Which sport is "a good walk spoiled" according to a quote often misattributed to Mark Twain?

“Golf is a good walk spoiled” is a quote often misattributed to American writer Mark Twain (1835-1910). An article in 'The Saturday Evening Post' in August 1948 claimed Twain uttered these words, but since the article was written 38 years after Twain's death, this claim has minimal credibility.

Researchers have discovered a similar phrase, “to play golf is to spoil an otherwise enjoyable walk”, in a 1903 book about lawn tennis. Traditionally, tennis players and golfers are rivals, and the author of the book, H.S. Scrivener, explains the quote was said by "my good friends the Allens". At no point did Scrivener reference Mark Twain.

Additionally, the saying has appeared in slightly differently worded formats in other books. Novelist Hary Leon Wilson wrote the following definition of golf in his 1905 novel 'The Boss of Little Arcady': "This new game of golf that the summer folks play seems to have too much walking for a good game and just enough game to spoil a good walk."

In 1906, a tennis player claimed an unnamed jockey had said that golf “merely spoilt a good walk”, and in 1924, the quote was misattributed to William Gladstone, a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Since he had passed away in 1898 and no further evidence exists, this claim is also unlikely.

Despite the lack of evidence, the quote continues to be attributed to Mark Twain. Mark Twain was the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens and there is no evidence of the phrase in any of his books.