NFL QB vs PGA Tour Pro: which is harder?

[Oz Max]

Aussie football players are the most complete... a few that failed to make it have had various success in the NFL as punters.

[Malvern]

A bunch or freakishly tall dudes are the best athletes on the planet, wonderful stuff.

[Titleist_PT23]

Pace of play would definitely pickup on tour if you had to avoid the big 300 lb guy coming to jump on top of you.

It would be great to see DeChambeau get his head taken off thinking about the wind, moisture on the green, which angle is best, etc.

[Golfjack]

What’s the point of a thread like this?

[GHIN n Juice]

Please read what you wrote. It makes no sense.

[GHIN n Juice]

I would give your argument some credence but you do know the guys shooting the ball are also 6’6” to 7’? It’s not like a bunch of sub 6 footers are out there playing giants. Plus, have you seen NBA defense?...not exactly a stellar display of athleticism. And to top it off, even the best basketball players get subbed out in a game. Soccer players play the whole game, so I’ll forgive the errant shot here and there. Plus soccer players play with their feet against a keeper who can use his hands. That would be like basketball players having to score if the defense got to play on stilts with tennis rackets to block shots.

[deadsolid...shank]

Having never played soccer, it always amazes me how they can curve the ball into tight spots. Similar to watching hockey players shoot the puck into little tiny corners or openings (never played hockey either).

That being said, there is still nothing harder in sports than hitting MLB pitching (even if you know what is coming!?). Any task where being successful 3-10 times makes you an all-star must be incredibly difficult.

[MtlJeff]

To answer the OP's question i would say it's very difficult to judge something like this....One thing i would argue is that while golf is a pretty "capitalized" sport like most pro sports are now, i would still say it's not as democratic as sports like football or basketball or soccer. You still have to mostly pay your own way, you have to often grind it out on mini tours while maybe little money. A lot of guys probably quit over this time period who could've ended up really good

Guys like Draymond Green in basketball, Kurt Warner in football.....would these guys have existed in Golf? They might have quit before becoming what they were. Kurt Warner won MVPs and made 3 super bowls. Playing in the golf equivalent of what Warner did would have meant a lot of losses

Guys like Zach Johnson who sold shares in themselves do exist. But not everyone has access to that kind of support.

So i would say Football, because if you're drafted you get a salary, and usually multiple years to prove you can play. So there is more competition and development. In golf some guys probably stop playing over that same period who may have become top 25-30 players at some point

[MtlJeff]

Every pro sport features guys that can do amazing things so i find sometimes when we say some are better than others it gets a little crazy. It requires amazing endurance to play soccer, way more than people realize, they are running like 7-9 miles a game according to player tracking data, and they have to be able to do that while quick bursting whenever needed. And that's just a basic necessity to play, before you get into the skill required, which of course is astronomical given it's probably the most popular sport in the world.

Soccer players might be the best athletes in the world, if only because there are SO many players attempting it. To make it as a pro, there are no flukes.

The most IMPRESSIVE athletes to me are football and basketball players. Look at someone like Russell Westbrook or John Wall (pre injury) who are like 6'4 and 200lbs, not big for an NBA player but they would be among the tallest people you know, if not the tallest. And these guys are freaks, they'd be way faster and more coordinated than anyone we know in real life and are WAY bigger. If someone from 1000 years ago came out of a time machine and met Westbrook they'd think he was an alien

Same with football players. Calvin Johnson ran a 4.3 in the 40yd dash at 6'5 230lbs....i mean that is just insanity. Just so far beyond what normal humans can do.

[oikos1]

Threads like this serve to remind me how out of touch golfers are with the game of golf and the rest of the world. Hilarious.

[deadsolid...shank]

Hell, I’m completely out of touch with everything!

