"Golf and sex are about the only things you can…

“Golf and sex are about the only things you can enjoy without being good at it” was cited in print in 1965 and credited to a banquet remark of American professional golfer Jimmy Demaret (1910-1983). The quotation has appeared in many golf books.

“Sex and golf are the two things you can enjoy even if you’re not good at them” was said in the golf movie Tin Cup (1996).

Wikipedia: Jimmy Demaret
James Newton Demaret (May 24, 1910 – December 28, 1983) was an American professional golfer. He won 31 PGA Tour events in a long career between 1935 and 1957, and was the first three-time winner of the Masters, with titles in 1940, 1947, and 1950.
(...)
Demaret was known for his flamboyant personality, which he enhanced by wearing bright-colored clothing during tournaments; he had his clothes specially made, and became a fan favorite. As a result, he was known by his nickname, “The Wardrobe.” Demaret had a very good baritone voice and talent as a comedian; he frequently entertained at nightclubs at Tour stops.

16 October 1965, San Antonio (TX) Express-News, “Tee Time” by Johnny Williams, pg. 5-B, col. 1:
The book also includes the famed Jimmy Demaret banquet remark: “Golf and sex are about the only things you can enjoy without being good at it.”
(89 Years in a Sand Trap by Fred Beck.—ed.)

17 May 1970, The Washington Star (Washington, DC), “Sportsweek notes,” Sportsweek, pg. S-2, cols. 2-3:
THEN THERE is this bit of philosophy, let loose from the back tees by Jimmy Demaret in an interview in The Book of Golf, just issued by the Professional Golfers Association:

“There are two things a man can enjoy without being good at, golf and sex.”

The Internet Movie Database
Tin Cup (1996)
Quotes
Roy ‘Tin Cup’ McAvoy: Sex and golf are the two things you can enjoy even if you’re not good at them.

Google Books
The Gigantic Book of Golf Quotations:
Thousands of Notable Quotables from Tommy Armour to Fuzzy Zoeller
Edited by Jim Apfelbaum
New York, NY: Skyhorse Publishing
2007
Pg. 265:
Golf and sex are the only things you can enjoy without being good at them. — JIMMY DEMARET

Google Books
The 2,548 Wittiest Things Anybody Ever Said
Edited by Robert Byrne
New York, NY: Touchstone
2012
Pg. ?:
1,784
Golf and sex are the only things you can enjoy without being good at them. —Jimmy Demaret (1910–1983)

Twitter
Golf Club Wankers
‏@GolfClubWankers
Golf and sex are about the only 2 things in life you don’t have to be good at to enjoy..
6:42 AM - 28 Apr 2014

Google Books
Golf Matters:
500 Quotes From The Best Golf Players And Golf Lovers
By Emmanuel Fauvel
MyPublishingCompany.com
May 2014
Pg. ?:
Golf and sex are the only things you can enjoy without being good at them. - Jimmy DeMaret