Does being a good tennis player translate to GOLF?

[Sweet-Spot]

What do you think? Generally as players we have good hand eye co-ordination, and there is evidence of tennis players playing golf at a very high level (Lendl, Draper).

I know you play tennis, but how's your golf?

[Raul_SJ]

I have never tried golf.

It looks really difficult to hit and drive that tiny ball.

[LeeD]

Prolly not better than a QB or baseball player.
4.0 doubles player, 95 golfer.

[Roddick85]

Not really. As a former golf player myself, Golf is extremely technical and requires a lot of practice to enjoy. Even thought people that never touched a tennis racquet can't hit a proper forehand right away, they can still hit the ball a bit and have some kind of fun. You can't do the same in golf. It's best you take lessons if you never touched a golf club before.

[LeeD]

My very first ever attempt at golf, at 27 years old and 3 years of tennis (top level C player) was a round of 18 at LincolnPark, SanFrancisco. Scored a 112, the worse round I've ever played. My three buds scored lower than 95's, with the best at 82.
5 years ago was the last time I played. Right after SanFrancisco's AMEX event. Scored a 104, after not playing a round of golf for over 30 years. Would be hard to do worse that that, until I become a really old fart.

[Tamiya]

Some similarity in mental fortitude & game strategy... everything from neck up.

Physical wise, it's like taking 1 serve only every 5mins then taking a walk 5 laps around the court.

Need patience in golf... mine runs out by 90mins &/or 7th hole. By 9th I'd be showboating with risky shots & by 15th there'll be unorthodox use of equipment. (hey you CAN tee off with putter & get off sand with the 3W plus the ClubCar offroads pretty well)

[Tennishacker]

Only thing that translates from tennis to golf is core strength. Golf is a left side of body dominant sport. (if you play golf as a right hander)

But there are many good golfers that play high level tennis.

[Tennishacker]

Originally Posted by LeeD

My very first ever attempt at golf, at 27 years old and 3 years of tennis (top level C player) was a round of 18 at LincolnPark, SanFrancisco. Scored a 112, the worse round I've ever played. My three buds scored lower than 95's, with the best at 82.
5 years ago was the last time I played. Right after SanFrancisco's AMEX event. Scored a 104, after not playing a round of golf for over 30 years. Would be hard to do worse that that, until I become a really old fart.

If those were legit scores, that's pretty good.

[r2473]

Tennis players are better lovers

[OHBH]

Pro tennis players are good at golf because they retire earlier than most athletes, giving them a few more years of practice than other athletes of the same age. Though it looks like there aren't as many tennis guys golfing as you might think.http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours...?currentPage=1

[Bobby Jr]

Originally Posted by Tennishacker

But there are many good golfers that play high level tennis.

And many tennis players play their golf the opposite way they play tennis - i.e. Lendl (and Wilander I think) plays golf right-handed... probably because the golf sing is much closer in orientation to the tennis backhand than the forehand.

[Sentinel]

Originally Posted by r2473

Tennis players are better lovers

Sample size - 1 [*]

[*] Radek Stepanek

[Feña14]

I play tennis right handed, with a double handed backhand. I play golf left handed, being comfortable hitting a two handed backhand probably helped me take to golf.

[Ash_Smith]

There does seem to be a correlation between high level tennis and being half decent at golf. Tiger Tim plays off scratch I believe, Rafa is pretty hand with a golf bat, Lendl and Sampras both have attempted to compete I believe. I'm sure there are many others. I play off around 18 despite only playing a couple of times a year (wish I had more time to play). I'm sure the technical nature of both sports, requiring good coordination and proprioception helps one to learn the mechanics of the other.

cheers

[LeeD]

Millions of non tennis playing golfers can golf better than 95 pretty much any day of the week.
I've played tennis at a level that can be reached in 3 years of intensive tennis.
I golf around 95-105.

[WildVolley]

Tennis players seem to at least be much better golfers than basketball players. Have you ever seen Charles Barkley try to hit a golf ball? The only question is how this man was ever a professional athlete?

[LeeD]

KennyAnderson, his partner on the announcing gigs, is a +6 golfer.
MichaelJordan about the same.

[dak95_00]

In Jack Nicklaus' book Golf My Way, he described how he played tennis to get his legs into shape for golf. He felt his power came from his legs and he was one of the longest hitters for years.

I quit playing tennis at approx age 21 to play golf and got down to a 2 handicap. I quit golf at age 36 to play tennis. I can still play golf at a good level as I find it very easy to repeat the swing from the years of practice. Tennis is more difficult because of the needed movement and the ball moves.

I don't think the sports translate. I believe being a competitive person drives the success and determination to succeed. Golf is a sport you can take up later in life and still become an excellent player. I doubt the same can be said about ice hockey, basketball, or any other physically demanding sport. When I retire, I plan to become a better bowler, billiard player, and golfer! I might throw in table tennis too.

[star 5 15]

The think tennis has helped and hurt my golf game. For one thing, because I am RH and have a two handed backhand, the shoulder rotation on my right side is a joke... It is probably half of what my left side is. Anyway though this has resulted in me having a very steep swing with my miss always being right. I can agree tennis helped golf with the core strength but that's about it. In spite of this I really enjoy golf and once I'm done with college tennis, it will be 95% golf for me. I'm a 12.3 Handicap right now and I'd like to get down to 7 or 8 this summer.

[LeeD]

One huge obstacle for golf is the money involved to play....
Sure, a bag of decent clubs is nothing, like a couple three grand, but that's chump change compared to green fees.
Around here, you can certainly get cheapo 25-35 dollar 18 hole weekday rounds, but try Friday, Sat., or Sun., and it's triple the price.
Tennis is one of the cheapest, most affordable sports a person can play, if you don't play indoors in a private club.