You may not think that the attributes and skills needed to be a successful tennis player would lend themselves well to learning the level of precision and patience that you need to be a good golfer, but you would be wrong.
In fact, out of all the possible sports that you could play, such as soccer, basketball and baseball, tennis provides the perfect action needed to adjust to swinging a golf club.
Not to mention all the other abilities that tennis players already have in abundance which can help them learn to be a great golfer such as core body strength and good coordination.
Still not convinced?
Keep reading to discover the top six reasons why if you play tennis, you have the ability to become a great golfer.
- Increased forearm strength
Anyone who plays tennis will know how the sport gives you a forearm strength that is similar to that of a World’s Strongest Man opponent. Well, maybe not quite, but nearly.
What does this mean for your golf game?
In a nutshell, the stronger your arm, the further you can drive a ball. In fact, golfers who also play tennis have reported an increase in their swing strength and the distance at which they can drive the ball can reach an average of 10-20 yards.
2. Good coordination
Both golf and tennis require good coordination skills, and in particular, good hand to eye coordination skills. In tennis, your hands and body need to react and respond quickly to what your eyes see in order to hit the ball effectively. Whereas in golf, hand to eye coordination is vital for ensuring that you have control over your swing and can hit the ball how you intend to.
3. Mental strength & strategy
Some sports require more physical strength and endurance, while others need you to have a great dealof mental strength in order to succeed. Tennis and golf fall into the latter category.
Of course, you need to be physically fit to play tennis, but you also need a lot of mental endurance so that you don’t give up. You need to focus on winning each individual point and never let any personal doubt creep into your game.
Golf is no different. In fact, many top professional golfers such as the late Jim Flick and Chi Chi Rodriguez have previously stated how the sport is between 80-90% mental.
Think about it. Golf is an untimed game, for which a lot of patience and perseverance is needed. So letting stress get the better of you can lead to a tightening of the wrong muscles, sending your ball hurdling in the wrong direction.
4. Similar posture
If you already play tennis then you can easily make the posture adjustment to ensure that you have a strong swing when playing golf.
Imagine you are waiting to receive the ball on the tennis court. Your feet are apart, your shoulders are relaxed, and your body is poised. Now, simply replace your tennis racket with your driving irons and tilt your upper body slightly so that your clubhead is touching then ground.
You are now in the golf address position. That is how simple it is to change your body from playing tennis to golf.
5. Excellent core strength
Both tennis players and golf players need to have good core strength in order to play effectively, even though golf may seem like a fairly non-physically demanding sport.
Core strength enables you to improve upon your movement and balance as well as increase the power of your shots, all of which are important if you want to be good at either tennis or golf. Therefore, tennis players who already have good core strength will be able to succeed in golf much quicker than those who don’t have this physical power.
6. The ability to learn a new sport
If you have spent years analyzing and improving on your tennis technique, then you are already set up with the skills needed to learn and master swinging a golf club. Both of these abilities take a lot of time, effort and determination to become proficient in. However, if you have already got a handle of your tennis swing, then it should not take you as long to learn to swing a golf club effectively.
To sum up, both of these sports require a lot from the individuals who choose to play them. You need to be mentally, physically and technically strong, as well as have the ability to succeed on your own, without any teammates for motivation.
So, whether you are a tennis player who fancies trying their hand at golf, or if you are a keen golfer who has always wanted to pick up a racket, go for it! You will probably be a lot better than you might think.
