[Mark_Rowlinson]

From the Sand, Water and Trees post I am led back to the old challenge matches when a golfer would be challenged by an archer, a thrower or a footballer to get their ball/implement round the same course in fewer strokes/shots etc.  Of course there are compromises to be made, but in the early 21st Century which other sport would be likely to provide the most even contest between a golfer and an equally capable protagonist at any level between top professional and average amateur?

[JESII]

Riflemen.

[Kyle Harris]

Actually Jim, you have something.

Blackpowder rifles from the Civil War era had an effective range of about 300 yards.

The rifleman could set up a target as far down the fairway as he wanted. When he hits it, he moves to that spot and sets up another target - else he has to try again.

Each shot is a stroke.

[Mike Hendren]

Riflemen.

Nah.  That lost bullet penalty would eat them alive.

[Mike Hendren]

Mark,

After watching the reconstruction of the Battle of Crecy last evening on The History Channel,  I'd go with the longbowman.  The English longbowmen really took the French armored cavalry to the woodshed.

Mike

[JESII]

What, no free drop for embedded bullet? Would the one bullet rule be in force?

[JESII]

Mark,

After watching the reconstruction of the Battle of Crecy last evening on The History Channel,  I'd go with the longbowman.  The English longbowmen really took the French armored cavalry to the woodshed.

Mike

But could they chip and putt?

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Bogey - remember Jean  v d Velde at Carnoustie.  No contest.  But thanks for the suggestion.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Bogey - hadn't seen your Crecy post when I wrote the above - still nul points to the Grenouilles.

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

Actually Jim, you have something.

Blackpowder rifles from the Civil War era had an effective range of about 300 yards.

The rifleman could set up a target as far down the fairway as he wanted. When he hits it, he moves to that spot and sets up another target - else he has to try again.

Each shot is a stroke.

Using that theory would the golfer also have to hit his specific target or else replay the shot before he can advance.  Golf is a series of "misses" leading to a "make" hopefully eventually.

[Kyle Harris]

Nope, the golfer would play as normal.

A good rifleman can be pretty accurate. Actually... really accurate.

[Michael Moore]

Golf ball via slingshot.

[JLahrman]

Mark,

After watching the reconstruction of the Battle of Crecy last evening on The History Channel,  I'd go with the longbowman.  The English longbowmen really took the French armored cavalry to the woodshed.

Mike

Mike, what show was that?  About a year or two ago they had a great show called Decisive Battles that used video game technology to reenact the battles.  It was great stuff -- Teutoburg Forest, Chalons, Thermopylae, Gaugemela, Cannae (my favorite), etc.  I think I might have been the only person watching them though.

[Mike Hendren]

JAL,

The series is The Weapons That Made Britain.

Hosted by a medievil weapons guru who apparently stages battles / stunts for the movie industry.  Among other things, he tested the accuracy of the longbowmen at different distances, the pace at which the longbowmen could launch arrows versus the French hired mercenaries using cross-bows (2:1), and the time it would have taken for the French armored cavalry to cross the field of battle.  Riding at full gallop they would have been pelted with 60,000 arrows from the 7500 longbowmen during their 40 seconds charge, according to the tests conducted.  

Needless to say, the English opened up a can.

Mike

[Tom Huckaby]

 

But back then wouldn't it have been a pouch of flay-bottom?

 

It's a day for confessions.  I too watch that series, and all others like it.  My daughter already thought I was a complete dork.  When she catches me watching these war recreations, I rise (fall?) to utter geek-hood.

[Kyle Harris]

I... umm.... used to recreate said wars...

Well, the Civil War.

[Mike Hendren]

Tom,

Don't know about the pouch thing.  I did take military science at UT with a bunch of football players.  All we learned was how to read maps and crawl on our bellies like reptiles.

Mike

[Tom Huckaby]

Well Mike, those remain two VERY valuable skills, especially for the married man.

TH

[Mike Hendren]

The Arts & Crafts class was full, dadgummit.  I think they just doodled with Crayola's and made ash-trays from what I heard.

Mike

[RJ_Daley]

Growing up, I lived next to an old Bendelow 9 holer, NLE.  It was at the far south end of our city, and we neighborhood kids were more country than city.  We all had BB guns and bows and arrows.  Most of us had about 25-35# bows.  In the fall and spring, we would be out on the course basically shooting our bows at squirels that we'd never hit, etc.  Often, we'd just launch arrows into the air trying to hit the center of fairways.  

Now this proposition of Mark's makes me realise that we really missed out on the ultimate game.  We should have played the golf course exactly like golf.  It would require essentially the same number of long bow shots off tees to FWs, and aimed short shots to greens.  Once on a green, a short arrow would be used to shoot a tin can or something attached to the flagstick.  Misses would have to be shot again from the point that the arrow lands beyond the target.  Or, convert the arrow once on the green, to a frisbee and play frisbee golf from there.  

Darn, I wish I could go back to 10-12 years old and try that!

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