What other sports are you guys into and how they "compare" to golf

[rossvanwyk]

Hey guys

So I just got into thinking about golf's position in the world of sports. I really feel it is such a unique game apart from the obvious, just in terms of it's massive mental side and its just you and the course and the millions of different ways of playing this game.

I often have discussions with friends who aren't into golf or they just don't really understand it and don't give it the credit it deserves as being one the greatest sports you can play on this planet (in my opinion). It really got me thinking and comparing it to the other sports that have played a big role in my life.

Baseball was a massive part of my life growing up. I'm from South Africa but believe it or not we had quite a baseball scene when I was growing up and I played provincial baseball for about 8 years in a row and travelled for national tournaments once a year and pretty much played baseball 3 or 4 times a week for 10 years. I was blessed with a good throwing arm and was a pitcher and a shortstop. I absolutely love baseball, but I can't say form would really fluctuate as much as it does with golf. Sure there'd be days I would throw great and others it just wouldn't click. But I wouldn't say it was a monumental swing. Obviously at the highest level things get a lot more real and I totally appreciate the skill level those guys are playing at.

Secondly, soccer or football, whichever term is native to your country. I am a massive massive soccer fan and have played it all my life. I feel in soccer I don't really ever have days where I just feel like I can't perform or play at all. Also, it's such a team sport in my opinion. Your team is going to be hugely influential in how well you do and often will allow you to perform better (or worse). But I don't feel I ever get out there and feel like its the first time I'm trying to control a ball.

Then it comes to golf. My third major sporting love and I have to be honest, there's no game like it. Hell, some days I literally feel like I haven't a clue what's going on. The other days its coming off the club so pure and I'll break 80 and feel like I just won the Masters. Is there anything better than puring an iron?? Hells bells what a feeling.

I understand this thread probably doesn't make a lot of sense. And truth be told, almost all sports are pretty unique in their own way, but I feel golf really stands alone in terms of the type of sport it is. It's all down to you. Hitting a stationary target. Yet its so damn difficult. The learning curve seems to be so so big and the amount of skilled coupled with the mental requirements has got to make this one of the hardest games on earth to master, yet it offers so much reward for players of all skill levels.

I don't know if I made any sense whatsoever, if I didn't, I just wanna say golf is so great and it's accessible to everyone regardless of where your game is at. That pured iron on the 17th or 18th is always going to bring you back for more...

[MEfree]

I was thinking that Vijay`s workout would also help my skiiing

as balance and core strength are helpful for both sports.

[saevel25]

To me its similar to Tennis, but in Tennis your still going one on one, in Golf its still very individualistic, but as in Tennis you can control only what you can do and your mind plays a very important role. From there its tough because you can fall back on other teammates in other sports. So to me Tennis is very close to golf.

[newtogolf]

The difficulty in golf is it's the golfer versus the course.  With other recreational sports (tennis, racquetball, basketball) it's you against a competitor so you can find people that are close to your skill level and play competitively.  With golf, other than stick to the range, the best you can do is play executive Par 3 courses until you get better but even those can get frustrating if you're just starting out.

[Jwat381]

My first love was motocross. I raced for about 4 years. MX and golf are actually similar in a lot of ways: you against the track and the other competitors, varying courses and conditions that dictate how you play/ride, misunderstood by those who don't do it, and both cost an arm and a leg. I love them both, but golf really helps me not to miss my racing days.

[Mobey]

  newtogolf said:

Originally Posted by newtogolf

The difficulty in golf is it's the golfer versus the course.  With other recreational sports (tennis, racquetball, basketball) it's you against a competitor so you can find people that are close to your skill level and play competitively.  With golf, other than stick to the range, the best you can do is play executive Par 3 courses until you get better but even those can get frustrating if you're just starting out.

I believe it is really the golfer vs. him/herself.  Golf is or can be a very very mental game.

I love this game because I have nobody to blame but myself for the way I play.  Its not the equipment, its not the course its just me vs myself.   I believe that may be what kind of what you were saying but wanted to add my $.02

[mpeck24]

I played baseball from age 5 to age 18.  I pitched and played shortstop.  I always felt that i had good natural talent in baseball, in all aspects of the game.  I was more limited by the physical tools i have available, as im only 5'6 155 lbs.  I wrestled 112 lbs weight class in high school.  I have also played some basketball, football, and tennis.  I never raced MX, but i do have a bike, even though i havent ridden for a while.

