From a young age, I had an obsession with sports. It didn’t matter which one; if there was a competitive aspect to the activity, I was all in. I played everything I could get my hands on. I played flag football with the boys all through elementary school, pitched for the boys’ baseball team through eighth grade, and played my final season of basketball for the varsity team my freshman year of high school.
Once I realized that a baseball swing didn’t quite translate to the best golf swing, and that the five ACL tears in my family didn’t bode well for my ability to run freely on the basketball court, I hung up the cleats and the Kobe basketball shoes to dedicate myself to the game of golf. Specializing in one sport seemed like a great opportunity to pour more time, effort, and resources into just one game.
It wasn’t until a few years after I walked away from the other two sports that I realized the positive impact they had on my golf game. It’s the reason I strive to play one other sport each week. In a game that can become so mechanical—focusing on the right hand position, the shoulder alignment, the arm slot, etc.—it’s easy to lose sight of the innate athleticism involved.
I never thought that taking time to shoot hoops or whack a tennis ball around with a friend would help improve my swing, my putting, or my overall enjoyment of the game. But there’s something about the freedom of shooting a jump shot and seeing the ball swish through the net that directly translates to the feeling of draining a putt. Or how the lightness in my grip as I hit a topspin tennis ball gives me the same sensation as hitting a perfect draw with the driver. After some reflection, I’ve identified three primary reasons that playing other sports is essential to my golf development.
First, it trains the athlete in me. As I mentioned before, golf can become a very mechanical sport. While going through a swing change, you can spend hours trying to perfect the tiniest movement without actually playing the game. I can get bogged down in chasing perfection. What I’ve learned (and will discuss later) is that perfection is the nemesis of greatness. When I focus too much on telling my body what to do, I forget that my body does a lot of good things naturally. That’s where other sports come in. When I pick up a baseball, tennis ball, or basketball, there isn’t a single mechanical thought that runs through my brain. It’s all natural, and it helps me reconnect with the sensation of letting my body move freely. This brings me to my second point.
The second benefit of playing other sports is that it serves as a reminder that golf is a GAME and is meant to be PLAYED. I get so much joy from playing other sports, trying to create different shots or pitches. I play them for the pure enjoyment of the game. When I remind myself that golf is the same way, it brings a refreshing perspective to my preparation and attitude towards playing.
Third, and perhaps most satisfying for me, is that playing other sports brings back the child in me. It reminds me of the pick-up basketball games I played during recess in elementary school, the way the boys accepted me as one of their own in touch football, and the joy that ran through my body when I knew it was time to play. It was all for the love of sport and healthy competition. To this day, when I play other sports, it brings that feeling back and allows me to approach every day I play golf with the same mentality.
Whether you have a deep passion for sports or something else that helps you in your main sport, make time for it. If you have an experience even remotely like mine, you’ll be blown away by the benefits. I know that today, there’s a push for early specialization in sports. I’m not saying that’s right or wrong, but I do believe there’s tremendous value in engaging your body in different activities for the overall enjoyment and pursuit of a goal. Often, the feel from one sport can be directly applied to another. Whether or not this fits into your practice, I encourage you to give it a try. You may be surprised by the results.
***Disclaimer: I make sure to not participate in any sports that would risk injury. For example, shooting hoops instead of a pick-up game just throwing baseball versus playing a game.