Fall Sports Options - Golf or XC?

[reagansdaddy]

Happy Monday DFPers!

I hope you all are enjoying the holidays. We've had some pretty mild weather here in Ohio and have gotten some good hitting work done in the garage. One of the topics that we've talked about as a family is the fact that DD will be able to participate in a school sport next fall for the first time since she will be entering 7th grade. Since the fall ball commitment is fairly minimal here, I think it would be a good idea for her to do something. The question is what.

She's expressed some interest in both golf and cross country. Actually, she'd like to play football but that's a non-starter in our house. There would be obvious conditioning benefits to cross country, but I really question how much she would enjoy it. Golf, on the other hand, is something that I think she could enjoy for the rest of her life. I'm a bit worried, however, that swinging a golf club could affect her softball swing.

I'd love to hear any input from those of you who have been through this before. Thanks!

 

[quincy]

I was a scratch golfer and ran cross county in HS. Not everything needs to be about SB, whatever she picks would be fine.

There is no way golf will screw up her SB swing. I like the mental aspect and pressure of golf which would be my preference of the 2. For me anyways a lot of my swing was feeling certain things which I also think would translate nicely into SB.

(Be careful with that cross county, niece tried it in HS for a fall sport. She liked it so much she quit SB to concentrate on cross country and track instead. )

 

[CoogansBluff]

She can play golf for the rest of her life, but she also can run/jog/exercise the rest of her life. Both are great sports for the present and future.

If softball is really a consideration, then there is the greater chance should could develop shin splits or other injuries in XC than she'll pick up bad swing habits through golf, IMO.

But as Quincy suggested, it should not be about softball. I don't view this as a particularly important decision in her life. Whatever she thinks will be more enjoyable, go for it.

 

[SoCalASABlue]

Definitely golf...and have heard - just as an aside - that the most "unclaimed" scholarship money is for women's golf...just sayin'...

 

[nanotech14]

Dd runs cross/country during the fall. She now has missed 2 months of indoor games because of a fracture in her hip from running. She hopes to be back in time for the spano dome tournament in Akron. But it is highly likely she will miss that one too. Not saying that could happen to your dd. Dd pitches so the running is good for her stamina.

 

[CoogansBluff]

Dd runs cross/country during the fall. She now has missed 2 months of indoor games because of a fracture in her hip from running.

DD had a teammate a couple of years ago who started XC and got shin splints, then some hip condition that required surgery. Was a combo of XC and winter track training. Was not diagnosed correctly for months, so she just stayed injured and on the shelf all summer, wondering why it wouldn't get better. It indirectly ended her softball career because she just got frustrated with all the time wasted and lost almost a year of potential improvement.

That wouldn't make me discourage my DD from running XC if she wanted to, but your post reminded me of that girl. She was super fast. Could've been really good.

 

[Fastpitch86]

I've seen injuries due to cross country such as sprained ankles, stress fractures, hip issues, etc. Players on our TB team are still not back due to injuries. Last year two players went out for their high school golf teams. Both players struggled at the plate with loopy swings.

I'm sure many girls don't have theses issues playing other sports, I'm just sharing experiences seen over the past couple years.

 

[SoAZDad]

I ran XC for varsity as a freshman in HS (played football after that). I really enjoyed running in the meets and the training was intense. It trained me how to breathe, and the correct breathing helps a lot in other activities. Like SCUBA, where I often surface after a dive with way more air left than other, more experienced divers.

I also played golf with some of the guys on the HS golf team. At best I was an honest 2- or 3-over-par golfer, but an average I'd say maybe 8 over on 18 holes. My golf swing could never be great because I had too much baseball influence (muscle memory?) that I, personally, could never separate and develop a great golf swing. But a couple of the guys I played with are now pros (PGA card holders, teaching pros at golf courses and one is a pro player for a big brewery and he jams around the country playing the pro-am celebrity tournaments. Not a bad life.

 

[BobInMadison]

The best sport is a sport which is FUN!

That being said, how tall is your DD? The girl who was first-string all-conference at 1B got a rowing scholarship to Wisconsin. Rowing goes all year round, but that girl would only row in the fall, and work out with the rowers in the winter, but would play softball in spring and summer. However, she is 6' tall and was one of the top HS rowers in the country by her senior year. Women's rowing is the easiest sport to get a scholarship in, though.

 

[sluggers]

Golf....she can play golf for the rest of her life.