Like fingers on a chalkboard.

That’s what it’s like to me when I listen to ESPN Radio’s Mike Golic talking about golf.  He butchers the “language” that we use in the game.

The Monday following the PGA Championship, he described Dustin Johnson’s final round, saying that it was amazing even after “he shot an 8 on the first hole.”  Shot an 8?  With a rifle?

And last year describing a getaway at Myrtle Beach, he said, “Oh, I’d love to GOLF Myrtle Beach.”

I immediately tweeted to him, “Golf is a noun!  Not a verb!’

Or is it?

Dictionary.com has classified “Golf” as a noun, but also as a verb if it us used as “the act of playing golf.”

So, what about other sports.  Would you say, “Let’s go tennis Wimbledon this year?”

I contend that it is only a verb if you add the letters “ing” to the word.  “Let’s go golfing today.” Not too hard, is it?  Unless you try another sport.  Racking the brain, I can only find one where you may add the “ing” to it like golf.

It can be just as lonely as golf, too.

Bowling.

Having said all of that, maybe the former football jock at ESPN isn’t totally wrong.  But, that doesn’t make him totally right either.   I contend that if you’re going to report the sport, use the sport’s lingo.  That’s all.

As my late father used to ask me EVERY day I came home from the course, “How many golf did you kill today? You did go shoot golf, right?”

By the way, Tiger Woods GOLFED a 64 yesterday at Greensboro.

Wonder how many golf he killed?

Epilogue (August 23, 2015): Showing Tiger yank his tee shot left on the Par 3 seventh hole at the Wyndham, the 7:00pm ESPN one of the SportCenter anchors said, “Here’s where the wheels came off for Tiger. He SHANKS his tee shot to the left.”

Someone stick a fork in me.  I’m done with these guys.