Other than professional bass fishing, it would seem that golf should be the most boring spectator sport for those who aren't personally involved. Yet I began to appreciate golf at a pub that had numerous sports available for viewing.
My own sport is soccer. But I wouldn't watch any random game, merely because I was bored. Part of the reason is that I've played it for so many years that watching it has lost excitement. If I have some interest in the specific teams, or if it is the late rounds of a major tournament, then I watch soccer.
I don't watch most other sports. Not being tall or beefy, I cannot relate to basketball or (American) football. Simply put, I cannot imagine myself out there, doing that. It is the same with baseball or tennis; although I could stand out there, I could not possibly take the competition. Auto racing is out of the question.
At this point, let me interrupt this post. Sitting next to me is a young man with a cellular phone, conducting a loud conversation, facing in the direction of others who can overhear all that he has to say, even if they are listening to hard rock on headphones. So, if this post lacks some coherence, it is because I cannot hear myself think. I can, however, tell you a lot about the recent adventures of the man with the phone.
Back to golf. Even at the level of professional competiton, I can visualize myself out there, doing that. Of course I wouldn't have a low score. Nevertheless, I can tee up a ball, hit it down the fairway, and after several shots get to the green, after which I can eventually sink a putt. It would not necessarily take me much longer, in terms of time, than it would take a professional golfer. That is, I could get in two bad whacks in the time it would take a pro to analyze the situation and get in one good whack.
I know whereof I speak. My undergraduate degree was from a Canadian university. When I returned to the USA, I applied for a position that required a degree from a US university, "or equivalent." They wanted me, but my Canadian degree was not "equivalent" to the local state university standard, since I hadn't taken a course in physical education.
So I asked the powers that be, "Are you saying that whether or not you hire me for this position depends on whether or not I took gym six years ago?" and they said "Yep."
No problem. I meandered down to the local state university, and found a short course in PE that wasn't full and allowed me to work at my own pace. The course was golf. In addition to enrollment, I had to pay a greens fee at the nearby 9-hole course, which is why enrollment was low. Clubs were provided.
I paid my money, and showed up at the course. Alas, they did not have any left-handed golf clubs. Never mind, I told them. Rather than pretend to learn how to strike a ball using right-handed drivers, I would settle for just a putter. My obligation was to work my way around the course a number of times. How I did it did not matter.
So it was that I repeatedly played the 9-hole course using only a putter. I would tee the ball, whack it with the putter, than run after it as it rolled down the fairway. When it stopped, I would whack it again. It was more like field hockey than golf. But those are the rules: nobody says that you have to use a particular club.
Needless to say, I never went into the rough, or the water, or the sand traps. I'd get to the green in maybe 6 shots, then sink the ball in one or two more. When I was young, I used to play miniature golf a lot. So I knew how to putt. In fact, I would typically finish the course faster than did other students who had a full set of clubs. Yes, I did get the college credit, and did get the job.
That's why I like to watch televised golf. Maybe I cannot drive the ball down the fairway like that. But most of the excitement occurs when the ball gets near the green. I can visualize myself out there, right beside the famous names, doing that. When Tiger Woods sinks a putt (or misses one), I know that I might have sunk it (or missed it) myself. Maybe not with the same probability; yet it would be a lot more probable than hitting a major league pitch in baseball, or slam-dunking a basketball.