Is snooker harder than golf?

[jim8flog]

He obviously means that player's first visit ?

He cannot mean the player's first visit if he is discounting the free ball scenario

I have played and watched snooker since the age of 8 I have never seen a ball potted from the break.

 

[Orikoru]

Pool is to snooker what crazy golf is to golf.

More like pitch and putt than crazy golf. Same method of playing, shorter distance.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

I never play snooker, maybe play pool a couple of times a year. I play golf every week (when allowed). I still somewhat agree with Hovis - if I played snooker every week for the next 3 months I think I'd be at least as good at it as I am at golf, if not better. Golf just has far more variables which is what makes it harder.

Enough said!

 

[Orikoru]

Enough said!

Does that mean I don't know what it is? I've played it before obviously.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Does that mean I don't know what it is? I've played it before obviously.

There’s no way anyone could be any good at snooker playing once a week for 3 months, in the same way they couldn’t playing golf once a week for 3 months.

EDIT: unless exceptionally naturally talented, of course

 

[Orikoru]

There’s no way anyone could be any good at snooker playing once a week for 3 months, in the same way they couldn’t playing golf once a week for 3 months.

Striking a cue ball is much easier than striking a golf ball though, clearly. There's less mechanics and movement involved. Much easier to learn. Beyond that it's just practise. If someone had never played either sport, then for six months played golf once a week and snooker once a week - they would be better at snooker than they are at golf.

 

[greenone]

Striking a cue ball is much easier than striking a golf ball though, clearly. There's less mechanics and movement involved. Much easier to learn. Beyond that it's just practise. If someone had never played either sport, then for six months played golf once a week and snooker once a week - they would be better at snooker than they are at golf.

Striking a cue ball maybe easier but the precision required is far greater. The tip of a snooker cue is 8-12mm in diameter striking a ball that is 52mm, where as the clubhead is much larger than the golf ball.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Striking a cue ball is much easier than striking a golf ball though, clearly. There's less mechanics and movement involved. Much easier to learn. Beyond that it's just practise. If someone had never played either sport, then for six months played golf once a week and snooker once a week - they would be better at snooker than they are at golf.

The problem is that it’s hard to objectively measure snooker ability compared to golf, what with the handicap system.

You could be right, in fact you might well be, but I’d say it’s harder to go to the next stage of competency at snooker than at golf. Anyone can nail a tricky pot or two, controlling the cue ball to build a break is incredibly skilful though.

I’m rubbish at snooker, my best break is 35, when I went through a period of playing quite often I’d frequently have breaks around 20 ish, but I’d soon run out of position, or miss what seemed like it should be an easy pot. I could beat the people I played against with some reasonable safety play, but i wasn’t good.

However, I’d completely and utterly destroy my friends that thought they were good pool players (not actual pool players, casual ones who play a bit at the pub with mates) on a pool or snooker table.

I think perhaps the natural ability requirement of snooker comes into play earlier than for golf. As in, you reach your ceiling quicker with snooker.

 

[MarkT]

Personally find snooker far harder though that's based on playing golf for 40 years while never really graduating beyond a 6x3 snooker table where my top break was 22. As hard as golf is you can mishit an awful lot of shots and still make pars, hit greens and fairways and even hole putts. I wouldn't really back myself to holing any pot at snooker. Though, like every clown who's rubbish at snooker, I pride myself on my safety play and ability to send the white down to baulk.
My uncle was a scratch golfer and best snooker player in Mid Wales in the 80s (played Fred Davis once upon a time) and he'd always say snooker would be harder.

 

[JustOne]

Personal opinion....
Snooker is easier.

As others have said - play indoors, same conditions, practice when you want, non physical.

I think to be top of either sport is hard, in fact top of any sport is an elite position to be in, however hard.

 

[JustOne]

... and not sure Shawn Murphy could even manage to walk round a course

 

[Deleted member 15344]

... and not sure Shawn Murphy could even manage to walk round a course

He plays off scratch I believe - think he also tried to qualify for the Open at one stage recently

 

[Canary_Yellow]

He plays off scratch I believe - think he also tried to qualify for the Open at one stage recently

Correct
https://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/news/snooker-champion-shaun-murphy-attempts-open-qualification-181465

Although I think he entered qualifying for fun rather than with a realistic hope!

 

[Crow]

Personally find snooker far harder though that's based on playing golf for 40 years while never really graduating beyond a 6x3 snooker table where my top break was 22. As hard as golf is you can mishit an awful lot of shots and still make pars, hit greens and fairways and even hole putts. I wouldn't really back myself to holing any pot at snooker. Though, like every clown who's rubbish at snooker, I pride myself on my safety play and ability to send the white down to baulk.
My uncle was a scratch golfer and best snooker player in Mid Wales in the 80s (played Fred Davis once upon a time) and he'd always say snooker would be harder.

But that's just using a poor standard of measurement for what constitutes exceptional golf, birdies and eagles are good golf, and a lot of them in one round is exceptional.

Breaking 60 is often used as the marker for a truly great round (on a par 72) but as I said previously (post #56), 24 under par is well within the realms of possibility, which gives us a score of 48 gross, golf is well hard!

 

[howbow88]

You don't choose where to put your golf ball either do you?? It's exactly the same thing. Putting it in position makes the next shot easier. That applies equally to both.

You make the putt, then pick up the ball and move on to the next hole. It isn't remotely the same.

 

[evemccc]

What is a ‘good’ golfer?

Single figure?
Cat 1?
Scratch?

And what would constitute a good snooker player?

Look at the other thread pointing out the number of Cat 1 golfers in each forum members clubs. There are a lot of ‘good’ golfers in this world. Maybe there’s less snooker players, but I think most people who’ve played a decent amount of both, on proper courses and proper tables with fast cloths, would say snooker is clearly the harder game

 

[MarkT]

But that's just using a poor standard of measurement for what constitutes exceptional golf, birdies and eagles are good golf, and a lot of them in one round is exceptional.

Breaking 60 is often used as the marker for a truly great round (on a par 72) but as I said previously (post #56), 24 under par is well within the realms of possibility, which gives us a score of 48 gross, golf is well hard!

You've got high standards! I'd say an exceptional round in club golf is par, for tour pros it's impossible as down to conditions. Even on a flat calm day if a tour pro shot 64 on the Old Course I'd say that's ridiculous.

I'd say my snooker handicap would be about 20 and if I played every day for six months I could get that to about 12 but making 50 breaks etc would be years away. If you can make a break of 80 at snooker I'd say that is the equivalent of scratch golf.

 

[Orikoru]

Striking a cue ball maybe easier but the precision required is far greater. The tip of a snooker cue is 8-12mm in diameter striking a ball that is 52mm, where as the clubhead is much larger than the golf ball.

And yet people still miss the golf ball completely on occasions, how often does that happen in snooker?

 

[Orikoru]

You make the putt, then pick up the ball and move on to the next hole. It isn't remotely the same.

Of course it's not the same. They're different sports. Why would you think it's the same? We're just trying to find frames for comparative reference since that is what the topic's about.

 

[Rangers76]

is snooker a sport ??
I once heard someone say any "sport" that you don't need specialist shoes for ,is a pastime.