Player drops the other shoe

[LobWedge]

Looks like the dew is off that lily. Here we go!

http://www.tsn.ca/golf/news_story/?ID=213925&hubname=

[Txxxxxxx]

Looks like two of the most prominent golfers in the game right now think he's full of it. Not to take anything away from Player's ability to play golf, but this man has been out of the mix for a long time now. I'd take Phil or Tiger's word over his any day.

Not to mention, if he "took an oath", why is he all of a sudden talking about it? Maybe he hasn't had any attention lately and is in need? I'm confused by his comments.

[spackler]

Player has more pelts on the wall than Mickelson, and as the first golfer to stress fitness as a major part of the game, he certainly would be somebody who would have an informed opinion. As captain of the president's cup international side, he is still very connected to the professional game. Besides, he's just reporting what someone has told him. A player has informed him directly that he has used steroids. Why doubt him?

[NoBack]

Player has more pelts on the wall than Mickelson, and as the first golfer to stress fitness as a major part of the game, he certainly would be somebody who would have an informed opinion. As captain of the president's cup international side, he is still very connected to the professional game. Besides, he's just reporting what someone has told him. A player has informed him directly that he has used steroids. Why doubt him?

I would agree.
You would have to be naive to think it does get used in the golf community

[Shivas Irons]

, if he "took an oath", why is he all of a sudden talking about it? ... I'm confused by his comments.

Me too.
I don't think Player fabricated the story, but why talk about it in a press conference if you 'took an oath'?

[Txxxxxxx]

Player has more pelts on the wall than Mickelson, and as the first golfer to stress fitness as a major part of the game, he certainly would be somebody who would have an informed opinion. As captain of the president's cup international side, he is still very connected to the professional game. Besides, he's just reporting what someone has told him. A player has informed him directly that he has used steroids. Why doubt him?

Like I said, not taking anything away from the man's achievements, but it seems like he's started a media circus. I don't see how he thought this would be good for the game or the players. Now they're all going to have to answer steroid questions from reporters.

I'm just not a fan of people hanging out other people's dirty laundry. I don't think it's very professional.

[hello_world]

i brought this up on the board a few weeks back. beleive me, it will become a problem...

[big mac]

I agree with EG---we are now going to hear this and that for the next whatever---I am sure they are being used by someone somewhere but it was real nice not to have to listen to on every Sat and Sun.

[PEI Golfing]

Its going to be an interesting President's Cup, with Player Team Captain for the International squad. Bet there will be "lots" of questions from reporters regarding his "on the juice" statements.....................

[jonf]

Like I said, not taking anything away from the man's achievements, but it seems like he's started a media circus. I don't see how he thought this would be good for the game or the players. Now they're all going to have to answer steroid questions from reporters.

I'm just not a fan of people hanging out other people's dirty laundry. I don't think it's very professional.

I'd rather someone says something about it than have golfers walk around with this heir of superiority because they think their game is above cheating (Phil's "i can't see that happening" comment is a good example).

Do you just want to turn a blind eye to cheating? Nothing's wrong if you don't see it? Give me a break.

Player is doing what's best for the game. If your players are so honourable and honest, why should they fear drug testing. If they aren't, they should be dragged through the mud. Good for Player. He is standing up for what he believes is right, while also doing the honourable thing by sticking to his word and not naming any specific players.

[PEI Golfing]

If the PGA adopts the same testing standards as LPGA then one of the banned stimulants on the list is Cocaine.
http://www.lpga.com/content_1.aspx?pid=10100&mid=1

In the world of celebs, pro athletes and people who have "lots of dough" this drug is used quite regularly. I would speculate you would have more players embarrassed from testing positive to Coke than steroids................

[Txxxxxxx]

I'd rather someone says something about it than have golfers walk around with this heir of superiority because they think their game is above cheating (Phil's "i can't see that happening" comment is a good example).

Do you just want to turn a blind eye to cheating? Nothing's wrong if you don't see it? Give me a break.

Player is doing what's best for the game. If your players are so honourable and honest, why should they fear drug testing. If they aren't, they should be dragged through the mud. Good for Player. He is standing up for what he believes is right, while also doing the honourable thing by sticking to his word and not naming any specific players.

I think if there is testing implemented, the results will do the talking. They don't need Gary Player to speculate. It creates a media circus and is bad for the game. Everything then becomes questioned.

[mpare]

For my part, I think that they should introduce testing with well defined guidelines and a strict policy of enforcement. Golf does not need a Barry Bonds kind of circus.

[Kilroy]

So why not test? These guys make big bucks. The sponsors who put up the purses and the companies that endorse the players should be certain that they are backing real athletes, not artificially pumped up supermen. Testing should be standard proceedure by now in all pro sports. IMHO that is.

