Which is harder to play golf or tennis?

Question

My friend and I are having a debate on which is harder. We were able to conclude that physically tennis is a lot harder, but mentally they are about the same. I am a varsity tennis player so naturally I favor the tennis being harder side. What are your thoughts?

Answer 1

Well I think tennis.The reason being that the server has to deliver an unplayable serve to the receiver.Should the receiver return the ball,the server must try and dictate the game to thier own advantage.Every shot by either player must be executed within seconds.The players must be extremely fit
Golf on the other hand,is far more relaxing.The players have time to evaluate thier shot.No matter how well executed,has no bearing on the ability of opponent to do likewise or even better.Plus the golfer has a caddy to advise and guide through every shot.
Whereas the tennis player must beat every opponent they meet to advance further in tournament.To the final
Unlike the golfer who is'nt really playing anyone.Thier challenge is the course itself.A golfer does'nt need to be fit,but must have great mental agility and tenacity.
A tennis player also requires this ability.So I think Tennis as it requires ability,fitness and youth.A golfer only needs ability

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

to get 'good' in a shorter amount of time- I believe tennis is harder. To just hit the ball and get it 'in play' I guess that's where golf could be considered a harder game and I somtimes find that golf has a little bit of luck playing- so that could make it more or less hard. It also depends on the person and their natural abilities.
but basically... I think tennis is harder

Answer 4

We know that these 2 games are different in nature. Tennis is confined to an small area for the players to run about. Golf has the entire golf course, average distance of 6000 meters for par 72 and 18 holes for the players to manage. Tennis is played with an opponent. Golf is playing against own self; i.e. you are responsible for your own stroke unlike tennis that the player is inference by the opponent's return stroke. However both games have one thing in common- mental strength. If all equal, the player with the stronger mental strength wins. I play both and enjoy both games very much.

Answer 5

Both are difficult. But clearly tennis is more difficult. A lot of the comments here focus on learning the fundamentals of each game, that is beside the point. The real difficulty is the competition. I think because tennis pits you 1 on 1 against another person it is very difficult. It is impossible to underestimate how much focus is required to play at a high level. In fact, the game becomes a test of will at the highest level. If your focus waivers for a moment or if you react in a fashion even slightly lazy, you may find yourself out of position for a shot, and on the way to losing the point. Even when your body is telling you it needs rest, you have to drive forward relentlessly, dominating yourself and your opponent with pure willpower. People think that because they can rally, they can play tennis, thats like saying if you can play catch you can play football. Or because you beat your friends in HORSE now you can go win the NBA MVP.

I think sport is defined by having at least one of two aspects, exerting willpower over mental or physical obstacles. I feel that tennis most strongly embodies those two requirements.

Answer 6

Golf is much harder. I've played both at a pretty respectable level.

It is much easier to grasp the fundamentals of tennis. The shots are easier to make. The only thing making it more of a challenge is the need for physical stamina. And even that isn't much of a factor at the recreational level.

The components in golf that make it more challenging are precision and consistency. The shotmaking is much more precise. Very small inaccuracies in a golf swing produce wildly varying shots. And you need that precision consistently to be a good golfer.

At high competitive levels, mental toughness is probably about equal. But at recreational levels, golf requires a lot more focus.

Give golf a try. You'll find out for yourself quickly enough.

Answer 7

I think it is tennis. It is very a physically challenging game. The mental abilities required in playing tennis are less as compared to golf.But as far as physical strength goes, golf stands nowhere

Answer 8

Tennis. I play both, and I find it much easier to go out and play golf than play tennis.

Answer 9

Golf is hard to learn because of the different clubs used for the different shots in different situations, and learning to play the course. Golf is difficult to learn for sure, but there's more involved in excelling at tennis than golf.
Tennis is difficult to learn because you have to be in proper shape, and have to learn how to correctly serve (flat, slice and kick) up the line, to jam the returner, and out wide, not to mention how to volley, return serve, how to hit overheads, lobs, use topspin, underspin, sidespin, hit groundstrokes, backhand and forehands, and returnserve. Tennis is harder to play because to excel in it, you have to learn all the requisite skills, have a superior fitness level to golfers, and deal with playing on multiple playing surfaces such as hardcourts, carpet, clay and grass, but most of us will tend to play on one (hardcourts or clay, depending on which part of the world you live in). There's no coaching allowed during the match in tennis. I don't know if this is the case in golf. There are public tennis courts you can use for
free to work on your game in tennis, I don't know about that being
the case in golf.

Answer 10

I play both and love both, but golf has proven the most difficult to learn. You're correct, tennis is more physically demanding but golf takes more patience, mental processing and nerve.