Players over 6ft tall: are we really too big to play this game ?

SS2

SS2

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(1) Does being tall increase the need for, and therefore the benefit from, custom fitted clubs ?

(2) How can tall people ensure that they properly rotate on the way back? I have a nasty habit of picking the club up too quickly and then hitting from the top ?

(3) With a proper takeaway, rotation and follow through, tall people should be able to generate more power/clubhead speed. With that in mind, is a full swing (club taken back until parallel to the ground) necessary ?

Cheers
Andy (6' 4")
 
I'm only a shorty ( 5'10 / 5'11 ) but I've been told the best guy to watch is Ernie ( 6'3'' ). Ok so he's not at the top of his game any more, but his swing is still one I'd have any day of any week.

The full swing idea depends on how good you want to be.

You'll get round easily enough with a 3/4 swing, but do you want to just get out there and be ok / good / damn good, or do you want to be the best you can ?

Some people can't complete a full backswing for many reasons. Being tall isn't one of them.

The choice is yours ;)

Btw, I don't think the problem of picking up the club on the way back is height related either.

Other tall player you might want to check out on youtube could be Faldo ( 6'3'' ), Tiger (6'1'') Mickelson ( 6'3'' ). There are some pretty good swings out there you could copy
 
(1) Does being tall increase the need for, and therefore the benefit from, custom fitted clubs ?
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In most cases yes you can benefit from custom fit clubs although it's often not more than ½inch though.

(2) How can tall people ensure that they properly rotate on the way back? I have a nasty habit of picking the club up too quickly and then hitting from the top ?
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Good posture (spine angle), good balance and good rotation, same for everyone regardless of height. The swing is a rotation of the spine not a lifting up and down of the arms.

(3) With a proper takeaway, rotation and follow through, tall people should be able to generate more power/clubhead speed. With that in mind, is a full swing (club taken back until parallel to the ground) necessary ?
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Swing as far as you like as long as you remain balanced and in control of the swing. Generally an overswing is frowned upon more than a shorter swing.


Stewart Cink is 6 foot 4in.
 
When i was in Ireland recently i golfed with this Dutch guy who was 6'7" the guy was huge his clubs were an inch longer .
His swing was superb he had this huge arc which meant he hit itfor miles , he was always working on getting into position when we were waiting between shots, the guy played of +2 so IMO i dont think your to big to play this game , by the way i'm a shorty at 6ft.
 
I was sure there was a study done, and they came to the conclusion that the ideal height for a golfer is 6'2".
(Just remembered it at the back of my mind being mentioned on a tv show...done a search but can't find it)
 
Och Andy, it's alwayas another excuse we can use for a bad round.

"The greens were poor, the wind was too strong off the left and I'm too tall"

Even fishermen don't have that one for an excuse :D
 
My internet research (and you all know it's always right) shows Hogan and Player being 5'7, Watson 5'9, Palmer 5'10 and Nicklaus a surprising 5'11. I always thought he was shorter but it's there on his own website.

They always used to say that these guys were the "perfect" height for golf because if your arc was longer then it was less controllable. Nonsense eh.

The new breed of tour guys all seem to start at 6'2 minimum and they don't seem to have much problem knocking the ball straight. Just longer, too.

I definitely feel at a disadvantage being a shorty at 5'9 nowadays. Did your mother feed you raw meat as a baby SS2?
 
The new breed of tour guys all seem to start at 6'2 minimum and they don't seem to have much problem knocking the ball straight. Just longer, too.
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Aye, but how many of the current crop of players use the classic reverse C as their final position on the swing ?
;)
 
This is ludicrous. I think that provided correctly fitted clubs are used tall people have an advantage over shorter guys, purely due to their larger swing arc. Granted as a result of the steeper angle of attack and more power generated they may struggle more to keep the ball down in the wind, but the benefits far outweigh this single negative in my opinion.

On the note of how much added length people have on their shafts- Robert Karlsson (6ft 7") has 2" longer wedges!

I'm 6ft 2" and only require 1/4" longer, 2* upright irons.
 
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