Over the past two days, I watched my compatriot James Hart Du Preez tackle TPC Craig Ranch within the AT&T Byron Nelson.
The 6’9” South African ended on -2 after 36 holes, failing to make the reduce. That obtained me serious about tall golfers and the way they’ll leverage their top for improved outcomes.
Since we breed giants again house (South Africa), I’ve watched a number of tall golfers efficiently navigate the hyperlinks. This put up appears on the clubhead velocity and distance benefits a tall participant can unlock. Plus, it teaches you the best way to optimize your golf recreation for improved outcomes.
Desk of Contents
- Is Being Tall an Benefit or Drawback When It Involves Golf?
- 6 Tricks to Assist Tall Golfers Play Higher
Is Being Tall an Benefit or Drawback When It Involves Golf?
The Argument For Neither
In a earlier put up, I lined 100 golf info. I touched on the tallest and shortest golfers to play on the DP World or PGA Tour. The shortest skilled is Tadd Fujikawa, who stands at 5’1. Conversely, Du Preez and Jon Thomson, who measure 6’9, share the tallest participant award.
All three of those golfers have turned skilled and competed with the perfect on the planet. The purpose is that taller and shorter gamers can each excel in golf. It comes all the way down to the way you refine the basics of your golf swing to be just right for you.
Moreover the extraordinarily tall gamers, a number of people are nicely over the 6-foot mark. As a 5’8 particular person, I contemplate something greater than me as tall.
Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Ernie Els, and Davis Love III all exceed 6-feet. These chaps have lifted trophies in over 250-tournaments mixed. Based mostly on that success, it’s protected to say that they don’t seem to be important disadvantages.
Benefits
Clubhead Pace
A top-level overview of the quickest clubhead velocity on the PGA Tour reveals that taller golfers reign supreme. 80% of the gamers with the highest ten swing speeds this yr exceed 6-feet. Solely Brandon Hagy and Cameron Younger are 5’9.
These are professionals, and so they produce constant shot outcomes. Their swings showcase methodical rhythm and tempo. Sadly, amateurs are inconsistent and ship a distinct takeaway and swing arc on every strike. The outcomes are frequent erratic pictures with various ball flight.
As juniors, my buddies and I have been surrounded by primarily average-height golfers. Nevertheless, one among my closest associates is a reasonably tall lad. He measures 6’6″ and had nice success as a young person.
He managed to develop a fluid single airplane swing and truly went on to win our Membership Champs in 2007. Since he realized to leverage what he had, he knew the best way to play the sport of golf.
When these lanky arms of his drop the clubhead into place earlier than impression, they accomplish that at velocity. This enhanced his vitality switch at impression for accelerated ball velocity and optimum distance.
When the membership was on airplane and his swing was rhythmical, it was a pleasure to observe.
Disadvantages
Being tall opens the typical beginner as much as potential catastrophe. That is due to an inconsistent swing path, angle of assault, and a lack of accuracy. You would say that could be a drawback, decide up your golf ball and go to the nineteenth. Or, you can study to make use of what God gave you to ship distinctive outcomes on the hyperlinks.
Customary Golf Golf equipment
The principle drawback for taller golfers is inventory golf golf equipment. These are the choices you discover on the cabinets at a aggressive worth. Regardless of their worth, they might show too quick on your gigantic body. Which means that you could be require longer golf golf equipment.
A inventory membership size might trigger you to right your posture, ball place, and swing airplane, resulting in erratic golf pictures.
Handle Place
Tall golfers utilizing the inaccurate shafts might battle to get comfy at tackle. A shorter golf membership set might trigger you to face too near the golf ball and bend over.
That restricts your swing path and limits the power to launch the membership from the highest of the backswing. Subsequently, you lose clubhead and ball velocity, resulting in diminished distance.
Instability
My rugby coach used to say, “sort out the most important participant across the ankles and let the timber fall.” The taller you might be, the upper your middle of gravity is, which isn’t very best for stability. The slightest mishap in your swing may cause you to lose your steadiness and any energy you generated.
Swaying
The taller gamers I’ve golfed with over time had a bent to sway on the odd shot. As a substitute of rotating their shoulders and hips to copy a corkscrew, such golfers sway forwards and backwards.
Their incorrect posture creates instability, and these golfers usually are not set as much as rotate. As a substitute, they sway from the again to the entrance, producing restricted energy and an erratic swing path.
