From: JerrywithaJ on
My 15 yo grandson won't play golf becuase he's been told doing so will
hurt his golf swing?!? Can anyone provide any facts in this regard?
I'd love for the boy to also learn to play while young. TIA!
From: cja on
On Mar 30, 8:14 am, JerrywithaJ <Jerrywit...(a)aol.com> wrote:

> My 15 yo grandson won't play golf becuase he's been told doing so will
> hurt his golf swing?!?
> ^^^^
baseball

> Can anyone provide any facts in this regard?
>
Facts may be tough to come by, but I'll give you my opinion. When I
was playing baseball I mostly stayed away from golf during the
baseball season, believing as your grandson does that it would hurt my
baseball swing. In the off-season, though, I played golf, and it
should be fine for your grandson to do the same. I actually think
hitting baseballs does more harm to a golf swing than vice versa.
Baseball took priority over golf when I was young. I played baseball
through high school and in college, but was never on a golf team.

> I'd love for the boy to also learn to play while young. TIA!
>
That's the best time, but I'd recommend he leave the clubs in the bag
until after baseball season. You could try selling him on the idea
that off-season golf will help his baseball swing. The timing,
balance, and hand-eye coordination he'll get from golf are all good
for the baseball swing.

- cja


From: me on
On Mar 30, 8:14 am, JerrywithaJ <Jerrywit...(a)aol.com> wrote:
> My 15 yo grandson won't play golf becuase he's been told doing so will
> hurt his golf swing?!? Can anyone provide any facts in this regard?
> I'd love for the boy to also learn to play while young. TIA!

Baseball is full of old wives tales. Weight lifting used to be
supposedly "bad" for you too. Cross training is all the rage
in sports these days and it would seem there is some useful
cross training here. As someone else said, I'd be far more worried
about the baseball swing killing the golf swing than the other way
around. You have no small number of professional baseball players
who love golf. A golf swing requires balance and timing, both
things that should be useful to a baseball swing (which is a
much simplier swing IMHO). And really, look at an ideal
body position at impact of a golf swing and a baseball swing
and isn't there alot of similarities? About the only difference
is that the ball is alot lower and I don't think you'll have the
hips turned as much at bat. But what do I know, I'm a better golfer
than batter, and I suck at golf.

From: cja on
On Mar 30, 8:58 am, "cja" <c...(a)excite.com> wrote:
> On Mar 30, 8:14 am, JerrywithaJ <Jerrywit...(a)aol.com> wrote:
>
> You could try selling him on the idea
> that off-season golf will help his baseball swing. The timing,
> balance, and hand-eye coordination he'll get from golf are all good
> for the baseball swing.
>
One more thing: I believed in and used a grip on the baseball bat
where the middle knuckles on each hand lined up. This promotes right
forearm (for the righty hitter) rotation over the left through impact.
This is very similar to the 'release' move of a good golf swing, so in
this case baseball and golf can be good for each other.

- cja




From: John B. on
On Mar 30, 8:14 am, JerrywithaJ <Jerrywit...(a)aol.com> wrote:
> My 15 yo grandson won't play golf becuase he's been told doing so will
> hurt his golf swing?!? Can anyone provide any facts in this regard?
> I'd love for the boy to also learn to play while young. TIA!

When I took up golf, I had been playing baseball throughout my youth.
I didn't have trouble adapting to the basic dynamics of the golf
swing, but I had a very hard time learning not to swing as hard as I
could. I expect your grandson wil have the same problem, but I don't
think his baseball swing is going to hurt his golf swing or vice versa.