Anyone tried to teach their young child hurling and golf at the same time?

Manuel

Just wondering if anyone out there has been through this with their young son or daughter:

When my boy first picked up a hurl at about 5 he naturally gripped it left hand on top but hurled right-handed. So he hit it like a hockey strike. I observed from a distance and noticed he could hit it quite well (on the ground) and left him be ...

After a while I figured, well, I'd better try and get him to grip the hurl properly before it's "too late". Anyway he wasn't having it and just kept doing what came naturally to him. One day I thought, well if he hits it so well with this grip, how would he take to golf, where it's the correct grip?

Long story short, he has a beautiful golf swing (he's 7 now) and hits the ball pretty consistently well. Great ...

Now, he wants to join the hurling club. I know the first thing they'll do is change his hurling grip. But I want him to keep playing golf.

So ... do you think it's possible for a 7-year-old to change his grip depending on which game he's playing? Seems a lot to ask to me.

Anyway, if someone has been here before I'd be interested to hear how you got on ...

Thanks!

Oh, one other thing ... I did consider that he could play one sport left-handed and the other right-handed (I see a lot of adult hurlers who play golf left-handed) so he could stick to the one grip, but he seems to be just naturally right-sided in both and I don't think that would work.

PARlance

Send him up to training and let him be for a few weeks!

The trainers might change it, or he might change himself when he sees that he's doing it differently from the other kids.

Don't think it would affect his golf swing tbh, keep an eye on that side of things.if you're concerned... Rather than worrying about the hurling side.
Not all hurlers golf with a cack handed grip so a hurling change isn't going to ruin his golf swing IMO. He's been swinging a few years now. Couldn't see him changing his golf grip

yettie1701

Hi I think he is young enough to play both well with the correct grip. I know that players who grip the hurl left over right and play right handed often are very one sided and find it very hard to strike off the left. I would recommend he change now before he plays too much of either. I played a lot of hurling and started playing golf with the hurlers grip. After a couple of years I decide to change. It was hard for a while but now I couldn't hit the ball twenty yards the old way and I've gotten down to six in five years. I coach underage teams in my hurling club and find the more conventional players are the easier it is to coach the skills and the more they develop both sides. There are of course exceptions look at Lar Corbett and Aidan Fogarty. I suppose the most important thing is that he plays the games and enjoys them. Two great passtimes.

Golfer59

Let the kid figure it out himself that's how they get a greater understanding for what there doing, studying sports science in college, both sports are late specialisation sports. So let him play both whatever way he wants until he gets a good bit older

Ben1977

Hurling is a different beast altogether. Some of the top player hold the hurl the way your describing. When he got to hit it out of his hand, he will throw the ball under the hurl. It's a very powerful hold for the hurl. A lot of goalkeepers use this method