How many tall (6'3+) tour players have short arms?

[thejazzmarauder]

The thread questioning the relationship between flexibility and distance, as well as the approaching NBA draft, got me thinking about the inherent advantages that certain body types have in sport. As the title implies, I’m wondering whether tall golfers with short arms have an advantage.

 

I hit the ball far despite average strength and poor flexibility. What I do have is height; I’m 6’5. I also have short arms, with only a 6’3 wingspan. I consider my arms “short” since, according to this study, the average adult male has a wingspan that is 2.1 inches greater than his height. Fun fact: the average 1^st round pick in the NBA draft has a +4.9 wingspan, and the only player ever selected in the first round with a negative wingspan was JJ Redick (6’4 with a 6’3 wingspan), one of the best shooters of all time.

 

More importantly than length off the tee, I think my short arms enable me to consistently repeat my swing. Since I can’t get them too far from my body, my swing is fairly compact (when I limit arm overrun, at least). It just doesn’t feel like much can go wrong. On the flip side, I have numerous friends who are 6’5+ with above average wingspans that are terrible golfers despite being excellent athletes (I know most of them from my HS/college basketball days). I get that it’s not the only factor, but it certainly makes sense that longer arms would make it more difficult to sync everything up.

 

Obviously, guys who have both height and above average wingspans who can also repeat their swings (e.g. Davis Love III) are in great shape, but I wonder how many of the taller golfers on tour have below average wingspans. Too bad there’s not a golf combine; I’d pay to watch Kiradech Aphibarnrat run the 3-cone shuttle.

[deathbymuffin]

I'm the opposite. I'm short with long arms. Lends itself to a very flat swing and arm overrun. It feels very unnatural for me when I try to add a vertical component to my swing. My taller friends with shorter arms were always more consistent ball strikers. Not as long as I was, but definitely more "point and shoot" in their results.

[carrera]

Johnny Miller is a good example. He is/was 6'2" or 6'3" with incredibly short arms (in his book "I call the shots" he said his sleeve length was something like 30 inches).

[PJ72]

I fall into this category - 6ft4, with wing span of about 6ft2. I've always thought of it as a disadvantage, due to posture with short clubs. More recently, it's possible that it makes you have a little less room in the impact area, ie getting stuck.

 

But, I've always been one of the better ball strikers at my club.

 

Anyway, glad this topic came up because it piques my interest.

[jonsnow]

Never seen this concept about average wingspan of 2.1 inches more than height but it's interesting. I'm not as tall as you at just over 6'1" but checked my wingspan & it's 5'11" so the relationship is pretty similar. I know I strike the ball better when my upper arms stay more connected to the top of my chest & don't wander too far away from my upper body; I'm guessing someone with relatively longer arms would be more likely to struggle with this.

 

Notah Begay is not tall but has noticeably short arms, I think his nickname was T-rex when he was on tour. Wonder where Dustin Johnson falls in arm length relative to height, very long & lean but never noticed that he had the NBA wingspan look. Tony Finau, on the other hand, does strike me as someone with the longer arm length relative to height along with VJ Singh. Wonder how accurate my impressions are?

[Santiago Golf]

Im 5'10 with a 6'4 wingspan. I didnt realize this til last year. I have gotten shorter and flatter clubs. Before i struggled to hit any short of consistent draw do to my body type. Also i take tge club a good amout outside to start, the long arms are the reason