The Tall Man's Woes

Hello Guys,

I'm a new member from N.Ireland and this is my first post. I started playing 3 years ago & I currently play off 10. I've had 3 lessons but I like to analyse and study my own swing myself. As i made reference to i'm 6' 5" (196cms) tall and i've really been trying to find my most reliable swing plane. Early on i learned a very flat plane going back to try & compensate for a casting action coming down. I'm in the process of weeding out my poor release and was told by my pro to steepen my plane going back. I've been trying this but most of the time i seem to come into the ball at the 3 o clock position and if i release (like i'm told) it starts down the middle and quickly turns left(theres only so much of that shot a man can stomach before the big block comes out!). Personally it feels like because of my height i've trouble with the top of the back swing positions and consequently can't get the club to fall in the slot. i've been messing about with my right elbow on the backswing too which has only made things worse. For some reason it feels like it all stems from what my hands are doing coming down, if they are active at all, the club head goes out past the hands slighltly. Any ideas for something to be working on.

Thanks

Hi there and congratulations on your handicap over three years.

As you are such a tall guy have you had your clubs fitted or checked for you? I would suggest that if you are using standard length ones you may be experiencing problems with ball flight.

Yes my irons are 1" longer than standard & 2deg upright, though theres a guy on the Euro tour my height (Robert Karrlsson)and he is using 2" longer than standard so who really knows. I cant actually get anyone to make me clubs that long, they all say they'd be much too heavy & hard to control. As for my handicap i played hockey in school to a decent level so it kind of gave me a bit of a head start. Thats why my swing started off so flat i believe.

The next place to look is your grip, alignment and posture. You seem to be hitting the ball with a closed clubface,

Do you have a strong grip, say 2/3 knuckles showing on the left hand at address? Does the leading edge of your club sit square to target at address?

The Mighty King Finbar (arr arr arr!)

Email me your wrist to floor measurement and the length of your current 5 or 6 iron.

I'll run some numbers, then probably put you in touch with a guy who can get your clubs closer to their optimal length.

Even at 1" over and 2° up, they're probably not quite long enough in the short irons and too long in the long irons.

In response to brians post i think my grip is between neutral & strong, however i only have standard size grips but would have a fairly long hand & a medium large glove size. The grips would feel a little small in my hands, especially in the short clubs. To low post 42 my wrist to floor is 36.5" (93cms). I don't have access to my clubs at the moment but they are Nike pro combos standard + 1"

Kingfinbar

That's a pretty short WTF for such a tall guy!

If that's the case, then I'd say your irons are too LONG, which will only flatten your plane out.

Head to Dan's Custom Golf Shop, get in touch with Dan, and tell him that Ben sent you.

I am 6'3" I just gave my measurements on pinggolf.com and it gave me the color code and length suggestion. I according to the website am 4deg upright and 1/2 over.

Or 1.5" over and 2° up?

I am also 6' 5" with short arms to boot. You are in the right range with 1" to 2" longer clubs and going 2 to 3 degrees upright. Remember that lighter shafts will be required for longer clubs. That being said don't get hung up on all this club talk, it's the Indian not the arrow as they say. I have had success with the right hand drill from Greg Willis that can be found on this site as well as using the Secret from Greg Norman. My problem as a tall player was a very upright swing with no body turn and a hand flip through the ball. You could also do what I heard Peter Jacobson reccommend to improve a tall golfers scores, "get a good short game".

I've purchased clubs 4 deg uprite and 1" longer forcing me to stand taller I have only played with the clubs once and been to the range twice, I really like the changes I stand more uprite, less wear and tear on my back and am making much more solid contact so far. I tried to go the one plane rout with the much more bent over setup it just killed my back after every round and practice session.

I'm 6'4" or so myself and use 1/2" long clubs.

Generally speaking, taller peoples have longer arms as well...

When I was first fitted for clubs I bought 10 years ago, they were only 1/4" long with oversize grips because I have lagre hands/long fingers.

Mate, if you can hold a basketball in one hand, I'd try oversized grips and see what's what there.

Congrats on the low number in such a short time frame as well...

And, I also agree with cmays on the balance issue, most of my poor shots come when overswinging trying to hit the ball hard, so swinging easy and staying in balance has helped me get a little straighter.


Cheers

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Look at the Target, Look at the Ball, Swing... Dr Bob Rotella...