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Christo Lamprecht: Under The Hood of One of The Fastest Swings in Golf
Golfers come in all shapes and sizes, but South Africa’s rising star, Christo Lamprecht, is a definitely outlier. At 6’8”, he’s not only one of the tallest professional golfers in the world, he’s also one of the fastest.
With mid-190’s ball speed (and a ceiling of ~210 mph), Christo is already one of the premier athletes in golf and his blend of tremendous physical gifts, unique mechanics and elite power make him a fascinating case study.
Characteristics, Not Faults
In our Level 1 course, we’re intentional about referring to potential mechanical inefficiencies in swings as characteristics, not faults. They are elements which make a swing unique, but not necessarily ineffective. Name any characteristic and we’ll point to a dozen players on various tours who have it.
That said, understanding how characteristics may be related to physical limitations and how they can inhibit a golfer’s efficiency can help guide recommendations related to training or technique.
Christo has a characteristic we refer to as Late Buckle. Normally, after a player makes contact with the ball and the club releases around their body, there is a corresponding lift or standing tall into the finish position. A Late Buckle is when a player actually dips down and drops after making contact with the ball.
In Christo’s case, his late buckle may be a necessary compensation to deliver the club to the ball at his height, especially with more lofted, shorter irons. In transition, Christo squats down several inches, but, unlike most elite ball strikers we evaluate, he doesn’t raise his pelvis vertically during the downswing. It’s likely a primary reason why his vertical force was slightly lower than our PGA TOUR average (190% bodyweight vs 198%), despite his prodigious speed.
There was a potential Body-Swing Connection here, as well. We identified a limitation in internal hip mobility on the left side. If internal rotation is limited on the downswing, a golfer may be more likely to slide or buckle, instead of turn.
As Dr. Rose says in the video, we want to be careful with unique swings. His kinematic sequence was incredible and he definitely doesn’t need more speed. Our goal was to make him aware of how the characteristic can affect his consistency and highlight how his body could be a contributing factor.
Athlete First
Christo is an impressive athlete, regardless of height. He grew up playing multiple sports such as rugby and soccer, only choosing to specialize in golf as a teenager. This, along with consistent training, has helped develop some of the physical tools which underpin his speed.
Despite weighing (a lean) 240 lbs, Christo’s countermovement jump measured over 4” higher than our PGA TOUR average. His potential to generate force with his lower body is immense. Additionally, he performed extremely well on our movement screen. His range of motion and motor control is terrific in most areas, especially impressive for an athlete of his size.
While it’s entirely possible to play great golf with poor movement capabilities or power potential, it is not an optimal strategy for maximizing performance and durability.
Christo has worked to make his physicality an asset. It needs to be, too. The torque he produced on our force plates was as high as any golfer in our database. Total torque is highly correlated with speed, but it can also be an indication of stress on the body. Developing capacity and maintaining mobility is important for all golfers, but especially for one with such a powerful, unique move.
Ramp Time
Christo is a poster-child for a concept we like to refer to as “ramp time.” As we discuss in our advanced Power courses, to improve speed, golfers can either apply more force to the grip or apply that force for a longer period of time. A longer backswing gives golfers more of a runway to generate speed.
In fact, research from Dr. Sasho Mackenzie suggests that if a golfer were to lengthen their backswing by just 4” they could increase their club head speed by an additional 2.4 mph. While we can’t create taller golfers, it underscores the importance of helping them develop longer backswings by improving mobility in the gym or technique on the lesson tee (such as lifting the lead heel).
It didn't matter if Christo was 4'8" or 6'8", our process would remain the same. We want to evaluate what he does, how he does it and explore reasons why he might do it that way. From here we're able to make more qualified recommendations related to his coaching, training or treatment.
If you are a coach, fitness or medical professional interested in learning more about how to help golfers determine if their body is affecting their swing, check out our newly updated Level 1 online course.
View TPI Level 1 Online Course
If you're a golfer interested in a physical assessment, you can connect with a TPI Certified expert via our Find an Expert page.