[davevandyk]

Like I said, not taking anything away from the man's achievements, but it seems like he's started a media circus. I don't see how he thought this would be good for the game or the players. Now they're all going to have to answer steroid questions from reporters.

I'm just not a fan of people hanging out other people's dirty laundry. I don't think it's very professional.

That sounds like a Vince McMahon response! . They should have a steroid test in place, and should have to answer questions about it, but the questions should be to the commish, not the players.

I don't see how this could be bad for the sport, they should have had testing a long time ago, and hopefully this will push for the guidelines to be put in place. Hopefully Player is wrong and nobody would fail a test, but i would rather have every player get tested say every 6 tourneys they play, then have ZERO testing and have speculation.

[Shivas Irons]

Player is doing what's best for the game. .

I don't think dropping this bomb in a press conference is good for the game.

Good for Player. He is standing up for what he believes is right, while also doing the honourable thing by sticking to his word and not naming any specific players.

If he was sticking to his word he wouldn't have said anything in a press conference. He could have brought this up in private with officials from the respective tours .
This is already snowballing, and without a doubt, person that 'confided' in Player will be exposed.
I'm also in favour of implementing a drug testing policy, but it shouldn't be done via Gary Player's grandstanding for the media.

[sensfan63]

Player always seems to want to be in the limelight, despite being out of real competition for the last bunch of years.

Saying that, surely SOMEONE in the world of professional golf uses steroids or HGH, but for goodness sakes, did he actually say CREATINE? Yeah, he did. For someone as inclined towards fitness as he, it's strange that he would say creatine and then say "these three substances." The three are VERY different.

Very weird...

[Txxxxxxx]

I don't think dropping this bomb in a press conference is good for the game.



If he was sticking to his word he wouldn't have said anything in a press conference. He could have brought this up in private with officials from the respective tours .
This is already snowballing, and without a doubt, person that 'confided' in Player will be exposed.
I'm also in favour of implementing a drug testing policy, but it shouldn't be done via Gary Player's grandstanding for the media.

EXACTLY! I don't think I ever mentioned anywhere that testing should not be implemented. What I don't think should happen is someone like Gary Player creating a media circus with his speculations. Let the tests do the talking.

[Txxxxxxx]

Player always seems to want to be in the limelight, despite being out of real competition for the last bunch of years.

Saying that, surely SOMEONE in the world of professional golf uses steroids or HGH, but for goodness sakes, did he actually say CREATINE? Yeah, he did. For someone as inclined towards fitness as he, it's strange that he would say creatine and then say "these three substances." The three are VERY different.

Very weird...

LOL! I didn't hear that but now that I have, that makes Gary Player even less credible in my opinion. You can find high levels of creatine in steak. If Tiger has a steak the night before a round, is he now cheating? HAHAHAH!! Gimme a break.

[nd2golf]

I don't think that he has made a media circus of it, or is looking for the limelight. He is just bringing it out in the open before something does come out. He took an oath not to mention names, but raising it as a concern for the betterment of golf is another thing.

I do believe that they should test for steroids in all professional sports. With the amount of money on the line and the presitge along with everything else that goes along with tour wins and Majors there is a lot of pressure to get the win. Some people wouldn't think twice about doing whatever it takes to win or to give themselves a better advantage.

I would say that if something came out about so-and-so being caught injecting steroids after they won say the British Open, then THAT wouldn't be any good for the game of golf or the tour. Nip it in the bud before stuff hits the fan.

Just my opinion.

Dave

[Golfbum]

Calm down laddies!

Remember all the hub bub about testing drivers for illegal COR Limits? It happened, and then it went away quietly.

Gary Player is still very much in touch with the international golf world and will be until he dies. The man still tees it up on the Champions Tour!

I have no issues with them testing for roids randomly amongst the PGA Tour. If someone is doing them and gets busted then so be it. Afterall if they are stupid enough to do the drugs they deserve to be eliminated from the golf scene.

Why get all bent out of shape over Player's comments? It has no effect on your game!

[Txxxxxxx]

I'm totally for testing, however, it's not up to Gary Player to introduce ideas or speculations, no matter what he may or may not know.

What it creates are questions throughout press conferences and doubts. If someone tests positive, then that is a different story. The questions will be directed to those who are involved.

When player says he thinks 10 or so guys are doing it, it becomes a question to every golfer who takes the podium for a conference. I think that is what we mean by a media circus. Their scores and driving distance and tournament wins are all in doubt whenever someone does something because that "What if" has been instilled in the media.

What if everyone goes through testing and nobody tests positive? Then what? Will Gary Player be charged with slander? LOL!

It's not his place to say, no matter how many accomplishments he has, or how much respect we all have for him because of them.

[golfinteg]

Why does golfers need to use drugs?

