Golf is a good walk spoiled.

The line is a wry put‑down of golf: what could have been a pleasant, restorative walk outdoors is “spoiled” by the frustrations, delays, and self‑imposed seriousness of the game. Its humor depends on deflating a fashionable pastime by reframing it as an obstacle to the very pleasure—fresh air and exercise—that often justifies it. The quip has endured because it captures a common ambivalence about leisure activities that turn relaxation into performance and irritation. Even when repeated affectionately by golfers themselves, it functions as a reminder that recreation can become needlessly competitive or obsessive.