Boasting ball speeds over 200 mph, Aaron Hicks is trading outfield grass for fairways, leveraging a childhood pedigree and elite athleticism to dominate the celebrity golf circuit.
Former MLB outfielder Aaron Hicks made a name for himself by crushing baseballs during an 11-year big league career.
Now, just a couple of years after stepping away from professional baseball, he's beginning to turn heads in an entirely different sport.
Hicks recently appeared on GOLF's Subpar podcast, where he discussed his rapid rise in competitive golf and revealed some eye-popping numbers that explain why many believe he has legitimate potential on the course.
The 36-year-old has already enjoyed success on The PRO Tour, a circuit featuring current and former professional athletes from various sports. His greatest weapon is obvious: extraordinary distance off the tee.
According to Hicks, his driver ball speed regularly exceeds 200 mph, with his personal best reaching an astonishing 207 mph.
For comparison, the average PGA Tour player generates roughly 175 mph of ball speed, while only the game's longest hitters consistently approach the numbers Hicks is producing.
What's perhaps more remarkable is that golf wasn't a new hobby picked up after retirement. Hicks actually grew up playing competitive junior golf in Southern California.
His father, Joe, introduced him to the game, and Hicks competed on many of the same courses where Tiger Woods developed as a young player.
He's also connected to the Woods family through his wife, former LPGA professional Cheyenne Woods, Tiger's niece.
So why didn't Hicks pursue golf instead of baseball?
He shared a memorable childhood story on the podcast. After his father promised him a new set of clubs if he won a junior tournament, Hicks held up his end of the bargain by winning.
But when the time came for the reward, his father instead told him that "the player makes the clubs," not the other way around. Feeling disappointed, Hicks decided he'd focus on baseball instead.
That decision led to a lengthy MLB career, but now he's getting another chance to see just how far his golf game can go.
With athleticism, tremendous clubhead speed, and a growing list of victories against fellow professional athletes, Hicks is proving he may have been destined for success on the golf course all along.
If his current trajectory continues, the former baseball star could become one of the most fascinating crossover stories the golf world has seen in years.
