Which game is harder: pool or golf?

[memikey]

That brings up another interesting point. People don't realize this but the difference between a scratch golfer and a PGA touring professional is light years. I wonder if the same thing is true for pool. I don't think the difference is quite so huge in pool between a professional and say, a shortstop.

I'd agree, but scratch golfers may not be the best measuring point to even consier because scratch golfers aren't really that good relatively speaking therefore the gap between them and a PGA touring pro is as you say absolutely immense, probably a bit like the ability gap between the guy who very occasionally runs two consecutive racks at your pool hall and Ralf Souquet.

I would say that if an "average" scratch golfer under 35 years of age were to play against each of the world top ranked 10,000 professionals over a 72 hole competition on a Championship set up course he would be very likely to lose to at least 9,900 of them.

However there is also a huge gulf between the very top world ranked amateurs and normal average scratch golfers. I have caddied in European PGA tour events for Danny Lee who was world ranked number 1 amateur before turning pro in April. His handicap was + 6.4 before he turned pro. If he played 72 holes against 10,000 scratch amateurs just prior to turning pro I'd say he would beat at least 9,990 of them. If at the same time he had played each of the world top ranked 10,000 pros he would beat at least 9,500 of them. His World Ranking now (ie within 2 months of turning pro is 131st but he is very exceptional)

I'd say the nearest approximate golf equivalent to the gap between a good short stop and a world top 50 pro pool player would be something along the lines of the ability gap between a +4 handicap amateur golfer and a world top 150 ranked PGA pro.

"Ability gap" and "likelihood of beating" are of course two different things when applied to golf and pool. The lesser of the two pool players who have an identical ability gap between them as two golfers have is going to have more statistical chance of winning a match against the better pool payer than the lesser ability golf player has of winning his match....simply due to the nature of the games.

 

[deadwhak]

i dont even need to read every post on here to see everyones opinion..cuz it dont matter..golf is BY FAR harder!!!

 

[n10spool]

Golf is probably the toughest sport to play period. Pool is more brutal because if you lose the lag or coin flip you could lose the match 9-0 with out ever getting a shot. In golf you always get to shoot shot for shot against the other player. Becoming a pga tour pro is way more difficult than becoming a pro pool player. I play well below scratch golf +2.7 and can't even think of beating a nationwide pro. I have beaten many pool pros in tournaments. So golf is tougher and pool is more brutal IMHO.:

 

[td873]

The question is more complex than a simple "which one is harder" implies.

But, as an overall prospect, to me, golf is much more difficult.

As an initial matter, the playing surface for pool is usually 4X8 (or 4.5X9). So you know where the balls will be at any given time. The playing surface for golf is infinitely larger (well substantially larger anyway) making the game more difficult simply from a size perspective.

There are a host of arguments going either way, but it would be a really long post to go into all of them.

-td

 

[Big Perm]

Big Perm you must be one hell of a golfer. I would pay to see you shoot in the 80's with 3 clubs(no putter or driver) :grinning-moose:

Not really....most hackers, like myself, would actually play better if they just hit irons....I hit my 3-iron about 220 off the tee, my 7 about 170, and I'll probably choose my 52 for the third club.....depending on whether I hit a cut or a fade, I can actually vary distances 30 yards without changing swing speed with the same club....

Next time out, I will play with just my 3, 7, and a wedge....I'll post the results in this thread and we'll both see if I am full of sheit I think the biggest challenge is going to be putting, I am gonna miss my ping

 

[Big Perm]

Results of the 3 club challenge....

3 iron, 7, and 52

Course 6430 yards, 71/122, 20mph wind, rained a ton day before so no roll in fairway, but easy to hold greens.....they got me on in 15 minutes, no practice balls nor putts, just some stretching....no mulligans, played it down, rough was brutal since it hadn't been mowed in some time, fairways were nice, greens were aerated 3 weeks ago but still pretty decent....

Shot 92, 47 on the front, 45 on the back, one quad, three doubles, many bogeys....took a while to get used to putting with the 3 and chipping with the 52.....putted out on every hole....it was fun, the guys I played with made it a blast, they were entertained and interested the whole time, actually made a 15 footer with my 3 iron, pretty fun....

If I did it again, I'd probably go with a 3wd, 8, and 56.....the 3 iron made the par 4's and 5's a bit long, I had to hit a lot of 1/2 and 3/4 sevens on approach shots and par 3's....

 

[RRfireblade]

Shoulda putt with the 52. Open the face and blade it , it's relatively easy to putt that way.

However , I would've went 5I , Wedge , Putter.

 

[Gerry]

All things considered....Golf is much harder to become good at then pool.

Today is my B-day and I went out to play 18. This is my 4th round of the year and I have just gotten back into golf after a 5 year layoff. I played a semi-tough muni here in PA and finished 2 over on the front.....and 6 over on the back. For you non-golfers that is probably like a league player finishing in the $$$ in a regional event.

For me, pool was easy from the get go (I started at age 6). Golf makes me want to brake all my clubs over my knee, shove the jagged edges into my eye sockets.....open all my arteries with my sand wedge.....castrate myself with my betrayal of a driver I have, and shove all those expensive balls where the sun don't shine!


besides that, I really like the game :thumbup:


G.

 

[glengarets]

Golf. Hands down. every time you go out on the course you are playing not only against the people (or your self) but the weather. There are more controllable conditions in pool.

 

[Ralph Kramden]

Pool - Have you ever run out playing 9 ball?
Golf - Have you ever played par for 9 holes?

