There are plenty of good reasons why golf is a great sport for everyone. For one, there are a lot of exotic golf destinations out there, including some courses from Thailand and Vietnam. But more importantly, it's suitable for people of all stature. It doesn't matter what your height is; as long as you have a passion for golf, you're good to go. And as there are golf clubs for tall men, there are also clubs made specifically for shorter players. 

Below are two lists of tips, one for tall golfers and another for short golfers. If you want to perform better on your next golf game, then better buckle up and read on. 

Golfing Tips for Tall Players 

A lot of people believe that being tall is an advantage in golf, and in some cases it's true. With their longer levers, they can produce wider swings with more torque. 

However, that doesn't mean tall golfers don't have any disadvantages. For one thing, longer levers are generally harder to control. And depending on your height, you might need to get customized clubs since the standard ones might not be suitable enough. 

The tips below will help make up for the weaknesses brought about by your height, as well as enable you to go all in on your strengths. 

Read Also: BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year Award 2021: PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu, Aditi Ashok named in the list

Slow Down Your Tempo 

Tempo is not just about how fast your swing is; it's also about timing and synergy. By maintaining a slower tempo, tall players can maximize their relatively faster swing speeds, as well as improve their accuracy and overall performance. 

Maintaining a slower tempo will take time, effort, and patience. So for starters, try practicing with a 7 Iron club, hitting it at just around 75% capacity. If you have one, you can also try swinging your Orange Whip swing trainer. Doing these things shift the more weight into your hands, which you can use to increase the power of your shots. 

Maintain a Narrower Stance 

A lot of tall golfers stand with their feet too far apart. Don't make the same mistake and follow suit. Aside from throwing you off balance, a wide stance will leave you performing inconsistently at the course. 

Instead, you need to narrow your stance and stand with your feet a little closer together. That way, you can maintain your balance and stability while playing. And it will help turn your tallness into an advantage, as a good height and a narrow stance makes a lethal combination in golf. 

Avoid Slouching 

Slouching is yet another problem for tall golfers. Left unremedied, it could lead to poorer performance at the course, as well as bad posture and other skeletal and muscular problems. Plus, it just wastes a tall player's potential as they're given the natural gift of height. 

Slouching is due to several factors, and you need to address it one at a time. For starters, check the clubs you're using. Chances are, you're slouching because it's too short. If that's the case, then get better ones. Additionally, you should stand as close to your ball as possible from now on. That way, you won't have to slouch just to reach for it. 

Golfing Tips for Short Players 

Meanwhile, shorter players always end up with the, well, short end of the stick due to their lack of height. However, being short in golf has several advantages, too! For example, they can focus on balance better due to their center of gravity being lower. 

That's not to say they don't face any downsides, though. One of these is that short players must exert more effort to produce swing power similar to their taller opponents. But with the right equipment, stance, and skill, this can easily be remedied. 

As with the tips for tall players above, the tips below will help short-statured golfers maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. 

Step Back From Your Ball 

As mentioned above, tall players need to stand closer to their ball to avoid slouching. But short players don't need to worry about that! In fact, straying too near the ball feels unnatural and unwieldy to many short golfers. This in turn can upset their alignment and balance. 

So if you're a short-statured golfer, do yourself a favor and take a few steps back from your golf ball while playing. That way, you'll enjoy optimal balance, alignment, and setup while playing. 

Shorten Your Clubs' Shafts 

While there are some standard length clubs that can suit short players, most of the clubs available in stores are just too long for them. If you find none of the former that can meet your needs, then best have the shafts of your current ones shortened. Or you can get clubs with customizable shaft lengths instead. 

Now there's one important thing to remember when having your shafts shortened: the sharter the shaft, the stiffer it will be. This will make it harder for you to hit the ball the same way you did before. So don't resort to DIY shaft shortening. Take your clubs to an expert club maker instead. 

