# Which is easier, baseball or golf?



## clover (Oct 30, 2009)

This is regarding hitting--not base running or fielding.
I think golf is easier. In golf, the ball is sitting still (although it may have a worse lie than in baseball). However, a baseball might curve, knuckle, or approach at an unexpected speed, so maybe this part is even.
In golf, on the pro level at least, there are hardly any whiffs, foul balls, or singles. Everyone hits a home-run with every club whenever they want to.
Baseball is so hard that they give the batter three swings at the ball, and they don't count the first two mulligans.
The only claim baseball has to being easier is that there are no gurus that anyone takes very seriously. When have you seen a hitting coach on the cover of ESPN Sports, Sporting News, or Sports Illustrated?


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

I think for me I'll relate golf to cricket I dont play base ball they both have their chellanges yes the golf ball is easier to hit everytime but it doesnt always go where you want it to. I think it is easier to make a cricket ball where you want it to when you hit it. So I might sit on the fence a little with this one.


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## stevel1017 (Apr 30, 2007)

in golf we have to play our foul balls


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Baseball was easy for me, but I've had to practice my golf swing to get where I am now, which by some standards is still a long way off. Golf a fum game when the only competition is yourself and your amoung friends who are ribbing the heck out of you on the tee for the last hole that you kicked their butts on or lost.


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

In my opinion, it's apples and oranges. It may be harder to make solid contact with the baseball, but you don't have to be as accurate with it either. The ball doesn't travel nearly as far, and you have a 90° arc to hit "safe" in... with golf you can be 5 degrees off line and be in deep trouble. A long ball in baseball is only a 9 iron in golf. There are no trees, water, rough, or any other obstacles in baseball. You can hit 15 foul balls and still keep getting another chance. 

The intent is completely different in the 2 sports, so there is little room for comparison. Just my opinion. :dunno:


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Fourputt said:


> In my opinion, it's apples and oranges. It may be harder to make solid contact with the baseball, but you don't have to be as accurate with it either. The ball doesn't travel nearly as far, and you have a 90° arc to hit "safe" in... with golf you can be 5 degrees off line and be in deep trouble. A long ball in baseball is only a 9 iron in golf. There are no trees, water, rough, or any other obstacles in baseball. You can hit 15 foul balls and still keep getting another chance.
> 
> The intent is completely different in the 2 sports, so there is little room for comparison. Just my opinion. :dunno:


I can understand your opinion and it has soooooommmmmme merit:rofl:


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

yes it is interesting to compare sports and the skill set that is required.


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## Up North (Jul 3, 2008)

I played college ball, and I'd challenge anyone here to step in the batter's box and hit an 84mph splitter, or a 92mph rising fastball. Hitting a baseball is much harder without a doubt, heck, if you get a hit once every 3 times at bat you are considered wildly successful and would be bringing home a nice paycheck. But like fourputt said, it is apples to oranges. Proof of that is when I played baseball my golf swing sucked, when I worked on my golf swing to better it...my baseball swing sucked. Two completely different swings, two completely different approaches. 

The one really nice thing about golf however, is that you don't have to stand 90 feet away from the guy on the teebox and try field his zinger down the line...THAT would probably make me give up the game.

Buck


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

You and Rick make pretty strong arguments(let's see if he he give it back to me). I was refering to my little League days and coaching kids. I never pursued sports as a teenager(girls) or college (I was too O*d) and on active duty.
Playing baseball today...no way. So I just learn how to play golf better


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

Up North said:


> I played college ball, and I'd challenge anyone here to step in the batter's box and hit an 84mph splitter, or a 92mph rising fastball. Hitting a baseball is much harder without a doubt, heck, if you get a hit once every 3 times at bat you are considered wildly successful and would be bringing home a nice paycheck. But like fourputt said, it is apples to oranges. Proof of that is when I played baseball my golf swing sucked, when I worked on my golf swing to better it...my baseball swing sucked. Two completely different swings, two completely different approaches.
> 
> The one really nice thing about golf however, is that you don't have to stand 90 feet away from the guy on the teebox and try field his zinger down the line...THAT would probably make me give up the game.
> 
> Buck


Let's take this a bit further then and put it in context. There are plenty of games/sports where the object is to hit a ball or ball like object (hockey puck, e.g.) with a bat/stick/raquet. But you have to measure difficulty within the context of the way the game is played, the level of the game in which you are competing, and the intent you have when you hit the ball. 

I will be the first to admit that I could never hit a pitch from a MLB pitcher. But I'll never hit a 200 yard 8 iron either like Tiger Woods, nor could I return a serve from Roger Federer. 

BUT....... 



I might be able to hit a baseball just fine from a pitcher as aged and inept as I am, or return serve from a once a month recreational tennis player, And I know that I can play a decent golf shot for my age and lack of real dedication to my swing. 

