What other sport actions closely resembles a full golf swing?

[KEEPITSIMPLE]

Hockey,even though I don't play hockey. A throw in baseball is a step forward. Hockey is more of a wind up with a stick that lag and whip through,pretty much golf . I am not sure about baseball,they seem to be more wristy with the throw,especailly pitchers that want to create side spin to fool hitters. I never play organize ball but that is what it looks like to me.

[michaeljames92]

Cricket is the closest I can think of.

Serious hand eye coordination

[shortstop20]

I am not sure about baseball,they seem to be more wristy with the throw,especailly pitchers that want to create side spin to fool hitters. I never play organize ball but that is what it looks like to me.

The position of the pitcher's wrist on his throwing arm and the golfer's trailing wrist is very similar prior to release/impact, cupped bigtime.

[Zeph]

There exist a ton (multiple tons) of teaching material in golf. Books, DVDs, videos, lessons etc. Does any other sport have equal amount of teaching and instruction as golf? Especially on a casual level, for the weekend golfer. The swing motion itself is pretty common, but the "hit down to make the ball go up" factor, and that the clubface is at a different angle than the shaft is what makes this so difficult. On top of that you of course got the accuracy, which is affected by the slightest change in impact.

[sean_miller]

Anyways, how about a full kick in soccer? Your leg is the club, obviously. They fade and draw shots all the time.

That's the exact thought I had while reading the previous posts!

[anthony]

Skateboarding? Just kidding.

However, on the level of fun I have while playing sports, golf and skateboarding are tied for first. I played football, baseball, and wrestled when I was kid. None of them hold a candle to golf...or skateboarding. In fact I've got a couple of the kids from the skatepark into playing golf. I'm the skatepark elder down at the age of 29.

[BostonSully]

Hockey may be the hardest sport. Nevermind the collisions are at 20-40 miles an hour. Football players are soft. I'll run into ANYONE full speed for $1 million a year.

Haha though I agree 40mph is an exaggeration lol they would be DEAD at that speed. Also the average mass of FootBall players is larger than that of hockey players Zdeno Chara is the biggest hockey player 6'9 260lbs Football players are easily 6'3 320+ lbs.

I am going to say the Fundamentals of a good slapshot are closer to those of Golf Swing than a Baseball swing is to golf. To Achieve a perfect slapshot you need the rotation of the hips/back on the backswing and follow through to aim the shot correctly. The Movement of the shoulders/hips is very similar to that in golf the only major difference is A) On skates, B) Grip C) Chance of being hit by a 6'9 260lb defenseman moving at 20mph lol.

[Koth]

It's definitely either hockey or cricket. No other sports come as close to the full swing movement of golf than those two.

[sean_miller]

I am going to say the Fundamentals of a good slapshot are closer to those of Golf Swing than a Baseball swing is to golf. To Achieve a perfect slapshot you need the rotation of the hips/back on the backswing and follow through to aim the shot correctly. The Movement of the shoulders/hips is very similar to that in golf

For some people that's probably the case. In mine however, I have a 1/2 decent wrist shot and snap shot, but my slapper is kinda weak. On the other hand, I can hit a baseball (or softball) fairly well - a long way - same as a golf ball. I have a decent forehand and back hand in tennis (squash), at least relative to my horrible serve.

[lionking]

The post above with the baseball throw is interesting. I've often felt that there's a connection between pitching and golf, in that you're using your big muscles to whip your arms with far more force than you could generate with the arm muscles alone. In the sidearm throw you've shown, the connection above is even more obvious since the body angles are so similar. The baseball swing is obviously similar, but I think throwing actually has more of a connection.

agreed. the similarities between pitching and golfing go way beyond the action itself:

- initiating the action (rather than reacting to an opponent/object) - importance of mechanics/technique/repetition - importance of control and power (but in that order) - importance of repertoire (types of pitches = types of shots) probably not a coincidence that pitchers are reknown for their golf game (time off during starts def. helps). there isn't a study or anything but i'm pretty sure how fast and accurate you can throw a pitch (if you played baseball) correlates with how far and accurate you can hit a golf ball.

[BostonSully]

For some people that's probably the case. In mine however, I have a 1/2 decent wrist shot and snap shot, but my slapper is kinda weak. On the other hand, I can hit a baseball (or softball) fairly well - a long way - same as a golf ball. I have a decent forehand and back hand in tennis (squash), at least relative to my horrible serve.

I guess we cant all have a bomb of a slapshot like me!

I swear last game I played I sent like 4 guys hobbling off the ice because my slapper caught them in the ankle. Bombs from the point FTW>

[sean_miller]

I guess we cant all have a bomb of a slapshot like me!

When you're playing shinny with little kids, you're supposed to keep the puck down.

Insert modified standard TST response: "You should post a video of your slapshot."

[longdrive23]

Cricket is the closest I can think of.

I think its more similar to a hook or a sweep six over deep mid wicket. :)

[sean_miller]

I think its more similar to a hook or a sweep six over deep mid wicket. :)

All I know is if that cricket dude was hitting a golf ball with that swing he'd be accused of trying to help the ball in the air.

[Kieran123]

All I know is if that cricket dude was hitting a golf ball with that swing he'd be accused of trying to help the ball in the air.

True, in certain shots, a shot played along the ground doesn't involve flipping of the wrists, in most cases, it's a 'push' effect.

For big hits in cricket, ( generally ) you have to shift your weight, often 'jump' at the ball, have a back swing, and a follow through and how you angle the bat to the ball effects it's flight. Except the ball can be coming at you at speeds of of up 160 km/h...I think the fastest ever bowl was 163km/h, most fast bowlers average in the high 140's....so in the 90 mph+ range lol

[Kieran123]

I think its more similar to a hook or a sweep six over deep mid wicket. :)

What about this?

lol

[sean_miller]

Maybe that's the guy golfro saw decked out in TM gear?!?!

[Chas]

All I know is if that cricket dude was hitting a golf ball with that swing he'd be accused of trying to help the ball in the air.

That is very funny - and true to some extent. I really appreciated the cricket videos but don't buy into the analogy very much. Maybe that's just coz I rarely hoisted one over long on (or off) for six myself ...... and a six over square leg is NOT something you want to replicate in golf. :)

Personally I like some tennis shots as being somewhat analogous but maybe that's just because I used to play that game a lot. As Erik says there are many similarities between different sports, but also many differences. An aggressive topspin forehand requires good weight transfer and a powerful turning motion with leading hips; the position of the right elbow (right hander) is a key similarity to golf IMO in developing head speed. The rt elbow stays fairly close to your right pocket in tennis and golf (unless you're chasing a wide ball in tennis of course and have no option but to stretch the arm out - a difficult shot to hit aggressively under pressure, one that only some of the pros have really mastered). For me the biggest single difference, as Erik also points out, is the static nature of the golf ball at address. In my youth this was a serious disincentive to learning to play the game because I much preferred chasing a moving ball, either offensively or defensively. Hence my preference for cricket, squash, tennis etc. Initially, staring at a static ball in front of me was a bit unnerving - too much time to think and over-analyze, then too much time to rue the appalling result ..... Now I really like having time to consider my options for the next shot as I walk towards the ball and check out the lay of the land. Chaps: how about some video of Clive Lloyd getting a quick half-century?