A Good Walk Spoiled: On the Disappearance of Golf as an Active Sport in America

摘要

The introduction of the motorized golf cart in the 1950s inaugurated changes that gradually have transformed golf from a traditional leisure time activity and competitive sport into a relatively inactive recreation. Because only a relatively minor portion of societal infrastructure is designated for activities, these changes in a sport that, in land mass, possibly occupies the largest share of this designated property have considerable implications both for the health of the country and for future structural considerations. There seems to be little doubt that environmental build affects human behavior, particularly physical activity, and that there has been a gradual exit of some aspects of this environment in the past century that has contributed to the lack of activity in the public (15,38). Land use and design policy are, as a result, receiving attention recently as a means of addressing these losses (20). Golf, therefore, provides a direct means of assessing the link between the built environment, physical activity, health, and safety.