My question is. how can you possibly compare the act of hitting a baseball to that of hitting a golf ball? As Up North says, success in baseball is measured at a pace of about 30%. In golf, making contact 30% of the time would be utter hopelessness. But in golf you are trying to hit a hole that's just 4.25" in diameter. If a baseball player had to hit the ball through a hole about 8" in diameter (similar proportion as a golf ball is to the hole), it would be the most boring game ever... in fact it would never have gotten off the ground. Instead they give the batter a 90° arc to hit to. So again, we are still trying to compare very different games, with very different expectations. 

I guess I just don't even understand the need to make the comparison in the first place. Baseball is a team sport, it stands to reason that there is a different sort of difficulty involved. Golf is so different... just one player against the course. And for most of us the golf course still wins most battles.  :laugh:


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

You can't compare the two sports...I'm on your side in this discussion.:thumbsup:


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

I can't say... Golf always came easily to me and when I played baseball in high school, I was always a pretty good hitter. Cricket, on the other hand gave me fits to hit the ball. When I lived in Jamaica, our team from our Lions Club played against a Kiawanis Club from across the island. They had a guy who had been a pretty good school boy fast bowler in his day. To me, he was still terrifying. I hit the first pitch for 4 and then he turned up the heat and totally embarrassed me. 4 and out. Much harder than hitting a golf ball or baseball.


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

Yes facing a fast blower who sends a bouncer at your head is a scary place to be. I only played baseball at school I always end up being the catcher (if thats what the postion is called where you stand behind the batter).


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Surtees said:


> Yes facing a fast blower who sends a bouncer at your head is a scary place to be. I only played baseball at school I always end up being the catcher (if thats what the postion is called where you stand behind the batter).


I glad you weren't the javlin catcher:cheeky4:


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## steve123 (Mar 18, 2011)

hay clover according to me golf is less easier then baseball as in baseball you just have a bat and a ball , you hit the ball and run , thats it , but in golf you have to pot the ball in the hole , the hole that is far enough cant able to see 



:dunno:


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## Iris (Mar 17, 2011)

*my opinion*

As far as I concerned,maybe golf is easier than golf.
And of course,every people has his own ideas.
In a word,if you can play it with joy ,I think it easier.


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## steve123 (Mar 18, 2011)

iris true i am agree with you >> enjoying any game dose matter


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## Big Hobbit (Nov 2, 2010)

mmmm, I guess I'm getting old because my first thought was when I was young I could...

Golf is easier without a shadow of a doubt. Can you tell me how an old-ish fat guy who struggles to walk, and has arthritis in the spine/hip/neck could compete at, say 5 h'cap level in baseball? 

Go back 20-odd years I was a sports nut, and played just about every sport I could and to a very decent level too. County record times at 200m & 400mm, semi pro footballer, decent fullback in rugby, fast bowler & no3 batter in cricket. Fairly decent in most raquet sports, although serving at tennis could be a bit iffy sometimes. 

The only thing I can sort of compete (almost) to that level still is golf.

Me, run :laugh:

And then there's the reaction time to hit a baseball... whooooooosssshhhhhhh! Was that the ball?


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## FrogsHair (Mar 4, 2010)

I am going with baseball on this one. Reasons I could play baseball better (easier) being thus; there are no fat hits in baseball; hooks, and slices are still in play most of the time; the ball and club are bigger; topped shots can eat up the defense; pushes, and pulls are OK; skied 9pop ups) are not always bad; it's OK to hit the ball hard most of the time; baseball paid for part of my education; out of bounds is not a penalty; I have successfully coached baseball teams to city, and tournament championships; it's easier to over come the defense in baseball; you can play defense against your opponent in baseball; baseball has the best play of any sport...the suicide squeeze; it's harder to cheat in baseball; if not for a skiing accident, I could have probably played pro ball. 

In golf, the defense is the player's ability, course set up, and mother nature. Two of those are very unyielding opponents who consistently prey upon "their" opponents weaknesses, which are many. I don't think they know it is just a game. The course set up, and mother nature do not play for fun. The closest I could have been involved in professional golf would have been as some guy's caddie.

I was given some great advice on hitting a golf ball using baseball terms. 1. swing at the pitch (ball) that is low, outside, and in the dirt. 2. Swing the club like you are trying to hit the ball to right field.

I suppose physically golf can be played longer, and is easier on an older person's body. That's a plus. 

Now if I had been a foot taller, I would have excelled in basketball. :thumbsup:


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## FrogsHair (Mar 4, 2010)

Yep. There's no slow play in baseball. Another plus for baseball. :thumbsup:


HBKMensa said:


> Interesting question, as in golf you take as much time as you want, baseball you have to react to another player imediately, I would say baseball though is easier to master


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

I equate golf to the finess of fly fishing. nice easy back cast powering forward with the rod tip at your target. Baseball is easier.