I cant really say that golf is like many of these sports.  My baseball experience i think is good for my golf game overall.  At first it made golf hard because i had a terrible slice, but once i learned some golf swing mechanics it has become much better.  I think more than anything, pitching and hitting a baseball gave me a good idea of how to generate power with my torso, legs, and hips.  Golf is such a mental game, and the only thing i think is close is pitching in baseball.  In baseball you have to know how to pitch to the hitter, but pitching is all about accuracy and doing the same thing, the same way everytime.  On a good day, it doesnt matter who the hitter is, if i can throw it where and how i want it, no one will hit the ball.  Thats how i feel about golf.  I played two rounds today, the first was a 94, and i was a little upset, not because of my score but because i didnt hit that well.  The second round everything seemed to go right and i hit a 81 (+8).  Best round ever.  Its all mental.  I got confidence early on, and just believed i could hit the ball where i wanted on every shot after that.  And i more or less did.  Golf is a great sport, and im already hooked ;)

[Jonnylew]

I grew up playing hockey and baseball..but my big love when i turned 11 was skateboarding I did that untill i was 21..I dont think you can get any more invidualistic than that sport..I mean time after time after time trying to get the tricks down ..I mean I probably would still be doing that if I didnt grow up on the northcoast of canada..but i mean the consentration and repetition is in a way similar I see to golf..to me anyways..but hockey and baseball obviously were a big help for golf aswell..that one explains itself.. so many things people can master..yet golf has yet to find its master..

[mpeck24]

  Jonnylew said:

Originally Posted by Jonnylew

I grew up playing hockey and baseball..but my big love when i turned 11 was skateboarding I did that untill i was 21..I dont think you can get any more invidualistic than that sport..I mean time after time after time trying to get the tricks down ..I mean I probably would still be doing that if I didnt grow up on the northcoast of canada..but i mean the consentration and repetition is in a way similar I see to golf..to me anyways..but hockey and baseball obviously were a big help for golf aswell..that one explains itself.. so many things people can master..yet golf has yet to find its master..

yes i know what you mean about skateboarding, except i suck at skateboarding.  i used to be able to kickflip, but thats it.  Golf is easier to me than skateboarding, and less painful lol

[KCCO]

My main sport for well over 20 years has been Soccer.  It doesn't quite resemble to Golf in a structure point of view but it is quite similar in the indirect.  I am a goalie so there is a lot of technique and mental work that goes into it.  I have had plenty of games where I just wasn't "there" mentally and my play certainly showed that.  In any sport, if you aren't fully into the game mentally, you aren't playing to your potential.

This may be a stretch....but kicking a soccer ball (with the intent of controlling distance/spin/placement) is very much like the mechanics of golf.  It has taken me quite a long time to master the art of placing a ball 50 yards exactly on a teammates feet........if only I could control a draw like that :).

[rossvanwyk]

I hear you with regards to kicking etc...except that golf is not just your appendage and the ball, there is a 3rd element, the club. That little sucker makes everything a million times harder. If I could hit a golf ball as consistently and as straight as I can throw a ball I'd be in business....but alas.

[showtime583]

I play a sport called Paddle Tennis or "Platform Tennis" to get me through the winters in Chicago. Great sport - similar to tennis, but played outdoors primarily from September - March. Also, the court is 1/3 the size of the tennis court, but is surrounded buy a 12-foot chicken-wire cage which is "in-play". Very popular in the midwest and east coast.....lots of ex-college tennis players and current teaching pros play in our league so it's ultra-competitive but tons of fun!

Only similarity to golf is that many beverages are consumed post-match and guys can literally spend hours talking about and analyzing strategy / specific points / opponents, etc.

[Topper]

I am struggling to get half-way decent at this game....which I define as shooting consistently breaking 90.  So to answer your question....none.  I've played basketball (at the collegiate level), cycling, skiing, and martial arts/boxing to name a few sports.  I thought I was reasonably athletic, but the hand-eye coordination required for golf is completely different than the others.  The only thing that really translated well was the core conditioning associated with boxing.  However, I do like the fact that when I hit a golf ball, it doesn't hit back.

[Motley01]

My other favorite sport is underwater basket weaving.

[Tyler]

  Motley01 said:

Originally Posted by Motley01

My other favorite sport is underwater basket weaving.

That and extreme ironing are the best! http://www.extremeironing.com/

[mosnas]

As a Canadian my favourite sport is hockey by far I've played it my whole life it's quite the opposite of golf which I love because I have 2 sports that never overlap.  Their is nothing similar but with hockey being on hold for a while due to summer and a bad injury I am glad that golfing season is on right now.

The only painful time is between March-May when there is nothing to play.

[Jimdangles]

I also play hockey but mostly roller in Souther California. As a sport there is nothing really in common. They are almost polar opposites which I love. I do think my hockey swing has helped me to be a better golfer with the natural feeling of hitting down on the ball and hand eye coordination but other than that opposites and I love them.

[Kapanda]

Fell in love with football, and I am now trying my hand on MMA. I don't tend to like sports that don't have some sort of aggression in it.

Not a big golf fan, as in, not one to make sure I don't miss the PGA Tour or whatever, but it's a fun activity nonetheless. I can see it being therapeutic too - at some point, when I don't slice 5 out of 6 of my balls...

Those two do nothing for golf. Even in terms of base and use of feet... you're supposed to flare your feet out in golf, football you need your toes pointing forward.

I guess, stability and balance... that's transferable. And flexibility helps in everything too.