Forrest:
I played at Carnoustie last weekend with three locals. the temperature was 4 degrees centigrade and the wind was blowing at 15 to 20 mph. Along with a sweater, shirt and heavy pants I was wearing a coat, knit cap, golf mittens (a great invention by the way). We all carried and walked.
Walking was essential because as the game in Scotland is played year round, the only way to keep warm (underneath all of the wool I was wearing I was sweating) and keep loose, the brisk walk made it all possible as well as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And yes, even an American can play a round on Saturday morning teeing off at 11:00 and finish in 3 hours 25 minutes.
Thread #2 - golf is a sport (if played without a cart it requires physical exercise and stamina) and it's a game (wind, quirky bounces, blind shots, no yardage markers and all the rest that cannot or should not be controlled, fuel our passion for this great game).
Bill