From Fastballs to Fairways: My Story as The Baseball Golfer
My name is Braxton Barnes and I am The Baseball Golfer. As the name somewhat indicates, I am one of the million former baseball players who became obsessed with golf once my ball-playing days were over. However, the journey to becoming “The Baseball Golfer” on social media offers a unique perspective that even I did not expect.
When I returned home from serving a two-year LDS mission in 2015, I realized my chances of playing college baseball were slim due to being a 21-year-old college freshman. I was a great high school player, but so was every Division I ball player. I decided to simply pursue my education at BYU rather than trying to find any college that would let me play baseball. As a result, I was unknowingly looking for my next mental and physical challenge. This is where golf comes into play.
My dad was a member at a country club during my entire childhood, but I never played much golf in fear of it “ruining my baseball swing.” (total lie, by the way). However, now that baseball was out of the question, I started going to the country club every summer evening after work and playing as many holes as I could until it got dark. Luckily for me, Tony Finau was always playing at this club, and I had the chance to play behind or in front of him several evenings each week. It was here that my love of golf became somewhat of an obsession.
As someone with good hand-eye coordination and the solid mechanics of a high caliber baseball swing, it did not take long for me to have a respectable handicap and shoot consistently in the low to mid 80s. I just could not figure out how to hit the ball straight. That darn baseball slice was eating me alive. I quickly realized that my 125-mph swing speed did almost nothing for me if I did not learn how to control my shot shape. Following Tony all the time made me realize just how effortless distance could be without compromising control. I wanted that.
After I got married, my love for golf continued to grow and I entered a career as a financial advisor where I had the opportunity to play a lot of golf during the week. This was key because I could play often, frequently on company dime, and could play without spending a ton of time away from my wife and kids.
Eventually, I worked my handicap down to a 7.5. People who played with me may have even thought I was better than that because I had serious distance off the tee. This level of play was respectable and good enough to play well in business settings, but I knew deep down being scratch or better was the goal. I knew the key for me to do so would be to make some serious swing changes and fix my baseball grip. Up to this point, I was still holding the golf club like a baseball bat. 10 fingers and all.
I finally decided to start filming my golf swing during rounds and at the range in hopes of becoming a scratch golfer. In January of 2022, I was trying to organize my camera roll of my golf swings and my wife said, “Why do you not just start a golf Instagram and organize your videos there? Just make it private and only you will see it.” This was the beginning! When it came time to name the page, I landed on @thebaseballgolfer because I knew that I needed to apply and adapt my baseball swing to become a scratch golfer!
Shortly after creating my private page, I started getting follow requests from other golfers and even golf brands. When my first golf brand asked if I would be an “ambassador,” I did not know what that meant. When I learned they would send me free stuff, I immediately took my page off private and the new hobby of growing my page took off!
I have never grown terribly quickly on social media, but the content I have created has always been a blast to create and it has been authentic. I have met amazing people through the process, learned about a new hobby of editing videos, and have reached my goal of becoming a scratch golfer! I am a +2.9 handicap now and truly feel like I am just scratching the surface of what my game is capable of. The best part about this journey is not the followers or the free stuff – it is that the game of golf teaches you to truly enjoy the journey. The journey of a former ball player trying to get to scratch has been an absolute joy. Followers even enjoy watching it. Progress in the journey is the meaning of life. Our purpose on earth is to progress. Maybe that is why Bobby Jones said,
“Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots -- but you have to play the ball where it lies."
If I had to give advice in any area of golf, it would be this:
For former ball players, strengthen your grip a tad and pretend you are hitting a low and outside pitch to right field. Your slice will disappear overnight. The day you realize your baseball swing is the key to you becoming a good golfer is the day you will shave 5+ strokes. Easily.
However hard you think you need to swing, take 10% off your swing and you might notice your distance went down 5 yards, but your dispersion decreased by 25 yards.
You do not need fancy equipment to play well. In fact, buy old blades with the right shaft for you. That will make you better than any drill you can practice.
Learn to putt. Really learn to read the greens, have a system, learn to breathe, learn to control your club face. Spend 3:1 time putting vs hitting balls.
If you want to grow your page, just be yourself and get comfortable being on camera. More and more. Post a lot and post yourself. The people want you.
If you want to work with brands, start small and just ask. Try to create win-wins for small businesses. Then work your way up.
If you want to play golf with me, just ask. I would love to meet more people and make new friends. I love playing with all skill levels. I do not care. Let’s have a good time.
Marry someone who supports your hobbies and appreciates how happy they make you. Having a wife like mine who supports my love of golf is truly such a blessing.
Golf is truly the greatest game ever played.
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