tennis and golf

[dozu]

started hacking with a 5 iron 1 month ago, read books, magazines, tips..... practised in my backyard with plastic balls often during weekend. and during weekdays I just go to a baseball field nearby and practise with plastic balls... hit the driving range once a week. because of the athleticism from tennis and a half dozen other sports I play, my swing is already better than 70% of the people I see on the driving range. (haven't hit the course yet).

somethings I want to discuss with those who transformed tennis skills to golf, mainly on which side should I hit from. I am a tennis rightie, and seems most right handed people golf right handed. I am currently golfing right handed, but I feel lot more natural when I tried my lefty friend's iron club for a few balls... I gave it some thoughts and here it is:

1. dominant eye.. my right eye is the dominant one. golfing left handed let the right eye stay dominant, hence seeing better. when golf rightie however, sometimes my head turn too much and the right eye is blocked by the nose (I know I shouldn't move my head anyway, but when can you expect from a 1-month beginner).

2. arm position and flexibility.... I feel the golf swing take back is so IDENTICAL to the tennis one handed backhand slice, which is my signature tennis shot. and after these tennis years, my flexibility turning to the left is far better than the other way.... in tennis the body turn is less significant on forehands.

3. leg stability... again the left leg provides the drive in a tennis back hand slice, this is very similar to the leftie golf downswing. personally my left leg is so dominant even when I hit tennis forehand my footwork is somewhat crossed and the left leg provides more drive than the right leg.

Anyway, I am gonna hit some more with leftie clubs and it the above is confirmed, will be a leftie golfer for good.

Guys if you have some experience on this, or any subject on the relationship between tennis/golf, please chime in.

 

[Camilio Pascual]

2. arm position and flexibility.... I feel the golf swing take back is so IDENTICAL to the tennis one handed backhand slice, which is my signature tennis shot. and after these tennis years, my flexibility turning to the left is far better than the other way.... in tennis the body turn is less significant on forehands.

I haven't golfed in a while, but wouldn't it be more important to be flexible on the foreswing in golf than the backswing? I suggest you hit righty to allow this flexibility to the left to come into play on your drives. Good luck.

 

[devwizard]

Though I haven't played golf in awhile simply because I have been playing sooo much tennis, I used to have a 14 handicap, which isn't incredible but still respectable. The biggest thing that I must point out to you is that the golf swing, no matter how much tennis you have ever played, will NOT and SHOULD not feel like a natural tennis swing. Though the basic motion is similar, there are a few key differences which make transitioning between the two very difficult. I know that if I go out and play a round of golf then play tennis afterwards or vice versa, I have significant problems with the afterwards activity. (the golf swing after a tennis match, or a forehand after a golf round) And though you may THINK it is more natural to hit left handed, if you have always played tennis and all other sports right handed you DEFINITELY should NOT change. Stick with the right handed. The key to changing from tennis to golf and back is knowing the differences between the strokes. For instance, the ideal golf stroke involves the start of the forward swing from a fixed-wrist position flexed above the head. In tennis, a typical forehand should start ahead of the body with all the motion remaining in front of the body. This is just ONE example of MANY differences between the strokes, and you will begin to understand them more and more as you get better. But definitely, my strong suggestion would be to stick with the righty setup. And consider this; since you are a beginner, the only reason a lefty swing feels comfortable is because you use the right side of your body and your right arm to generate power, the same as your tennis swing. On the right handed side, you should create all the power from the left side of your body and pull the club with your left arm. (Sounds backwards doesn't it?) But its true. Anyways, my suggestion: stick with right handed, and keep practicing, and you'll get better fast.

PS: An often overlooked way for beginners to get drastically better is through improving their short game.

Good luck!