Is there an ideal body type for golf?

[hoselrocker]

OP I have basically the same height, wingspan, and inseam. Never been called a torso man. Being 6ft with a 6'4" wingspan means I get plenty of mechanical advantage ,yet can still play standard length irons which translates to decent speed . When I get flat I suffer as well but I don't think it's my body to blame, just my setup and swing mechanics in general.

 

Cool. Do you set up tall and use more of an upright swing then?

[BMC]

For golfers in general, I think the LPGA players prove you don't have to be big and muscular to play the game at a high level.

[hybrid25]

No.

 

The 7 golfers with the most PGA Tour wins

• Billy Casper. PGA Tour wins: 51. ... 5'11"
  
• Byron Nelson. PGA Tour wins: 52. ... 6'1"
  
• Arnold Palmer. PGA Tour wins: 62. ... 5'10"
  
• Ben Hogan. PGA Tour wins: 64. ... 5'8"
  
• Jack Nicklaus. PGA Tour wins: 73. ... 5'10"
  
• Tiger Woods. PGA Tour wins: 80. ... 6'1"
  
• Sam Snead. PGA Tour wins: 82. 5'11"
  

I think your post speaks volumes, along with one of the longest hitters today, Rory @ 5'9".

[MK7Golf21]

No.

 

The 7 golfers with the most PGA Tour wins

• Billy Casper. PGA Tour wins: 51. ... 5'11"
  
• Byron Nelson. PGA Tour wins: 52. ... 6'1"
  
• Arnold Palmer. PGA Tour wins: 62. ... 5'10"
  
• Ben Hogan. PGA Tour wins: 64. ... 5'8"
  
• Jack Nicklaus. PGA Tour wins: 73. ... 5'10"
  
• Tiger Woods. PGA Tour wins: 80. ... 6'1"
  
• Sam Snead. PGA Tour wins: 82. 5'11"
  

I think your post speaks volumes, along with one of the longest hitters today, Rory @ 5'9".

 

They are all in the ballpark of same height. Most of the guys on that list didn’t play in the current era though. Nearly all players go to the gym now and taller players and coming to the pga tour

[Krt22]

OP I have basically the same height, wingspan, and inseam. Never been called a torso man. Being 6ft with a 6'4" wingspan means I get plenty of mechanical advantage ,yet can still play standard length irons which translates to decent speed . When I get flat I suffer as well but I don't think it's my body to blame, just my setup and swing mechanics in general.

 

Cool. Do you set up tall and use more of an upright swing then?

 

No, pretty standard, if anything slightly rounded shoulders. I just need to always watch from getting too flat. Verticle wrist hinge, good extension in the backswing

[Stanks]

You see a lot more tall, lanky players on tour these days. Longer levers = longer shots. Id like to see some data on it too, but the tour is def getting taller.

 

I'm the same height and size as Rory. I might have 5 pounds on him. We both hit it yard. But I play off 18...So I don't know what I'm talking about.

 

There is no real ideal height. Your lengths of different limbs combined with flexibility combined with weight appropriation will eventually find a swing for your build.

[Golfjack]

LOL does it matter? Or OP is looking for excuses why they are not a pro? It's not like we can change what we have in terms of height and arm length. Hit ball. It doesn't care if you are good looking, or your swing is good looking, just path, face, velocity, attack/launch angle, and strike.

 

Like other raquet/club sports, being super tall isn't always better. I think the max is at 6'3. You can see how DJ has more lateral bend to compensate. Rory is an example of a guy on the shorter side maxing out his height potential. Xander is pretty long for his height too.

 

Even in say the NBA where body type matters a lot more, many teams in the past have drafted the ideal athlete type and flopped big time because they just don't know how to play the game at an NBA level. For the PGA it's even more important (athleticism vs mental). So I'd say... there is an ideal mind, not so much ideal body type. But then if you must then it's more along the lines of DJ or Finau. Longer levers effortless power. Or Rory who has crazy fast twitch muscles and easier to be consistent with ball striking.

[Bingo1976]

They are all in the ballpark of same height. Most of the guys on that list didn't play in the current era though. Nearly all players go to the gym now and taller players and coming to the pga tour

 

Can you quote the research that you have into the average height of tour pros over the last period of time that confirms your assertion?

 

I looked at the top 5 at the Players and they are about 1.8 meters on average - Rors is 1.75 (at most, Vegas is 1.9, and the other 3 are 1.8 (about 5'11"). I think the average height of an adult western male is 5'10, so we are not talking NBA or NFL freaks here.

 

Ian Woosnam.

 

 

The golf swing is easy at his height and plane. little maintenance needed.

 

6 feet on up... Faldo...gotta work at it like a dope head

 

Unless you see him in real life, you don't realise how fricking big Faldo is.

[jasonfish11]

How did this get past 5 posts with out the obvious.

 

Ideal golfer body is linebacker.

[Superbrit]

Molinari 5’8, koepka 5’11 1/2, Spieth 6’1, Reed 6’, Fleetwood 5’11

 

Stop grasping for excuses why your game might be doomed. They can make you into a golfing machine IF YOU put the work in.

 

Reed is not 6ft, he is no where near, i watched him in a practice round at carnoustie last year, im 5 10, and he was at best the same height

[kylelutes]

Long, lean and flexible!  

[TheGooch]

Agree. Michael Phelps build please.