Maintain a Wider Stance 

Tall players need to maintain a narrow stance to maintain their balance, stability, and consistency. In contrast, short golfers need to widen their stance so they can enjoy solid contact with their ball. It also helps them generate more power to increase ball speed and distance. As an added bonus, it even gives short players a sense of confidence. 

If you're a short player and you've always kept your feet shoulder-width apart on every game, then you need to start widening your stance to optimize your performance. Start by adjusting your stance a little and swinging your wedges and short irons. Widen your stance bit by bit until you find the one that feels best. Once you get the hang of it, repeat the process, but with your longer irons, fairway woods, and drivers. 

Golf is a Sport for All Stature 

As you can see, golf is great for short players as much as it is for tall players. Both have their own respective strengths and weaknesses at the course, which can easily be offset by the tips above. So whether you're a tall golfer or a short one, don't let your height prevent you from enjoying golf. 

The Dubai-based Indian golfer, the 24-year-old Rayhan Thomas, waited for nearly three months before continuing at Karsten Creek while awaiting the start of his final season at Oklahoma State University (OSU).

Thomas has battled persistent pain. However, Thomas showed up, achieving a remarkable feat of breaking 100. In the golf circuit, breaking 100 is considered one of the toughest layouts. Within just three weeks, he surpassed expectations by breaking 80, showcasing his determination and skill.

Read also: Cricket facts: 5 Indian Famous Cricketers who played other sports

Recovery from injury

During this period, Thomas played under unique conditions with his teammates. His teammates would give him strokes, which he managed to win quite a few lunches beating them. His practiced some one-handed shots, which helped him to develop a solid drill.

He had his surgery in last year's October. This had sidelined him from his game until January, when he bounced back. He switched on his professional mode in May, in his first Asian Tour event at the International Series Morocco. There, he finished eighth.

Thomas Shines at International Series Thailand

Recently, he has also participated at the International Series Thailand. He shot a bogey-free seven-under-par 63 in the second round at Thai Country Club, climbing to tied 14th place at eight-under-par total. The round was his lowest since turning professional just five months ago.

However, Thomas has no plan of settling with this. He eyes major tournaments like the Korn Ferry Tour and the DP World Tour. In fact, in both tournaments, he has already advanced to the second stage of qualification. 

Read Also: Golf: A Sport for All Types of Stature

Rayhan Thomas plans for 2025

Later, he won the Coimbatore Open on his domestic debut on the PGTI circuit, adding more feathers to his young career.

Thomas hasn't had a full-time tour. However, he is optimistic, especially with the Asian Tour Q School in the last half of this year. He is also preparing for a steady 2025.

Among his career highlights is a stunning round alongside 2011 Open champion Darren Clarke at the 2017 Dubai Creek Open, where Thomas matched a world record by making nine consecutive birdies. 

Most of the time, athletes tend to play multiple sports even though they excel at international level in a certain sport. When fans fight among themselves regarding cricket and other sports, there are names in the sports circle, who have excelled in other sports too. Here is an interesting cricket facts while naming the top 5 cricketers who played different sports at national and international levels.

Kapil Dev | Golf

Kapil Dev led the underdog Indian Men's cricket team to win its first World Cup title in 1983, defeating the two-time champion, the mighty West Indies.

He not only took the catch of Vivian Richards on the final day but also scored a record 175* runs against Zimbabwe, keeping hopes for the semi-finals.

He played 131 Tests and 225 ODIs since his debut in late 1978. He has got 5,248 runs and 434 wickets in tests. The Padma Sri awardee(1982)  has  3,783 runs and 253 wickets in ODIs. In 2002, he was nominated as the Indian Cricketer of the Century.

After retiring from cricket, Kapil Dev took up golf and quickly made a name for himself in the sport. In 2000, Kapil Dev won the Pro-Am event at the European Tour's Indian Open.  In 2001 and 2002, he won the Singapore Open Pro-Am title and the Malaysian Open Pro-Am title respectively. He then won the Thailand Open Pro-Am title in 2004.

