How to Get Golf Clubs When You’re 6’8”
By: Scott Steinberg, Mgt 99 | Categories: Alumni Achievements
“Obviously, I want to be a world-class athlete and play on the PGA Tour one day, that’s the goal,” he notes. “But as soon as I started getting really tall and my posture shifted, it began to affect my swing—so we started building custom clubs around how my body works.” Thankfully, as a child prodigy at South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen Junior Golf Academy, he caught the eye of manufacturer (and soon to be sponsor) PING, who signed on to assist by providing personalized gear. Incredibly, since age 16, Lamprecht has had to use both longer and heavier woods and irons customized to his size and built from scratch.
Finding ways to smooth out all manner of new challenges is nothing new to Lamprecht, though, as a versatile performer who grew up playing nearly every sport imaginable. (“I grew up with a ball in hand,” he jokes.) But as a self-described people person, he says that he’s also made it a priority in life to balance out his athletic pursuits with socializing and studying, having always had a head for number-crunching as well. Accordingly, the Business Administration major sees himself potentially exploring the world of finance at some point in the future.
Whatever your passion—be it Excel spreadsheets or excellence on the green—though, he says it’s important to invest in yourself first and foremost.
“You can do anything if you put your mind to it,” Lamprecht explains. Given the importance of being well-rounded, true to yourself, and applying a balanced approach to life—lessons he credits his father for teaching him—Lamprecht says focus is paramount for success.
“Being an international student coming from a small town in South Africa, there’s always people that are going to say you shouldn’t be doing this, you’re not good enough, etc. If you believe in yourself, don’t care what others think, and just live and work according to your values, you’ll be fine. One lesson that I learned is that if your dreams don’t scare you, then you don’t dream big enough.”
