Tennis and Golf. Shouldn't mix?

[shGGman]

So I heard this from a golf teacher first. He "recommended" that I don't play hardcore tennis while I'm into learning golf swings. He did say, it shouldn't be a big of a problem if you are a pro or already a good player with good stable golf swing already "made" to your body. However, for someone still adjusting, learning golf swing (which I assume is 90% of the golfers out there, since not a lot of amatures have perfect swing yet), they shouldn't be mixing tennis and golf together due to swing fundamentals. Something about adjusting to tennis swing will ruin your rhythm and swing mechanics of Golf. I do remember playing HORRIBLE golf while I was playing tennis alot. Then, I quit tennis for awhile and my golf performance got noticibly better. This was before I heard such thing. Then again, this doesn't really prove anything.

 

Worse thing is, I heard similar thing from a tennis coach!! He said your tennis swing and performance shouldn't really be affected from playing golf, however, your golf swing might be ruined. He said something about tennis backswing being completely opposite from golf back swing and tennis increasing your tendancy to push and use your dominate hand more. For example, for golf, if you are a right hander, your left arm should lead the swing with right arm closest to your body.

 

 

While I don't fully trust what these guys are saying, their explanation did make sense fundamentally. Did anyone hear similar stuff relating the two sports? I asked couple of my friends who plays both, and few of them actually heard the samething. I love both sports equally, though I do practice golf more. Playing on a free tennis court with friends = Casual. Paying $100 for a round of 18 and betting with friends = Business.

[jak_bot]

That's strange, I see a lot of similarities between a tennis serve and the golf swing.

[Jc0]

I've played both competitive golf and competitive tennis so I can think of a few ways tennis could hurt but also could help. I think the big issue is how you release your wrist in a tennis serve and forehand. They are completely different from a golf release and could cause some timing issue. Also how you balance yourself because you are always on your toes in tennis but never in golf. On the help side I see the golf swing being very similar to back hand in a body rotation aspect. Overall though I've never really seen tennis mess with my golf swing, baseball on the other hand is a killer.

[bobfoster]

[quote name='Jc0' timestamp='1328144269' post='4194231']
I've played both competitive golf and competitive tennis so I can think of a few ways tennis could hurt but also could help. I think the big issue is how you release your wrist in a tennis serve and forehand. They are completely different from a golf release and could cause some timing issue. Also how you balance yourself because you are always on your toes in tennis but never in golf. On the help side I see the golf swing being very similar to back hand in a body rotation aspect. Overall though I've never really seen tennis mess with my golf swing, baseball on the other hand is a killer.
[/quote]

I kind of agree. I've heard this concept over the years (mostly because those are the two sports I fanatically play). To me, the primary difference is the release of the hands (as you said). The timing is different ... however, there are a LOT of aspects of the two games that are really the same.

I actually think the sports compliment each other quite well. Same core muscles and rotation are needed. And in fact, my mental imagery bleeds between sports (when I want to hit a draw, I try to feel a topspin forehand, when I want to hit a fade, I feel the sensation of a hard slice down the line).

To me ... playing both in the same season has never hurt me.

[lookma_nobackswing]

the tennis players i've taught golf to have usually had an easier time drawing the ball than most beginners, i'm thinking it has to do with the tennis motions being more friendly to turning over the hands and squaring the clubface.

slow mo of rafael nadal, he's got some nice lag in his forehand!

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsMb6xNiQbU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsMb6xNiQbU[/url]

[powerfade_maller]

your instructor doesn't know what he is talking about.

Tennis and golf are essentially the same swing on two different planes.

Play tennis, play golf, they will help each other far more than they will hurt.

[CaddiesFault]

[quote name='lookma_nobackswing' timestamp='1328179925' post='4196311']
the tennis players i've taught golf to have usually had an easier time drawing the ball than most beginners, i'm thinking it has to do with the tennis motions being more friendly to turning over the hands and squaring the clubface.

slow mo of rafael nadal, he's got some nice lag in his forehand!