 

[Masayoshi]

Pool - Have you ever run out playing 9 ball?
Golf - Have you ever played par for 9 holes?

Comparisons of 2 completely different things can be misleading. For example:

Pool - Have you ever run out a race to 18 of 9 ball?
Golf - Have you ever played par for 18 holes?

Pool - Have you ever run out a rack of 9 ball?
Golf - Have you ever played par for 1 hole?

 

[gutshot]

It's funny when people start to talk about comparing the two sports in terms of money, table size, etc. This is a question of which is harder, i.e. which sport is harder to play perfect.

How many people can break and run a rack of pool, whether it be eight ball or nine ball verses how many people can shoot par in golf for a round?

There are millions of people that have broke and run at least one rack in their life. How many people have ever shot even par for one round in their life? I can bet its way less!

I used to be a scratch golfer probably 5 years ago. I rarely play (maybe 3 times a year). If I shoot 75-78 I'm extremely happy. If I played pool a couple times a year, I bet during one of those sessions I would have several break and runs. It's much harder to consistantly achieve perfection in golf than in pool, if one ever does so.

 

[sde]

Golf is much harder....














































to find the ball.





.

 

[JoeyA]

I have played both games for several years and I believe that golf is harder to be consistent at (conditions, different courses, many moving body parts...), but I believe the pressure shows up more in pool than it does in golf. It seems to me that when you are playing good golf the muscle memory almost takes care of everything for you and you just do not really succumb to the pressure. The hard part about pool is you do not always have control of your destiny, if your opponent is running rack after rack you cannot control it, or if your opponent is missing and hooking you over and over you cannot control that either and you have to be mentally strong enough to deal with both of those situations. The good thing about golf is your opponent has no bearing on your ability to have an opportunity to win. Just my two cents on the matter.

-don

While I don't play golf another thing to consider is the reps. Golf, with 18 holes, 72 swings. Takes what 3-4 hours.

Pool: 54 swings per hour minimum? Big difference in the numbers.

 

[BRKNRUN]

Unless you get an Ace on every hole, You can't play a perfect round of Golf...which won't happen in our lifetime...even on any version of Golden Tee.......You CAN however win the lag and break and run the entire set of pool.

So...by that logic of which is easier (to master)....Pool would have to be the easier of the two.

However...just to twist this up some more.....Even though I suck at Golf now I was better at Golf at my peak than I have ever been at pool....So that should mean that Pool is a harder game....BUT....I know some very good pool players that are happy just to get the ball airborne at Golf.

IMHO....Golf is a harder game phisically....Pool is a harder game mentally.

In Golf you have a break between every shot to mentally prepare for the next shot....In pool...If you have a break of any substantial time between shots....You are probably losing....:wink:

Golf and Pool do have a bit of a relationship....Both games can quickly make even the most gifted of athletes look like an uncoordinated fool...I have seen it first hand...In both games.:wink:

 

[Kamuitipsdotcom]

You are 100% right Freddie!

Pool. There's no margin for error in pool. Plus, I'm sick of hearing golf announcers saying how much pressure is on this putt!? OOOOOOOo.....sooo much pressure lol. They miss thier putt, they get 58th place and earn a 80k paycheck and go back to your posh mansion in Malibu. Pool on the otherhand....you miss that 9 ball and you're sleeping in your car and eating cracker ketchup sandwiches. Tell me who has more pressure??

 

[thefonz]

Pool. There's no margin for error in pool. Plus, I'm sick of hearing golf announcers saying how much pressure is on this putt!? OOOOOOOo.....sooo much pressure lol. They miss thier putt, they get 58th place and earn a 80k paycheck and go back to your posh mansion in Malibu. Pool on the otherhand....you miss that 9 ball and you're sleeping in your car and eating cracker ketchup sandwiches. Tell me who has more pressure??

couldn't be more wrong
tell that to the guys trying to hack it on the mini tours some of them live in their vehicles.
plus i think there's way more pressure in achieving life's ambitions than just getting a payday. you will alway have chances to make money one way or another, you will not though, have the same number of opportunities to achieve goals, even at the highest level in any sport, winning isn't always just about the money, it's about achievment.

 

[RRfireblade]

Wow. Back from the dead.

How about this take on it , I can teach 9/10 people to pocket a pool ball in a few minutes. Table length , straight in shot , sure miss a few but surely make few. Say 50/50.

It'll take 9/10 people months or longer of practice to hit as many balls straight as they hit not straight. Some will take years. And generally , they will have know idea why they do either.

 

[thefonz]

While I don't play golf another thing to consider is the reps. Golf, with 18 holes, 72 swings. Takes what 3-4 hours.

Pool: 54 swings per hour minimum? Big difference in the numbers.

golf: 72 swings, not including practice swings, trying to hit a little ball 6500+ yards via the physics of flight, lift , whereas over 90% of the time you're making the ball go over 100mph, not by rolling it, but by beating it off the ground to get it airborn. while listening to your buddies chirp.

pool: 54 swings per hour minimum, rolling a ball propelled by momentum, over an average distance per shot of four feet, an on an average of less than 2mph unless you're breaking all the time, which in that case would be 15-30mph. while listening to your buddies chirp.

 

[Desmondp]

Golf by a goddamm mile

It really is quite possible for the average joe to get to a level where they can run racks and in the short run at least (say race to 5), be somewhat competitive with any top pool player in the world

For an average joe to be anywhere near competitive with the top golfers in the world is near impossible.

Golf even trumps snooker by a mile which is way harder to master than pool