A thought experiment: What sport?

[turtleback]

It is too cold to play golf here so for those in a similar situation here is a little thought experiment.

If you had to take a generic world class performer in some other sport, who had never swung a golf club in their life, what combination of the physical and mental requirements of golf would be best met by what sport.

Since the physical capabilities of almost all world class athletes are so amazing I think I'm going to heavily weight mental aspects similar to golf in making my choice.

The fact that some people in a sport have had success in golf is NOT to be considered.  The fact that John Brodie played on the senior tour after his quarterbacking days can't be used as an argument for football.

[Slice of Life]

It is too cold to play golf here so for those in a similar situation here is a little thought experiment.

If you had to take a generic world class performer in some other sport, who had never swung a golf club in their life, what combination of the physical and mental requirements of golf would be best met by what sport.

Since the physical capabilities of almost all world class athletes are so amazing I think I'm going to heavily weight mental aspects similar to golf in making my choice.

The fact that some people in a sport have had success in golf is NOT to be considered.  The fact that John Brodie played on the senior tour after his quarterbacking days can't be used as an argument for football.

Maybe Tennis. Rafael Nadal has the physique, flexibility, and athletic genius to play golf at the highest level. And Tennis is also a very mental game.

[mmoan2]

Interesting question - I've always thought, and heard, that hockey players tend to have a physical advantage because they need to be pretty good athletes in the first place, and the mechanics of a slap shot are similar to that of a golf swing. Many pro hockey players retire and become stud golfers quickly. Mentally, I'm going with tennis. You need patience to grind it out as an individual over several hours, strategy, and touch on drop and lob shots. I've only competed in team sports my entire life, and as I'm considering playing in golf tournaments, it feels a bit odd not having a team to help you out.

Hey, as I was typing, @Slice of Life picked tennis as well. It must be tennis...

[boogielicious]

Curling.

[RFKFREAK]

Chess.

[iacas]

Hockey. Most similar sport. Second choice: pitchers in baseball.

And if I had to wager, I would bet that you're drastically over-stating the mental stuff. Like by 10-fold if not more.

[Slice of Life]

Hockey.

Duh. Why do you think Happy picked it up so easily?

[WUTiger]

... The fact that some people in a sport have had success in golf is NOT to be considered.  The fact that John Brodie played on the senior tour after his quarterbacking days can't be used as an argument for football.

John Brodie is an unusual case. Brodie actually played on the Stanford University golf team, not just the football team.

http://www.usga.org/news/2014/January/John-Brodie--From-the-NFL-to-Pro-Golf/

Also, Jack Nicklaus was offered athletic scholarships to The Ohio State University in both golf and basketball. He chose golf.

iacas noted the hockey and baseball had lots of similarities to golf. And, an excellent local teaching pro played varsity baseball in college.

Another sports area that may have transfer: martial arts and boxing. the balance, timing of hip rotation and flexibility all transfer to golf.

I know two South Korean army veterans and karate experts who emigrated to the USA, operated karate dojos (schools) for several years, and then earned PGA instructor certification in their mid-40s. Teaching golf is less demanding physically than teaching karate. One teaches golf in Oklahoma, and one taught in the St. Louis area (unfortunately, our local S. Korean was killed in an auto accident last year.)

[JonMA1]

Pitching. If there's anyone on this site who's played at a high level, feel free to call me out on this as I haven't with either sport.

There seems to be a lot of similarities between the two. Learning proper mechanics in pitching means generating power with the lower body. There's the need to get weight forward, creating lag with the torso, shoulder, arm and then the wrist. The non-throwing arm plays a big part in it as well by helping to generate rotation. I think regardless of the arm slot a pitcher uses (over the top, 3/4, side arm), the core mechanics are very similar.

One other area I've always thought was similar is how calm both types of athletes remain under pressure. This is of course necessary in many sports, but I've always thought it was more so in golf and in pitching. Also, I think of golf as being non-reactionary (I might be full of #$^& with the use of that term). The same can be said in throwing a pitch.

[GolfLug]

Pitching. Not reactive. Not much start up momentum (stand still to 'explosion'). Have to pretty much depend on proper sequencing of loading and unloading (not that other sports don't but similar motions like hockey, tennis motion have more built up momentum than a golf swing at delivery - BIG difference). I dunno about 'mental' side.

[Lihu]

It is too cold to play golf here so for those in a similar situation here is a little thought experiment.

