For quite a long time there has been a lot of debate going around about which sport is tougher – golf or tennis. Let’s look into it.
While these two sports may not initially appear too strenuous or “tough” the fact of the matter is that they, in fact, are. Each sport is quite unique in its own right. Tennis, although physically more active and challenging is somewhat easier on the player – concentration wise. That said, golf is – of course – all about being able to concentrate and calculate your next move. Let’s see what some similarities between these two sports are as well as try to determine which one is considered to be somewhat tougher.
The equipment
To start off, we must first talk about the equipment. In order to play a game of tennis, you will need to have proper sportswear and footwear. Additionally, you’ll also require a tennis racket and some tennis balls. Of course, without the proper tennis court, there won’t be much point in playing. As for golf, on the other hand, you’ll need to have proper attire and footwear. You will also need to rent out a golf cart and a rangefinder, and obtain some golf balls and golf clubs, as well as a case for them. While you can certainly rent out some clubs, every serious golfer should get a set of their own. So, do some research and check out high-quality golf club brands which will make choosing significantly easier.
The system
The way in which tennis competitions work is by a form of elimination. What this means is that once you lose a game, you will no longer have the opportunity to continue on. As for golf, if you manage to pass the two days that are promised, you will be looking at a four-day competition. This means that tennis players will get a chance to relax a bit between the matches, which benefits them both physically and mentally. In golf, on the other hand, the player needs to be focused and concentrated to the fullest during all of those four days, which can be quite mentally exhausting.
The opponents
In order to compare the rivals in both of these sports as accurately as possible, we should look at a common reference, such as the Grand Slam, for instance. When it comes to tennis, there are 128 participants initially. However, the winner will be facing only seven of them. And even though you need to mentally prepare for those seven opponents and ensure that you’re better than all of them, it still doesn’t seem too difficult. However, in golf, 120 people are starting out the competition. By the end of day two, this number falls to 60. Also, golfers don’t face a single opponent. Instead, they could have up to 8 or 10 opponents at the same time.
The court
In the end, the courts at which these sports are played vary drastically. Tennis courts are 78 feet long and 27 feet wide. Tennis players have all of their equipment on their side of the court and don’t leave the court until their game is finished. On the other hand, an 18-hole golf court can be anywhere between 110 and 200 acres. Golf players also move along the court as they progress in their game, which means that, by the end of it, they cover the majority of the terrain. And yes, while it is true that golfers have the golf carts right for this reason, that’s still a lot of ground to cover.
All this said, you can certainly draw your own conclusion. While it is almost impossible to tell that one sport is more difficult than the other, there still are plenty of things you need to take into consideration. And while every player will try to defend their preferred sport, you should certainly feel free to enjoy and practice both of them respectively.
