[Bagger Lance]

Nuke,

They are "very" terribly close. So much so that the majority of golfers do both. There are also folks who think they are hitting but are swinging, and folks that think they are swinging but really hitting.

A pure swing or hit takes knowledge, practice, and the keen eyes of a great instructor. There are very few pure examples IMHO.

We tend to think in terms of right arm effort or lack thereof, but it's the pivot and right shoulder motion that sets up the differentiation along with many other factors. The right arm has to push against something stable for a pure hit. The right shoulder is the stable brace for that action. A swingers pivot allows the right shoulder to freely spin.

Pure hitters use a different set of variables for address, takeaway, backstroke, loading, downstroke, release, impact and follow-through and finish.

To make an effective hitting stroke, it helps to know how to optimize each section of the stroke for the hit. Using the standard swingers motion for every section of the "hit" except for the downstroke and release just doesn't cut it for a true hit. In fact, that would be much more of a swing because your massive rotor has set up the throw out. Once that is set up, you may not be able to override CF, not that you would even want to.

Even though they look the same and can be deceptively similar, the differentiators are found in each section of the motion. Hitters set up to hit. Swingers set up to swing.

Blenders try to mix; one part address swing, two parts backstroke hit, a dash of swing loading, 2 parts downstroke swing, a 12 piece bucket of release hit, a dash of impact hit, two teaspoons of follow-through swing, and a cup of finish hit just to look good.

Blend vigorously and find your ball in the morning.