Christ Lamprecht appeared at Royal Liverpool in July 2023 as a player at the time.Georgia Tech The Yellow Jackets held the sole lead at the British Open after the first day.
The amateur hit the ball brilliantly that Thursday, consistently hitting his tee shots 330 yards with ease. The laid-back, down-to-earth South African attributed the strong start to the good weather that morning, as everything seemed to be going well. But what impressed golf fans the most was his physical presence. At 6-foot-8, Lamprecht has the height and length to play on the Georgia Tech basketball team and grab rebounds from conference foes Duke and North Carolina.
But he's much happier playing golf, and he's a great golfer at that. Lamprecht is currently competing in the PGA Tour Q School this week, hoping to earn one of the five PGA Tour cards. After 36 holes, he is tied for 23rd place, just five strokes behind the leader. Yes, the tall South African just needs two more rounds to earn full status on tour.
But before he tees off this week in Ponta Vedra Beach, Fla., Lamprecht sat down with SB Nation to talk about his game, specifically answering the question, “How has he been able to have so much success being so tall?” answered.
“The saying about power is that with great power comes great responsibility,” Lamprecht said with a smile.
The South African compared his body to a Ferrari engine to explain how he can hit the ball over rural miles. The length of the arms and the ability to extend the club all the way give it great rotation and generate ball speeds that rival the roar of a Ferrari. But there is much more space between the top of his swing and the ball, so a lot can go wrong. That's why Lamprecht jokes that when things go wrong, he feels like a Ferrari engine is trapped in the front hood of a Toyota Camry.
That's why Lamprecht doesn't use standard lengths for his clubs.
“It was always a challenge,” Lamprecht said of his equipment.
“It’s a back-and-forth battle. [clubs] It's too long. I'm losing my forgiveness. I'm losing touch with certain clubs. So let's make it shorter and figure it out. And I'm going to change it again. Over the past four years, I've changed my clubs more than I've changed my golf swing. ”
If you are a tall player, perhaps 6-foot-4 or above, you won't benefit from using a standard set. It's just a struggle.
“I think it's very important for a guy of my stature who plays amateur golf to have a little bit of a set of clubs that are made for him,” Lamprecht said.
“If you want to get a little more serious about golf, have fun playing golf, and want to get your handicap to single digits or close to that, you can’t just get a club fitting and be done. I think this is a great investment for anyone looking to play golf.”
Club fitting is a worthwhile investment, especially if you want to buy a new set of irons, a new driver, or new wedges. Think of it as an experiment of sorts. The pros at your local club or golf shop are always happy to help and test different club heads, shafts, and shaft lengths to suit your swing and height. After all, everyone's swing and body structure is different. This explains why Arnold Palmer once famously said, “Take a swing.”
The same goes for clubs.
Everyone plays the game differently, so your club needs to suit your swing, not everyone else's.
Nevertheless, there are limits to what a golf club can do. Lamprecht says setup is also an important factor for taller players.
“This setup is all for tall guys or guys who have to bend in a certain direction or get into a certain position,” Lamprecht explained.
“That's been the biggest thing that's changed for me in recent months. So we have longer levers, and I think that's a big advantage. But we're trying to push our bodies to the best of our abilities. We need to ensure that it is in the most stable and usable condition possible.”
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