[deadsolid...shank]

I agree with basketball players being the best athletes. The guys are just freaks with what they can do at their size. Which is why I’ve said for several years now that I feel they’ve outgrown the size of the playing area(including the heigth of the basket). It’s too easy (disregarding the defense played when I say that), guys barely have to jump to dunk anymore. And jump shot range, my goodness. Some of them are virtually in range when they cross half court

They just gotten so big, the court is crowded. I know it’s a pipe dream, but I would love to see the basket go to 11’ and the lane widened by three feet, along with the entire court being wider. I think it would open the game back up substantially. But I’m way old school. While I hated the four corner Dean Smith used to run, I absolutely used to love watching Princeton play. The endless motion, backdoor cuts, and picks off the ball. The game wasn’t all about either driving to the rim for a dunk and possible “and one” or shooting the three. Yes, I’m old, so old that I remember the mid range game fondly. But all games and sports evolve and change.

[MtlJeff]

I think the challenge there is the same as the ball debate in golf. 99% of people who play basketball are just fine with a 10 foot net. So if the NBA changed it everyone else would. And then some 13yr old high school kid can't make 3's anymore LOL

Not to mention all the 6 footers out there who just want to dunk a basketball a couple of times in their life!

[Sean2]

I read a story a number of years ago where some pro basketball players when through a workout that dancers go through and they couldn't keep up.

[gvogel]

The good news is that winter is about to come to an end.

[Big Cat 3]

NFL man

[farmer]

I remember Sean's reference, and the consensus was that ballet dancers are the best athletes.

For Dave, maybe they should go to four on four. Even at 69, I want to dunk. Roaring down the lane to tomahawk, an alley oop, in your face, LeBron!

[bscinstnct]

 

Best athlete Earl Campbell 34 inch thighs like

 

 

[cdnglf]

 

Gordie... at 50

[deadsolid...shank]

All true. In regards to dunking, for me, 10’, 11’......8’,7’....really doesn’t matter, they can’t make it low enough!

[straightshot7]

Freakishly tall, graceful, explosive, balanced, skilled, strong etc.

Also someone like Steph Curry is not freakishly tall. He's a top 5 basketball player in the world and he's 6'3". He's just freakishly talented and skilled and practices his ball handling and shooting to no end. He also happens to be a very good golfer. I believe he shot a 71 in a web.com event.

I'm not saying NBA players are the best athletes on earth, but they would be in the running. They are a very versatile combo of size, strength, athleticism, skill, etc.

Many of them could play in the NFL I believe. If LeBron, Harden, Westbrook, etc. applied themselves for a year they'd be NFL ready tight ends and wide receivers.

Also Zion:

https://media.giphy.com/media/67sa3e7kOG7gOk1Sgb/giphy.gif

 

[cdnglf]

 

Probably, but none of them would take the pay cut or put up with the NFL owners. Being an NBA player is 100x better than being an NFL player. Giannis could make $700m in salary during his career. And when it’s over, he’ll still be able to think and walk.

[straightshot7]

Absolutely. The NBA salaries these days are crazy high. And the players totally run the league compared to the NFL. Adam Silver is pretty much just trying to appease the players.

The guaranteed contracts also. There have been countless NBA players that have gotten very wealthy and never came close to living up to what their contract hoped for.

 

[CCTxGolf]

It is a little nuts that middle school boys play on the same size court and playing surface as NBA giants.

[buckeye440]

Why? It is like that in most sports. Soccer, football, basketball, hockey to name a few.

[buckeye440]

Do you think hockey or soccer players score on 3 out of 10 shots? I don't have stats in front of me but I doubt it. Also have never played cricket, seems like it could be harder to hit than a baseball. Or racket sports like tennis, and squash have higher velocity in shorter distances.

[wildcatden]

Lots of NFL players play golf. Not many PGA pros playing football (save for Brooks...LOL).

[CCTxGolf]

In most sports the athletes don’t seem to outgrow the playing field the way they do in basketball. It’s only my opinion.

[soregongolfer]

Isn't a soccer goal 27 feet wide and about 8 feet tall? Your comparison isn't that good as somebody with a tennis racket can cover a basketball rim completely.

[soregongolfer]

Tight ends have to block defensive ends. None of those guys are going to do that well. None of them are going to be able to run routes, know how to sit in a zone, be brave enough to catch balls over the middle or know how to set an edge while run blocking. Football is a lot more complicated than people give it credit for.