6 Tricks to Assist Tall Golfers Play Higher
1. Shaft Size
My first suggestion for tall golfers is to make sure that you’ve gotten the proper size shafts. In case you have no thought the best way to decide that, there are two choices. Essentially the most inexpensive and fewer efficient route is to self-diagnose. You need to use a shaft size chart supplied by golf manufacturers corresponding to Callaway.
Nevertheless, in case you are a participant with money to burn, contemplate beings custom-fitted. A fitter will establish the perfect shaft, lie angle, and loft on your swing. This helps optimize your launch angle for superior flight, carry distance and accuracy.
Using long-length golf equipment on your swing helps you preserve the specified posture to immediate a fluid swing. Subsequently, you take pleasure in a constant swing path and elevated energy for added distance and accuracy.
2. Stand A Appropriate Size Away From The Ball
The ground measurement between you and your golf ball is significant, because it impacts each factor of your swing. If you stand too near the golf ball, you allow minimal house on your palms to take the membership away freely. Golf coach Clay Ballard highlights this subject within the beneath video:
This restriction prevents you from swinging freely. In consequence, it slows down your clubhead velocity and reduces your coefficient of restitution (C.O.R) at impression.
Discover a comfy posture for you and regulate your place away from the ball in response to it. Don’t change your posture primarily based on the place you might be standing, as that could be a recipe for catastrophe.
As Ballard exhibits in his video, you get your posture right first. You then transfer in direction of or away out of your ball till you might be comfy.
3. Place The Ball Appropriately In Your Stance
As soon as you might be happy together with your posture, tackle the ball and place it in a good place. In case your ball is teed up, set it up consistent with the heel of your entrance foot. Place the ball 1.5 to 2-inches again out of your driver place when placing fairway woods.
Proceed to position the ball 1 to 1.5-inches again in your stance for each membership, together with your lengthy irons and wedges. Take a follow swing and make sure that the low level of your swing is in-line with the ball for iron strikes. Conversely, your swing’s low level ought to happen briefly earlier than impression on tee pictures.
4. Swing Slower
As a tall strapping particular person, you might be tempted to channel your internal Kyle Berkshire. Nevertheless, should you swing quickly and lose your rhythm, your swing arc could also be as erratic as Pinocchio’s polygraph outcomes.
Take it simple, and sluggish issues down. Ernie Els is a superb instance of this. In an evaluation of his swing, the PGA exhibits that when he generates 113.33 mph of clubhead velocity, he hits it 294.8-yards.
It could be 28.7-yards shorter than the longest hitter and quickest swinger on Tour this season. Nevertheless, 294.8-yards is not any purpose to stay your nostril up.
The purpose is that the 4-time main winner has earned the nickname the “Large Simple” as a result of he by no means forces his swing. Deal with placing the ball cleanly and optimizing your C.O.R, for constant distance.
5. Shorten Your Backswing
I struggled with accuracy in my lengthy recreation during the last 3 years. It was brought on by a nasty swing that went on each path besides the meant one. The outcomes have been quite a few slices and misplaced golf balls. It took me to the brink of wanting to surrender the sport.
Luckily, I got here to my senses and shortened my swing. This limits the harm of my dangerous pictures however is profitable for essentially the most half. I shot my greatest spherical in years this week after I returned a +4, 76. It’s nonetheless nowhere close to my glory days, and I’ve misplaced a number of yards, however I’ll take the accuracy.
Work on a half or ¾ swing on the vary to get used to the movement. I swing to the ¾ quarter mark and pause earlier than hurtling my clubface in direction of the ball. This boosts muscle reminiscence that will help you repeat this course of seamlessly on the hyperlinks.
6. Optimize Your Rotation
I spoke about swaying and restricted hip rotation. With out it, you lose energy and battle to get your clubface sq. by way of impression. Golf Digest Prime Teacher Todd Kolb supplies a easy drill to work on rotation:
Grip your golf membership and tackle the ball. As you’re taking away your golf membership, step again together with your trailing leg. In case you are right-handed, that’s your proper leg. Then begin your downswing and step ahead. The aim is that will help you really feel how your hips rotate and offer you a way of the extra energy it supplies.
Whereas Kolb supplies recommendations on hip rotation, we’ve got an in depth information on shoulder flip drills you may follow. Combining these workouts will result in superior energy by way of impression for a excessive, lengthy shot.
Associated: In case you are a shorter golfer, learn our put up on the best way to inform when your golf golf equipment are too lengthy. Be sure you attend to this subject swiftly to take pleasure in higher outcomes on the hyperlinks.
