Difficulty of Pool vs Golf

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NickSerino

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Several friends and I got into a discussion last night about which game we thought was harder, pool or golf and before I say what our opinions were I am curious what some others thought. It started with us saying which we would harder to become a "professional" at, ie if you played 8 hours a day for a given amount of time would you have a better chance to win the US Open in pool or the US open in golf?

I just changed my user name (not that I used my other one very often, so that is why I dont have very many posts or rep yet).

Nick
 
NickSerino said:
It started with us saying which we would harder to become a "professional" at, ie if you played 8 hours a day for a given amount of time would you have a better chance to win the US Open in pool or the US open in golf?
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Golf is harder to make it to the top as a professional

In essence you are competeing with the top 30,000 of your generation in golf, while you are competing with the top 1000 of your generation in pool.
 
MitchAlsup said:
Golf is harder to make it to the top as a professional

In essence you are competeing with the top 30,000 of your generation in golf, while you are competing with the top 1000 of your generation in pool.
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at least with golf starving to death as a top 100 player is not likely as opposed to pool where it is a nearly certain
 
I could hit a golf ball the first time I picked up a club, and could make balls the first time I held a cue. To me they are both equally difficult/easy.
 
I have played golf for all of my life. I have played to as low as a 3 handicap on a nationally ranked golf course(back when I worked there and played EVERY day). On my home course I am a scratch golfer, but it is easy. I just started playing pool about a year ago (not just an occasional banger), and find pool harder. I have natural talent playing golf, (never a practicer) but have to work on my pool game to be a C player trying to make the next step. I guess to some it up, it is whatever you are more comfortable with. I have known how to hit the golf ball straight all my life, and never knew any different. In pool I constantly need to work on my game. If anyone needs a scramble player in Oklahoma let me know, more than happy to help!
 
nickserino said:
several friends and i got into a discussion last night about which game we thought was harder, pool or golf and before i say what our opinions were i am curious what some others thought. It started with us saying which we would harder to become a "professional" at, ie if you played 8 hours a day for a given amount of time would you have a better chance to win the us open in pool or the us open in golf?

I just changed my user name (not that i used my other one very often, so that is why i dont have very many posts or rep yet).

Nick
Click to expand...

I myself have had a number of conversations about this topic. And the convos start the same everytime: Golf is harder because of the terrain, weather, etc. Pool is easier because its on a 9 foot table and you got 6 holes to choose from. Then after they have their say, I always hit'em with this: Imagine playing golf on a pool table and imagine having to play pool on a golf course. Now which one has become more difficult to have success in?? People always fail to realize that the terrain, environment, table, etc has nothing to do with the concept (objective)of either one. I say that pool is one notch more difficult because you have that one more variable involved. In golf, you have a club, a ball, and a hole. Thats 3 variables. In pool, you have a stick, a cue ball, an object ball, and a pocket. Thats 4 variables. And as you know, anytime you add a variable to any 'equation', it makes the objective more difficult. They are both hard (challenging) to me but I prefer pool above golf any day of the week because the action is infinite and exciting!!!


Peace

WUTANG
 
Here's a good way to think about how hard golf is -
 

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Love this topic!!!

So I played golf growing up....played in high school, played in college, and worked as a golf professional for 6 years. I'm 30 now and have played pool since I was 22 years old I am an APA 7 in 8-ball and a 9 in 9-ball. I feel there are two aspects two this question......which game is harder and which one would take longer to try and win the US Open.

I think pool is harder but I think golf would take longer to win the US Open.

Here's why....

Pool takes prescion. There are so many different shots. Pool knowledge is not something that can be learned in a year or two. You will never stop learning new shots. There will always be a time where I scratch my head and say holy shit how the hell did he do that. Golf, if you're good, should be a boring game. Couple shots and a putt or two you're golden. Now don't get me wrong there are still sometimes in golf where a guy hits a miracle shot that defies logic but it happens more often in pool. Also, there is one big thing in pool that every great player must learn that is not a factor in golf.....DEFENSE! Bottom line I just think there are way more shot to master in pool than there are in golf.

