Have these people ever played the game before?

I never saw this article the first time it was published on espn.com in 2004. I click on golfdigest.com and on the home page this comes up. This is a ranking of the sports that demand the most from athletes. Just take a look at where golf is located on this list. Obviously the people that voted or whatever in this poll have absolutely no idea about the game of golf. I dont have to tell everyone out there reading this either and I am sure you will probably take offense to it as well. Can someone explain to me where these numbers came from as well?

(taken directly from GolfDigest.com)

Punch drunk: Table tennis is harder than golf?


Golf Digest
September 2004


In ESPN.com's ranking of the 60 sports that demand the most from athletes, golf (No. 51) barely rated higher than cheerleading (No. 52). The ranking identified 10 categories, or skills, that go into athleticism, and then eight experts were asked to assign a number from 1 to 10 to the demands each sport makes of those skills (10 being the most difficult). By totaling and averaging their responses, ESPN arrived at a degree-of-difficulty number for each sport.

1. Boxing (72.4)
2. Ice hockey (71.8)
3. Football (68.4)
4. Basketball (67.9)
5. Wrestling (63.5)
6. Martial arts (63.4)
7. Tennis (62.8)
8. Gymnastics (62.5)
9. Baseball (62.3)
10. Soccer (61.5)
11. Alpine skiing, water polo (60.6)
13. Rugby (60.5)
14. Lacrosse (60.4)
15. Steer wrestling (56.5)
16. Pole vault (55.9)
17. Field hockey, speed skating (54.9)
19. Figure skating (54.8)
20. Cycling, volleyball (54.4)
22. Racquetball (53.6)
23. Surfing (53.1)
24. Fencing (52.8)
25. Freestyle skiing (52.5)
26. Team handball (50.8)
27. Sprint cycling (50)
28. Bobsledding (49.3)
29. Ski jump (48.9)
30. Badminton, nordic skiing (48)
32. Auto racing (47.9)
33. High jump (47.8)
34. Long jump (47.4)
35. Diving (47)
36. Swimming (46.9)
37. Skateboarding (46.8)
38. Sprints (46.6)
39. Rowing (46.1)
40. Calf roping, distance run (46)
42. Bull riding (45.9)
43. Middle-distance running (45.5)
44. Weight lifting (45)
45. Sprint swim (44.1)
46. Water-skiing (44)
47. Table tennis (43)
48. Shot put (42.1)
49. Kayaking (42)
50. Horse racing (41.6)
51. Golf (37.9)
52. Cheerleading, roller skating (36.3)
54. Equestrian (31.8)