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  1. #1
    Pitching Wedge Del Delaplante is on a distinguished road Del Delaplante's Avatar
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    Golf Swing vs Baseball Swing

    On the surface a baseball swing and the golf swing are essentially the same. The only perceivable difference being the point of contact with the ball. One of the not so obvious differences between the two is the method of transferring power. A baseball player gets his power by “stepping into the ball”, taking a stride towards the ball, shifting his weight from his right foot to his left foot, using this forward weight shift to add momentum to his swing. A golfer gets his power by rotating his upper body against his hips, affectively cocking his whole body. The golfer “un-winds” his shoulders, at the same time shifting his weight from right foot to left foot. For young flexible individuals the golf swing is easily accomplished, but as the golfer ages and flexibility wanes, swing power diminishes. I often wonder why there has'nt been an attempt at using the baseball swing. The kids play a version of Tee ball, with some success, one would think that adults could modify the procedure. All anyone would have to do is practice “stepping into the ball”. David Leadbetter demonstrated this swing in the March addition of Golf Digest, he seems to think it would add yardage to aging swings. Whats your opinion?

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    Must be Single Txxxxxxx is on a distinguished road Txxxxxxx's Avatar
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    There are many things that baseball does to your golf swing, and they are all negative. The swings are not actually that similar. I played baseball my whole life competitively and trying to go from one to the other was a nightmare.

    When you swing in baseball, you do step into the swing, but there is no weight transfer to your front foot eventhough you are stepping there. When you finish your swing, your weight is on your back foot, not the front foot as it is in golf. That's the biggest problem right there and leads to topping the hell out of the ball. I'm currently watching a buddy of mine struggle going from playing recreational slow pitch to rounds of golf with me and it's horrible. He often looks like he's trying to hit a home run when he swings his golf club.

  3. #3
    Pitching Wedge Del Delaplante is on a distinguished road Del Delaplante's Avatar
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    Would have to disagree with the weight shift, here's a couple of guys pounding out home runs, and it would appear to me that the majority of their weight is on the front foot.

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    Arrow shooter Chieflongtee is on a distinguished road Chieflongtee's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Del Delaplante View Post
    Would have to disagree with the weight shift, here's a couple of guys pounding out home runs, and it would appear to me that the majority of their weight is on the front foot.

    There is a forward weight shift but the upper body is bent backwards to help the ball up .If you were to try hitting a golf ball like that you'd fan on it or at best top it. In golf a properly struck ball gets its lift from the loft of the club.
    Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.
    Mahatma Gandhi

  5. #5
    Must be Single Txxxxxxx is on a distinguished road Txxxxxxx's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Del Delaplante View Post
    Would have to disagree with the weight shift, here's a couple of guys pounding out home runs, and it would appear to me that the majority of their weight is on the front foot.

    As I said, there is a step forward, but their centre of gravity, which your pictures clearly display, is well over their back foot and at the completion of their swing, the weight is on the back foot. That's the reason a left handed batter has an advantage over a right handed one when making it to first base. You also lean away from the plate with your weight, and again, the left hander is already leaning somewhat towards first, so that is an advantage at the completion of their swing. Their momentum is already going in the direction they want to run to.

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    Caddy knickers is on a distinguished road knickers's Avatar
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    Having played competitive baseball for the majority of my life up to junior college in florida and having tried out for several major leauge clubs. Ive studied the baseball swing to death. I would agree that comparing the golf swing and baseball swing is like apples and oranges but not totaly off base. Similaraties are certanly there. ie. the hips drive the hands into the ball, extension at the moment of impact being key for power. But there is a considerable amout of leg action in the baseball swingt hat would kill a golf swing pretty fast. As far as weitht shift goes. There certanly is a shift onto the front leg in a baseball swing. If you look at the second picture of Poulos his front leg is far more flexed then his back leg. the lean back in both pictures is after impact to help the ball in the air as chief already said. A better example of wieght shift would be to watch Ichiro.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPJtK-DxnV4

    This is a swing vision of tiger im sure youve all seen before and if you'll notice, although his wieght is on his front foot he is leaning backwords after impact just like the picture above.

  7. #7
    Championship Cup PEI Golfing is on a distinguished road PEI Golfing's Avatar
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    Some words of wisdom:

    In baseball you hit your home run over the right-field fence, the left-field fence, the center-field fence. Nobody cares. In golf everything has got to be right over second base. ~Ken Harrelson

    But you don't have to go up in the stands and play your foul balls. I do. ~Sam Snead, to Ted Williams, arguing which was more difficult, to hit a moving baseball or a stationary golf ball

    "You can look terrible at the plate and hit a blooper and a game- winning hit and a single when your left hip is sitting out and you're driving the other way," McGwire said. "In golf, if you're a little bit off, you're behind a tree, you're in the thick rough, you're in a sand trap, and it's just one of those things I've learned, probably the biggest transition is the difference is you can't get away with anything. The golf gods will come and get you in a heartbeat." (Mark McGwire)
    "So many moving parts. Your whole body's moving, and this ball is not moving. It's standing still, laughing at you." [B] Tiger Woods[/B]

  8. #8
    Must be Single Txxxxxxx is on a distinguished road Txxxxxxx's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by knickers View Post
    Having played competitive baseball for the majority of my life up to junior college in florida and having tried out for several major leauge clubs. Ive studied the baseball swing to death. I would agree that comparing the golf swing and baseball swing is like apples and oranges but not totaly off base. Similaraties are certanly there. ie. the hips drive the hands into the ball, extension at the moment of impact being key for power. But there is a considerable amout of leg action in the baseball swingt hat would kill a golf swing pretty fast. As far as weitht shift goes. There certanly is a shift onto the front leg in a baseball swing. If you look at the second picture of Poulos his front leg is far more flexed then his back leg. the lean back in both pictures is after impact to help the ball in the air as chief already said. A better example of wieght shift would be to watch Ichiro.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPJtK-DxnV4

    This is a swing vision of tiger im sure youve all seen before and if you'll notice, although his wieght is on his front foot he is leaning backwords after impact just like the picture above.
    Sweet man! Did you know who Todd Burke is? He coached me and I played some ball with him in Florida too.

    I agree there is weight shift, but each player is different. Look at McGuire...I'd say in that picture 80% of his weight is on his back foot. You have to look at the entire swing, not just before contact. Lots of guys fall backwards over their back leg because of the weight going back there at the end of the swing. We had one guy in Florida who used to fall down whenever he missed the ball from the momentum. Pretty horrible considering the calibre of ball it was. Lets just say he contributed to 90% of the seeds in the dugout.

  9. #9
    Caddy knickers is on a distinguished road knickers's Avatar
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    Todd Burke is a familiar name. Seems like more of a name Ive read in the paper though. I only spent one season down there before coming back up here to go back to canadian school and find a real job when I realized the baseball thing wasnt working out( we can say what we like about profesional athletes but it take a tremendous amount of ability and hard work to make it where they are).

    I agree in the McGuire photo 80% of his wieght is on his back leg but like you said he is in his backswing and the force of his swing has driven his body there. The wieght shift to his front leg has already happened and passed. The swing vision of tiger is with the driver as well. In my opinion you obviously could not get away with this consistantly with an iron in you hands. Like I said the 2 swing are different but I do believe that alot can be learned by both a baseball player and a golfer by watching each others swings.

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