eaglesgolf72
New member
Thanks for this question! You guys gave some really great insight! With that said, I would like to elaborate even further
As a Collegiate Bowler for Georgia Southern University and as a low handicap golfer, I personally believe that golf is a much harder sport. For instance, you can shoot even par one day, and then the very next day under the same conditions shoot an 85. It's just so hard to consistently execute your shots for 18 holes let alone for an entire tournament. I still have yet to play a round of golf where every part of my game was working at its best, and i've been at it for 10 years...Yes, both golf and bowling have a lot of similarities. Both require consistency and accuracy with your shots and repetition in the swing. However, I do believe that the mental aspect of golf is much more physically and emotionally draining. Simply put, you hit more bad shots in golf and you deal with more pressure situations. So naturally you are going to battle emotions. Whereas in bowling, although it takes my full focus to throw the ball the same way every time and to make the right adjustments at the right time as the lanes break down, mentally/emotionally I don't ever go through many ups or downs like I do while playing a round of golf.
To elaborate further, many recreational bowlers don't understand the differences in oil patterns. They go to their local bowling alley and might get lucky and bowl a 200 and say, "hey I can compete with the pros". But they really can't. Even league bowlers who can average 220 would struggle to average 180 in a PBA Tournament. On a House Shot, if you throw a hook, all you have to do is get the ball to the outside part of the lane (the dryer boards) and it will come back in the pocket. You can throw at least 10 different lines with the same ball and get a strike. Pretty much, I can go up to the lane, close my eyes and get a strike on a House Shot. Obviously that's a hyperbole, but I averaged 244 the other day for 8 games in a row and my average in league is 215 and rising
. However, on a Sport Shot or PBA Pattern you cannot do this. First of all you have to find your line to get the ball in the pocket. Once you think you have it figured out, you have to throw it there every time. If you miss one board to the right, the ball won't come back because most sport shots are heavily oiled on the outside boards unlike House shots. If you miss one board left, the ball will over-hook. As well, there are longer and shorter patterns, which also affect the way the ball reacts. My average bowling on sport shots, granted I don't have that much experience, is around 175. That's a huge difference!
With that said, I still think golf is harder. With bowling, I can throw the same shot almost every time. It's just up to the lane conditions to determine if I can get a strike. With golf, even as a low handicapper, hitting pure shots every time is impossible. Even if you hit the shot pure, you might have been set up incorrectly so it goes in the wrong direction lol.
As a Collegiate Bowler for Georgia Southern University and as a low handicap golfer, I personally believe that golf is a much harder sport. For instance, you can shoot even par one day, and then the very next day under the same conditions shoot an 85. It's just so hard to consistently execute your shots for 18 holes let alone for an entire tournament. I still have yet to play a round of golf where every part of my game was working at its best, and i've been at it for 10 years...Yes, both golf and bowling have a lot of similarities. Both require consistency and accuracy with your shots and repetition in the swing. However, I do believe that the mental aspect of golf is much more physically and emotionally draining. Simply put, you hit more bad shots in golf and you deal with more pressure situations. So naturally you are going to battle emotions. Whereas in bowling, although it takes my full focus to throw the ball the same way every time and to make the right adjustments at the right time as the lanes break down, mentally/emotionally I don't ever go through many ups or downs like I do while playing a round of golf.
To elaborate further, many recreational bowlers don't understand the differences in oil patterns. They go to their local bowling alley and might get lucky and bowl a 200 and say, "hey I can compete with the pros". But they really can't. Even league bowlers who can average 220 would struggle to average 180 in a PBA Tournament. On a House Shot, if you throw a hook, all you have to do is get the ball to the outside part of the lane (the dryer boards) and it will come back in the pocket. You can throw at least 10 different lines with the same ball and get a strike. Pretty much, I can go up to the lane, close my eyes and get a strike on a House Shot. Obviously that's a hyperbole, but I averaged 244 the other day for 8 games in a row and my average in league is 215 and rising
. However, on a Sport Shot or PBA Pattern you cannot do this. First of all you have to find your line to get the ball in the pocket. Once you think you have it figured out, you have to throw it there every time. If you miss one board to the right, the ball won't come back because most sport shots are heavily oiled on the outside boards unlike House shots. If you miss one board left, the ball will over-hook. As well, there are longer and shorter patterns, which also affect the way the ball reacts. My average bowling on sport shots, granted I don't have that much experience, is around 175. That's a huge difference!With that said, I still think golf is harder. With bowling, I can throw the same shot almost every time. It's just up to the lane conditions to determine if I can get a strike. With golf, even as a low handicapper, hitting pure shots every time is impossible. Even if you hit the shot pure, you might have been set up incorrectly so it goes in the wrong direction lol.