He reached a handicap of 0, making him one of India's top amateur golfers. He had participated in several European Tour events, as well as those in Asian Tour events. He was a regular golfer in the Indian Golf Tour events.

Ajit Agarkar | Golf

Like Kapil Dev, Ajit Agarkar too delved into golf post-retirement. Ajit Agarkar seriously took his love for Golf. He won the India Finals of the BMR World Corporate Golf Challenge held at Prestige Golfshire, Bengaluru. 

Agarkar participated in various Indian Golf Union (IGU) tournaments and represented India in international amateur events.

He turned into a professional in 2015 while competing in Indian and Asian tours. He played in the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and Asian Tour events.

Agarkar won the 2016 BILT Open golf tournament (PGTI). In the following year (2017), finished runner-up in the Pune Open (PGTI). He also represented India in the 2016 Asian Golf Championship.

Debuted in 1998, he has 1269 runs in ODI cricket, and 15 and 571 runs in T20I and Test cricket respectively. The fast bowler is the third-highest wicket-taker for India in the ODIs (288 wickets). He has taken 58 wickets in 26 Test matches he played.

Yuzvendra Chahal | Chess

The Indian spin bowler was once a chess prodigy. He learned Chess at the age of 7. He featured in the World Youth Chess Championship, representing India.

He even participated in age-group chess competitions like Under-12 and Under-16 national chess championships and was a national champion there.

Chahal held an Elo rating of 1946, indicating a skilled player. However, Chahal discontinued his run with chess due to the lack of sponsorships.

At 18 Chahal shifted focus to cricket, eventually becoming a successful leg-spinner for India. The leggie has played 75  ODI matches and has taken 111 wickets at 27.48 on average since 2016. 

He played 69 matches and bagged 91 wickets at an average of 20.41

IN 2011, he debuted in the Indian Premier League for Mumbai Indians where he played till 2013. Later he shifted to Royal Challengers Bangalore and then to Rajasthan Royals where is presently playing. He played 164 matches, taking 187 wickets.

Cota Ramaswami | Tennis

Cota Ramaswami was a remarkable Indian sportsman who represented India in both cricket and tennis. A Chennai-based cricketer played two test matches for British India. He played against England itself scoring 170 runs at an impressive average of 56.67.

However, he was part of India's Davis Cup team in 1922, partnering with Dr. A. H. Fyzee and A. A. Fayzee. He even took part in the Sussex Championships and had a notable win against the Spanish pair of Comte de Gomar and Flaquer.

MJ Gopalan | Hockey

Hailing from Madras Gopalan participated in both cricket and hockey in full form. He played in those days when both sports valued art. 

He played just one international test, but 78 First-Class matches, scoring 2,916 runs at 24.92 including a hundred. He also took 194 wickets at 24.20 with 9 five-fors and 3 ten-fors. Also, he took 49 catches in his 26 years of cricketing life.

The medium-fast bowler played at the center-back position in hockey. in 1936, he got calls for both the 1936 Olympics hockey squad as well as India tour in England.

Gopalan, here made a blunder. When he had the chance to be an Olympic Gold medallist, he chose cricket. India won its first gold medal at the Olympics, in Berlin. India won all 5 matches, scored 38 goals, and conceded just one.

However, Gopalan was benched and never got a chance to don the Indian test jersey.

Hello and welcome to Sportz Point's coverage of India At Paris Olympics 2024 Day 12 (7th August) as Indian athletes look for more medals at the Olympics. 

So far, India's three medals have come from shooting, and with the shooting event getting over, our focus has shifted to athletics.

Throughout the day, this is Abishek Goswami along with Payal Debnath and Koushik Biswas will bring you all the updates from the web desk. 

Follow us on Twitter for all the updates. Join our Telegram and WhatsApp channels for all the news and scores. 

The great cricketer Kapil Dev, who led India to its first World Cup win in 1983 under his captaincy, has been unanimously elected as the President of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).

