How to Hit it Better and Farther With a Baseball Swing

Have you ever had your playing partner ask “did you play baseball?” after witnessing your golf swing? The fact is, whether it’s a few early years in Little League, or playing for your High School Varsity team, baseball has been a part of many of our lives in one way or another. It’s also quite true that most ex-baseball players tend to use a lot of the same swing techniques when swinging a golf club.

Being quite aware of the differences between these two beloved sports, most golfers know that they need to kick the grand slam swing habits in order to improve their golf accuracy. But…certain aspects of your “baseball swing” may actually help you improve your golf swing, make more accurate contact, and send the ball further down the fairway.

Initially, a bat swing and club swing may appear completely different, when in fact the only major difference is the plane along which they are swung. To really see their similarities try focusing on the change in momentum from front to back, rather than the path of the bat or club being swung.

When swinging a bat, the transfer of energy comes from your stride, which starts your momentum forward (front leg lift and stride forward) followed by a powerful rotation of the hips. This helps a ball player power into a fastball as it screams across the plate.

Go ahead, stand up and try to remember your best baseball swing. Take a cut and feel your hips begin to snap through the swing as you shift your weight forward through your stride.

Now, returning to our golf swing we can start to see the similarities of how the momentum change comes directly from the rotation of your hips, which can be similar to that of a baseball swing. This comparison to a swing many of us are already very familiar with can be a great visualization for anyone new to the game of golf.

So while this may seem far-fetched, if you are trying to make the switch from the batters box to the tee box, try this simple exercise:

Start by holding your golf club like a baseball bat and swing it like you would a Louisville Slugger. Swinging your golf club chest high try to acquire a familiarity with that motion. After that you can begin to work down towards the bottom of the swing. Repeat this same exercise, only now at knee height and become comfortable with that as well. Stepping down the swing plane like this will allow you to apply those old (but good) habits of hip and body rotation from your baseball swing to your golf swing.

As a final step of the exercise move your swing plane all the way back down to fully return to your golf swing while continuing to feel that same motion with the hands, arms, and hips shifting though the ball. If done properly, what you’re feeling is the “lag” golf instructors look for to generate power and accuracy through the swing.

Here is a great video that shows us an excellent representation of the similarities between the golf and baseball swings.

So maybe that comment about your “baseball” golf swing isn’t such a bad thing after all. As we’ve seen here, a little bit of practice and familiarity using some concepts from your old high school baseball skills may just help you develop a great golf swing.

Just remember that anyone that can't explain the golf swing in a simple, easy to understand fashion is not an "expert".  They are only knowledgeable. 

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