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsMb6xNiQbU"]http://www.youtube.c...h?v=IsMb6xNiQbU[/url]
[/quote]

he has great lag. generates more topspin than anyone on tour.
go feds!

[dlygrisse]

Jack Nicklaus played a lot of tennis during the prime of his career. I have heard him say several times in books and on TV that he played much more tennis than golf when away from the tour.

[Hawkeye77]

When I played a lot of tennis, some of my best rounds of golf were after a good tennis match. Just felt loose, hand eye coordination seemed heightened, played from the ground up. Known quite a few guys who were really good tennis players that seemed to naturally adopt to golf pretty quickly.

[MonteScheinblum]

I disagree. The way the right arm works in a basic top spin forehand is very similar to the way the right arm works in a golf swing.

The butt of the weapon is closer to the body becaue the left hand is also on the weapon and there is more tilt at the hips.

A two handed back hand would be a good left handed swing.

This while concept of there being no rotation in the arms and hands has ruined so many golfers.

Here is the key. Your arms and hands MUST rotate. It's when they rotate independently of the turn that they cause a problem.

As soon as you prevent the arms, hands, club from rotating at any point in the swing, you are going to cause a disconnect, and a forced rotation somewhere else.

[jewofgolf]

OP, off topic but you can't receive any new PM's. PM me regarding the driver shaft.

[aviator]

Two of the longest hitters I have seen were both great tennis or handball players. One of those is Bobby Wilson who has won numerous long drive titles. The athleticism required to smash it in tennis carries over nicely to a powerful golf swing, just my opinion and past experience.

[playmuch]

I played pro tennis on tour. I play off plus 1 in golf and i still play golf with a few ex tennis pros who play plus 3 and the other one off 2.
All of us are so right arm dominate that we all have a tendency to hook.
I can hit a golf ball with my right arm only very well. I have no clue or cant even hit the golf ball with the left arm only.

[schwollo]

I think tennis and golf do not mix simply bc the rhythm required to play golf really gets thrown off after you play . Tennis requires fast movements and powerful strokes where you often try to kill the ball to put away a shot . Golf on the other hand , you do the opposite . I tried playing golf after a tennis tournament and played terrible bc my rhythm was totally off . However I am a good ball striker thanks to good hand eye coordination and athletiscm. And I'm right arm dominant like the poster above . Can't hit a shot with my left arm only either lol

[Oldboy]

Ive always said as a right hander i should have started playing golf LEFT HANDED.. A right handed backhand motion would have blended in nicely with a left handed golf swing and vice versa.. As others have said tennis involves lower body and core rotation in a very dynamic manner which translates well into golf.. And of course the hand eye coordination, timing and athleticism is beneficial..

[scotee]

[url="http://www.pgatour.com/2009/r/10/26/kuchars.tennis/index.html"]http://www.pgatour.c...nnis/index.html[/url]


Doesn't seem to hurt Matt Kuchar.

[DaveLeeNC]

I have no idea why, but 3 former #1 in the world tennis players who played tennis right handed, play golf left handed. These are Agassi, Courier, and Lendl. And note that Lendl did not have a two handed backhand.

dave

ps. IMHO, a good tennis forehand has much in common with a good golf swing (from the perspective of the trailing arm).

[fsutanker]

Coincidence to stumble upon this post.
I'm always doing athletic moves like football throw, baseball swing, etc. to try to get the feel of turning and pivoting and releasing effortlessly and without thinking about it. Since I have problems doing all of those things with my golf swing, and I'm way too technical/cerebral about it.

Last night, I started doing some shadow tennis swings and realized how much it resembled a golf swing, but parallel to the ground.
Turn back with your shoulders and turn through, clearing the hips and rotating the forearm for a topspin shot. I started trying to duplicate this while bent at the waist.

I immediately saw a feel I need to reproduce in my golf swing:
Easy turn back. no sway.
No arm runoff.
No long pause at the transition.
Weight shift to front foot.
Hips clear.
Right arm extension after impact.

Definitely a feel I'm going to try to duplicate next time I'm at the range.

[dpb5031]

Nonsense. Good tennis players successfully transition more easily to golf than most in my experience and observation.