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## steve123 (Mar 18, 2011)

hay guys tell me the most interesting thing in golf >>> get up do reply fast u will get a nice answer


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## cloveday (Mar 24, 2011)

*I've played both sports and I'm for Golf...*

I played baseball for several years and just recently picked up golf and golf has come much easier to me than baseball. Just my two cents...


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

The two games are far too different from each other to really be able to draw any significant comparison. How do you measure? How good is the baseball player who compares to a bogey golfer? There is no common yardstick to measure them by. This thread is basically irrelevant. :dunno:


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## steve123 (Mar 18, 2011)

well i am agree with fourputt to some extent the sports should be similar in nature just like cricket n base ball etc


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## Golf Fan (Mar 28, 2011)

Fourputt said:


> The two games are far too different from each other to really be able to draw any significant comparison. How do you measure? How good is the baseball player who compares to a bogey golfer? There is no common yardstick to measure them by. This thread is basically irrelevant. :dunno:


Irrelevant? Since when is talking sports irrelevant?  Having played both baseball and golf as an adult, I understand those that would dismiss any comparisions in the skill sets needed to play each game. My opinion is that hitting a baseball thrown 90+ miles per hour from 60 feet 6 inches and rarely moving on a straight line is the hardest thing to do in sports. That being said, golf is the hardest sport to be consistently good at.

Only the best in the world can hit the 90 mph baseball just as only the best in the world can shoot par on a consistent basis.


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## FrogsHair (Mar 4, 2010)

Regardless of which one is toughest to play, I think we would all agree that both take some sort of physical abilities on the participant's part to play well. Obviously playing well is relative to participant's physical ability. Mental ability contributes to one's success in what ever sport they play. Some folks have the genetic make up to play baseball at it's highest level, but can't play golf at it's highest level, and vice versa.

One thing that might make golf tougher to play is the (perceived) concentration required to play it. The other sports have crowd noise, folks talking, players razzing other players, jock itch, seed spitting, and what ever else goes on in those sports. Not so with the game of golf. Make a sound during a golfer's swing, and you are considered annoying, and your golf etiquette is suspect. Make a noise in pro tournament, and most likely the player will have you escorted off the property. Now what if, in it's beginning, noise during the golfer's swing was acceptable? Think about it. How funny would it be for Mickleson telling Woods to hit it OB. Hey, Trevino threw a rubber snake at Nicklaus during one of their matches. 

Hard, or easy, all those who pay their green fees have the ability to enjoy the game at what ever level they are capable of playing it. I walked 9 holes with a guy yesterday who shot a 60 something, but was as happy as a lark because he was out of doors, enjoying life. I was trying cut the ball into the green while he was just trying to find his ball after hitting it. He probably had more fun than I did. :dunno: 


Baseball was easier to excel at for me than golf is. Football, baseball, basketball, and track were easier to excel at than golf has been. I am almost positive that the four easier sports to play were because those were the sports I started playing at a very young age. My Father was a pro baseball player prior to WW 2, so golf in our household was always on the un-lit back burner. Baseball was the sport at our house. Jr. High, High school P.E. were all about baseball, football, track, and basketball. Trying to play golf came much later in life for me, even though I was around it during my teenage years, while working at a golf course. 

Actually I think marriage, and raising teenage daughters is the toughest sport of all. The game of life anyone?


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

There is a variety of skills required in every sport and I personally feel it's hard to compare one to another.

Some years ago, a bunch of us at a friend's wedding were having a conversation about what sports in which a woman could compete evenly with a man. Some gave men an advantage by virtue of strength, speed, weight or height in ways that men, in general, have over women. Yes there could be exceptions, but probably not enough to consistently help women compete evenly with men.

We came up with sports like bowling, surfing, ice skating... Best as I remember, that was pretty much it. There may well be sports popular in other countries I'm not aware of that would allow the competition between the sexes.

Just like trying to compare the skill sets between sports, it just really couldn't be easily compared.


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Golf Fan said:


> Irrelevant? Since when is talking sports irrelevant?  Having played both baseball and golf as an adult, I understand those that would dismiss any comparisions in the skill sets needed to play each game. My opinion is that hitting a baseball thrown 90+ miles per hour from 60 feet 6 inches and rarely moving on a straight line is the hardest thing to do in sports. That being said, golf is the hardest sport to be consistently good at.
> 
> Only the best in the world can hit the 90 mph baseball just as only the best in the world can shoot par on a consistent basis.


I compared fly fishing to golf for the technique of the backcast and backswing and the forward cast to the down swing. baseball was my game as a yougster and I found I had the skill even in my mid-life crisis days I could still play well. But golf has the verticle arc verses the horizontal arc of baseball, but thats about it. I love the game of golf, which kicks my anal orifice every time I play. Fourputt make a point that we can't make a fair compare and contrast of two entirely different games not the idea of talking sports. I have to agree he has a point.


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

steve123 said:


> hay guys tell me the most interesting thing in golf >>> get up do reply fast u will get a nice answer


peace and quiet


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