a competitive advantage, the fact is that steroid use in sports is illegal can cause serious life threatening physical and psychological side effects.
No related posts.
Wed, Feb 11, 2009
Information About Golf