Now if we're talking about winning the US Open it's really just a number game. There are WAY MORE players that have the game to possibly win. In pool realistically there are maybe 100 guys that have the game, if they played thier best, maybe less. In golf, there are a bunch of guys that can shoot under par and if they played their best over 4 days, which don't get me wrong is not easy at all.

So again I think pool is the tougher game but golf would be tougher to be at the top level of competition.

P.s. The only thing I didn't write about is physical conditioning which then may make golf a tougher sport since if I tryed to walk 18 holes and play a round I would die yet I can play pool for hours and hours.
 
I have played both sports since I was young, both at a relatively high amateur level. I think the question needs to be asked whether you are talking mentally tough or physically tough.

Mentally I would say both sports are very similar, each requiring immense focus, confidence and toughness to be successful when the time arrives to perform under pressure. Many players are great on the range or practice table but struggle to bring the same level of performance when it counts.

Physically I don't think there is any question. It is a matter of physics. The pool stroke has one moving joint and the rest of the body is still. Golf has many moving joints thus a far greater chance of creating an error before the point of impact. There is also a huge difference in the length of stroke with the golf swing being much longer, again creating a higher chance of making a mistake.

That is my take on it...
 
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Difficulty of Pool or Golf

Next time you go golfing ask yourself how you would like it if every time it was your shot you had to shoot from where your opponent left you.
Then walk over to the lake and look at the middle or in the woods stuck up behind a tree in a 3 foot pile of brush.
I'm not saying golf is easy, but you get to choose where you shoot from , not some hyena that thinks it's funny to hook you every other shot.
 
There are many more factors to consider with golf than pool. In pool, the only factors that can change is humidity, rails, cloth, balls, and such, but in golf, the lie, weather, course rating, how the grass was cut, stimp meter, are all factors when considering the game of golf. Also, there are many more different kinds of shots and many more different ways to swing the golf club as opposed to different kinds of pool shots.

Both take a great deal of accuracy and both are hard, but golf is harder and takes more time, more effort...... on top of that, there is a much wider range of movement in the golf swing than in pool and you are playing in a much bigger playground, therefore, many more things can go wrong, and you have to deal with that much more.........
 
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Keeping in mind that some people just adapt to certain things differently than others......

I cannot say which game is harder as I've never played golf. But I have this to say: I think it is easier to screw up a shot in golf than it is in pool. I mean, how many times have you seen the best players in golf put a drive or fairway shot way back into the woods or in the gallery (looking like a shot some local yokel might have hit) as opposed to how many times have you seen a pool shot from the best players look like something an APA SL2 would have shot? On a bad golf stroke, the results can appear very amateurish, while on a bad pool stroke it just looks like a barely missed shot.

I will never attempt golf. I can see that it would be a source of endless frustration for me.

Maniac
 
Both are difficult to master. But there is no question as to which is harder. Golf is way harder. There are way more variables in golf than pool. It isnt close. Too many to even try to list. Every shot you have a new set of challenges. In pool, you are faced with the same climate and conditions all night long. In pool, the angles are all the same, the dimensions are the same. They are similar to each other that they are both position games and you control a little white ball. Problem is, a pool table you are controlling a little white ball from no more than 9 feet. Golf you are controlling it from 300 yards. And people comparing the US Open in pool to the US Open in golf is almost laughable. Sure there is pressure. But there isnt a penalty in pool whereif you are half an inch in the wrong direction you have no chance. Or to put it another way. The conditions the USGA set the course up to are so difficult, most GOOD amateurs wouldnt break 100. Hit it in the rough and it is a 1 stroke penaly pretty much. Add to that, greens that are so fast that if you tap it just a tiny bit too hard the ball rolls off the green and goes 40 yards down a hill into a lake. Or a hole that can be so difficult that there is a chance that you may never finish the hole.(Alcatraz or Postage Stamp prime examples) I have seen the best players in the world come up to Alcatraz and make a 13. I know the Postage Stamp in seen in the British Open, but same idea. And dont get me started on that tournament either. Bottom line, on a 10 rung ladder, pool is at the 5th or 6th rung while golf is at the 9th or 10th.
 
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