If you had to take a generic world class performer in some other sport, who had never swung a golf club in their life, what combination of the physical and mental requirements of golf would be best met by what sport.

Since the physical capabilities of almost all world class athletes are so amazing I think I'm going to heavily weight mental aspects similar to golf in making my choice.

The fact that some people in a sport have had success in golf is NOT to be considered.  The fact that John Brodie played on the senior tour after his quarterbacking days can't be used as an argument for football.

Wah Lum Kung Fu:

@BuckeyeNut posted this once before.

No Joke, these guys think it's a good idea for real. . .

[No Mulligans]

Pole Vaulting

I remember these contests on tv called "Supersports", around 1970 or so.  This would pit a bunch of athletes together from different sports and create a competition.  I remember a pole vaulter winning year after year.  He was strong, fast, and coordinated.

I think the mental aspect of controlling ones body plus the explosive strength and coordination, and the stress of having to perform your best at the moment, would crossover really well to golf.

[Sherpat]

I was surprised when I took up golf at how many skills I learned as a fencer crossed over and allowed me to get some of the basics of the swing down quickly. Think about it: fencers have to hit a tiny target at the end of a long stick while keeping their head still as their body is in motion. It's not an exact parallel of course (you don't rotate your body and swing at your opponent in fencing) but there were enough similarities that I felt comfortable swiping at a ball from the very first time I held a club in my hands. I know there's no Professional Fencing League, but if there were, I bet those guys (and gals) would be pretty good golfers if they made the switch. And they'd be great protection if your foursome was ever attacked by brigands :-D

[Big C]

Billiards/Pool.

Just about anyone can become competent with enough practice, but it takes a special kind of hand eye coordination (among other skills) to become world class. In addition, the mental aspect of both games is similar, IMO. Someone who thrives under the pressure of an important shot in golf isn't likely to wilt in a big money pool game.

I don't think golf compares to a "continuous motion" sport like tennis or hockey, so I disagree pretty strongly with both of those answers. Pitching in baseball is an interesting answer, because the pitcher has to reset himself before each delivery. But then again, "pitching" by itself isn't a sport!

[RFKFREAK]

Billiards/Pool. Just about anyone can become competent with enough practice, but it takes a special kind of hand eye coordination (among other skills) to become world class. In addition, the mental aspect of both games is similar, IMO. Someone who thrives under the pressure of an important shot in golf isn't likely to wilt in a big money pool game.

This.

[lumpuckeroo]

Pitcher or Quaterback.  And forget John Brodie, I think for both positions, there's a element of picturing what you want the ball to do and then executing what you picture.  Probably a reason why so many pitchers and quaterbacks are good golfers,

[Slice of Life]

This.

Not so sure I can agree with the billiards assessment. You can practically be a cripple and be a good pool player...just completely un-athletic...but if you have a steady hand, good hand-eye coordination, and practice a lot, you can be a great pool player. The mental and non-reactionary aspects line up though, so I can see from that aspect.

Hell, I'm way better at pool than I am golf...and I golf a lot more. Not sure what that proves, but it sure makes me sad.

[NJpatbee]

A pitcher that also plays hockey might be a good combination, but golf is the one sport I have played where the amount of different physical and mental skills greatly exceeds any other sport.  In fact you have up to 14 different clubs to hit and millions of possible lies to hit from on any golf course.  Good physical conditioning, perhaps like a shortstop, eye hand coordination like an infield golden glove, power like a  50 HR hitter, and the touch when needed of a diamond cutter all would help.  Add the mental clarity of a world champion chessplayer, and the toughness of a boxer, and I suspect the person would be a good golfer.

Golf is a unique sport with so many skills required that for myself, has made it the most difficult sporting activity.  It is also one of the few sports that you can play well for most of your life, which adds to golf's appeal.  For many people, their best golf is played in their middle age or later when they have the time and money to play frequently.  I am confident that in 3 years when I retire I will start shooting my lowest scores ever (thank you technology and having time) from the same tees I have always played (started at age 40).

Top golfers do have some swing traits in common but I would hesitate to compare them to other athletes.  Jack Nicklaus in his prime was not a big man by today's standards but could hit a 1960 era golf ball 360+ yards using a persimmon driver and also drain a long putt on slippery greens at age 46 to to win the Masters.  IMO the game is much to complex to compare to any other game, which is part of what makes it so great.