[skippy, remotely]

i took the "history of sport" in university and i think there were four qualifications to "sport."
i forget them specifically, but remember at least two being "competitiveness" and "athleticism."

Apparently your prof didn't own an English dictionary and was unfamiliar with the etymology and meaning of the word "sport."

The idea that competitiveness or athleticism are involved is modern. The original meaning of sport was simple recreation, i.e. play. The word continues to be used in that sense -- for example, "sport fishing" does not imply that one is fishing competitively or athletically, but that one is fishing for fun rather than for a living.

So the question's moot. Golf is both a sport and a game. People who are trying to say it is not a sport are trying to enforce a restrictive meaning of "sport" that doesn't reflect actual English usage.