To enhance performance?
To reduce downtime from or recover from injury?
Any other valid reasonS/

[Txxxxxxx]

Why does golfers need to use drugs?

To enhance performance?
To reduce downtime from or recover from injury?
Any other valid reasonS/

To tell you the 100% honest to God truth, coming from a personal trainers perspective, it does very little for your game. If for example you were administering testosterone for muscle growth, the rate your muscles grow in relation to your tendons and ligaments, is more detrimental to someone who needs flexibility than anything.

You mentioned reducing downtime from injuries. Funny thing is, they are going to cause more injuries than heal injuries in golf. There's a hell of a lot of twisting going on in the game, and most training routines that are golf specific, are to enhance flexibility. You don't go and tell Tiger Woods to bench press 400 lbs so he can be a better golfer. Most exercises are actual golf movements, and are done with very little weight at all.

Don't forget.....Some of the banned substances like someone else brought up are not performance enhancing. For example, cocaine or pseudoephidrine and phenylephrine which are found in cold medications and decongestants. The pseudoephidrine can be deemed as performance enhancing, but not in golf in my opinion. It would be more of an advantage for a biathlon competitor.

[golfinteg]

Steroid testing for golfers? The debate is heating up

http://www.worldgolf.com/news/steroi...m-pga-3451.htm

[spackler]

Why does golfers need to use drugs?

To enhance performance?
To reduce downtime from or recover from injury?
Any other valid reasonS/

I think one of the main reasons would be to help recovery time. The biggest offenders in baseball since testing began have been pitchers, especially relief pitchers. These are not your burly home run types, they're usually pretty lean or unathletic looking. All of them rely on flexibility so they're not looking to put on pounds to help get the ball to the plate quicker, but they do need to be able to get ready quickly when entering a game, as well as pitch on consecutive nights. The reason so many pitchers get caught is because a lot of these drugs aid the recovery time between workouts/relief appearances.

The same principle would likely apply to golfers. If a drug would help a golfer recover quicker, that golfer could then spend double the amount of time they normally spend at the range in pursuit of a perfect swing. If a golfer were to do that without some 'help', their body would break down pretty quickly.

[golfinteg]

Player's comments on doping in golf overdue?
Should we ignore this "old man's ramblings"?
Do we ignore his advice?

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/colum...n-player_N.htm

[mpare]

Why shouldn't Gary Player be entitled to raise the issue? He has established his credentials on the PGA Tour as well as on the Champions Tour. The issue can't be left to the Commissioner. Tim Finchem has absolute no interest in tackling this unless forced to do so, or unless NASCAR introduces it first. He gets his best ideas from those boys, doesn't he? FedEx Cup. Original? Right.

More to the point, Gary is the perfect guy to raise the issue. That he likes the limelight is besides the point. He attracts media attention, and can effectively force the Tour to act through the inevitable public pressure that his comments have attracted. Removing that potential blemish and distraction from the Tour and ensuring that the boys who tee it up on Thursday are all doing so fairly is in everyone's interests.

I'm totally for testing, however, it's not up to Gary Player to introduce ideas or speculations, no matter what he may or may not know.

[Txxxxxxx]

Why shouldn't Gary Player be entitled to raise the issue? He has established his credentials on the PGA Tour as well as on the Champions Tour. The issue can't be left to the Commissioner. Tim Finchem has absolute no interest in tackling this unless forced to do so, or unless NASCAR introduces it first. He gets his best ideas from those boys, doesn't he? FedEx Cup. Original? Right.

More to the point, Gary is the perfect guy to raise the issue. That he likes the limelight is besides the point. He attracts media attention, and can effectively force the Tour to act through the inevitable public pressure that his comments have attracted. Removing that potential blemish and distraction from the Tour and ensuring that the boys who tee it up on Thursday are all doing so fairly is in everyone's interests.

There are leagues and organizations that have implented drug testing without the help of someone who is speculating and drawing the public's, or the media's attention. They were talking about putting the testing into place before Player spoke of it. They probably would have followed the LPGA in their decision to test.

As I said before. The man has many achievements to his name, and nobody can discredit him for that. It is however, not very professional to make statements of speculation about an organization of people, if you really have no idea. The man classified creatine as one of the "drugs". His credibility goes right out the door when people who actually know about different substances, hear a man classify a substance that is found in red meat and approved by the FDA as a supplement, as one of the "issues".

He could have easily voiced his opinion about the testing as Greg Norman and Tiger Woods have, without speculation on a number of people he thinks might use it or that someone told him in confidence they use performance enhancing drugs. For all we know, the guy might have told Player he is taking creatine.

[Golfbum]

Didn't Tiger once state he would be in favour of drug testing? I thought I read or heard that comment from him. Could be wrong though.