Also Read: Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar qualify for Paris Olympics 2024 via Road to Paris world rankings

Kapil Dev became a board member in 2021 and has also served as the Vice President of PGTI. He will take over this responsibility from HR Srinivasan whose tenure has ended.

Kapil took golf as his favourite pastime

Apart from being a cricketer, Kapil Dev is also a golfer. He performed brilliantly as an amateur golf player. After his retirement from cricket, Kapil Dev took the sport of golf as his favourite pastime. It didn't take him too long to fall in love with golf and just after two years of retiring from cricket, he was back playing competitive sports again. 

Kapil played at the Indian PGA Championship back in 1995 at Army GC in New Delhi, one of his first-ever tournament appearances. His celebrity status led him to be invited to major events like the Dunhill Links, where he battled alongside other global celebrities.

Kapil Dev's role in PGTI

Kapil has been at the forefront of trying to bring new sponsors for PGTI. He has been successful in organizing one of the most lucrative tournaments on the tour, the Kapil Dev Grant Thornton Invitational at DLF Golf and Country Club with a prize money of Rs 2 crore.

'It is a golf course I go to for relaxation'

Kapil said after assuming charge of the office, "Golf is a great sport. You can play it till any age and it is an amazingly relaxing sport. I am busy with cricket often, but it is a golf course I go to for relaxation. I am fortunate to be able to serve golf and I want to take it to new levels."

Kapil Dev's innings in cricket

Kapil played cricket for India from 1978 to 1994. One of the greatest all-rounders of all time played 131 Test and 225 ODI cricket matches. Under his leadership, India won the 1983 World Cup. His unbeaten inning of 175 runs in the 1983 World Cup is considered one of the best innings in the history of the game.

Also Read: Most five-wicket hauls in Test cricket by an Indian bowler

In Test cricket, Kapil Dev scored 5248 runs with the help of eight centuries and took 434 wickets, which was a world record at that time. He also scored 3783 runs in ODIs and took 253 wickets in this format.

Indian golfers Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar have clinched the Paris Olympics 2024 spot via the Road to Paris world rankings.

Aditi, the highest-ranked female golf player from India, made the cut by acquiring an OGR of 24 in the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, while Diksha also sealed her spot by clinching an OGR of 40.

Also Read: Sumit Nagal officially confirms his qualification in the Paris Olympics 2024

Aditi finished fourth in Tokyo Games

Aditi Ashok, playing in the 30th major tournament in women's golf, scored 77 with five bogeys in the second round. Her total score after two rounds was 149 in five overs. Aditi is running at joint 64th position. She will compete in her second consecutive Olympics and third overall in the Paris Olympics 2024 in August. India’s best performance at the Olympics came from Aditi who finished fourth in the Tokyo Games 2020.

Second Olympic Games for Diksha

Meanwhile, Diksha will be competing in the Games for the second time. She is the first golfer in history to have competed in both the Olympics and the Deaflympics, where she is a two-time medallist. The 23-year-old won a silver in 2017 in Turkey and a gold in 2022 in Brazil. This is also Diksha's second consecutive appearance at the Olympics. In 2021, she competed at the Covid-19 pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics.

Top 15 players in the OWGR qualify for the Olympics

The Olympic entries are sent by the Indian Golf Union, and qualification for Olympics is determined by rankings, limited to 60 men’s and as many women’s players through the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). 

The top 15 players in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) qualify for the Olympic Games, with a limit of four golfers per country. Beyond the top 15, the Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR) include up to the two highest-ranked eligible players from each country, provided that the country does not already have two or more players within the top 15.

Also Read: Shreyashi Singh joins Shooting squad for Paris Olympics 2024

Aditi and Diksha are set to join Sharma and Bhullar

Both Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar are set to join the likes of Shubhankar Sharma and Gaganjeet Bhullar as the four representatives from India. Sharma and Bhullar already qualified as India's representatives by being the highest-ranked Indian men's golfers. For them, it would be their maiden appearance at the Olympics.