By choking down on your club, you not only shorten your swing’s distance but also reduce the backspin on the ball. By keeping your hands slightly up, you hit a full swing, which produces quite the backspin. Now, if you are planning to hit with a short iron and from a tight fairway line then choke down in your club an inch.
Does choking down on a golf club increase accuracy?
When you choke down on your driver, you should notice the loss of around 20 yards but an increase in accuracy. As you can see, choking down on the golf club can have a major impact on your ball flight and can be a perfect choice if you want to take off some yards.
What does choke down mean in golf?
Choking down increases the control of the golfer on the club and allows them to measure the swing. It also takes a few feet off the distance. For example, if you are at a yardage, which is too short for your 7-iron and too long for your 8-iron then you can choke down on the latter club.
Why do golfers choke down their irons?
Another reason a golfer will want to choke down on their iron is to take some spin off the ball. If you keep your hands up at the top of the club when you make a full swing, you’re likely to produce quite a bit of backspin.
How much does the length of a golf club affect distance?
As well as its loft, the length of a golf club affects how far you can hit it. So if you move down the grip when you’re setting up and addressing the ball on the tee with your driver, you will lose distance as a result. This might be as few as 5-10 yards for some people, but other golfers will lose a little more distance.
What does choking up on the golf club do?
When you shorten the club, the gains that you make in control will be lost in distance. Your overall swing speed will be lowered by choking up, meaning that you won't be able to hit the ball as far as you would making the same swing while gripping the club at the end.
Will choking down on driver Help?
Choking down on your driver is also a good method when you need to play a tee shot into the wind. The speed of your swing will be reduced when you choke down, which means your spin rate should be reduced as well.
Does choking up on a golf club change lie angle?
Normally the mindset is that you choke down to take distance off and I suppose that could creep into your mind unintentionally when you are attempting to hit a full shot. I know the general consensus is that choking down 1" has the same impact on swing weight, lie angle, etc.
Should I choke up on my clubs?
0:281:37When Should you Choke Up on a Golf Club? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipHowever the disadvantage is as you choke up the shaft becomes stiffer. And you're going to get aMoreHowever the disadvantage is as you choke up the shaft becomes stiffer. And you're going to get a lower trajectory. Another little disadvantages many people choke up and then actually top the ball
How much distance do you lose by choking down?
Here's how it could work with your gap wedge: Normal gap wedge: 105 yard shot. Choke up one inch: 98-100 yard shot. Choke up two inches (close to the shaft): 93-98 yard shot.
Should you choke down chipping?
0:101:24Choke Down Indoor Chipping Drill - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo many people struggle with this problem but the choke down chipping drill is a great way to getMoreSo many people struggle with this problem but the choke down chipping drill is a great way to get out of it to help eliminate a flip on your chip shots even your pitch shots.
Should you choke up on long irons?
Also, if you're struggling with hitting long irons straight, I also recommend choking up one inch on the club, especially if you're playing in windy conditions. By choking up, you make the club slightly shorter and easier to control which is crucial if you're hitting into the wind.
Does 1 degree upright make a difference?
Yes it will make a difference, I play 2 degree upright and +1/2. If your hitting the ball left all the while (I am guessing your right handed) won't be to do with having the lye angle to flat.
Does upright lie promote a draw?
The upright lie also promotes a left tilting spin axis, which leads to what's generally described as draw spin. An upright lie angle basically gives you a head start, but depending on the severity of the slice conditions the golfer generates, it certainly won't guarantee a draw.
What happens when you choke down on a golf club?
When you choke down on the club by half-inch or an inch, your shot into the green has precision. You can also start with the tee shot by choking down to gain more time to develop a strategy.
What does choking down on the golf club do?
So, now you know what choking down on the golf club does. The 3Ps will help you in rough situations and allow you to make perfect hits on the fairway. As a beginner, learning this trick will allow you to the enter the big leagues and impress other golfers with your swings.
Why do you choke down on a 9 iron?
As mentioned earlier, the primary purpose of choking down is to reduce the distance. It’s the same as using a 9-iron which is shorter than your 6-iron. They affect the distance but if you choke down on bigger iron, you will achieve the same results.
The Test
Based on the success I had going with a shorter driver, I was interested to see what kind of results I would get if I choked down a bit on my irons.
Sand Wedge
Hitting full shots with my sand wedge surprisingly did not alter my ball flight all too much. Here were some of my key findings:
Four Iron
With the longest iron in my bag I started to notice even more significant changes:
Driver
Just for fun, I did try to grip down on my driver. My shaft is already shortened down to 44”, which is about 1 ½” to 2” shorter than standard. It’s been one of the greatest changes I’ve made with my clubs. It has given me more accuracy off the tee without sacrificing too much distance.
How I Will Use This Information
After I had performed this test I had a bit more confidence over what I can expect when choking down on my irons. It’s not something I really ever did during rounds, but I tried it out several times on the course since then.
What Can You Learn From This
I want to reiterate that not all of you will see the same results as me. However, doing tests like these helps remove question marks in your golf game. If I can get reliable data on how making these small changes will affect my ball flight, I’ll have more confidence on the course.
FairwaysToHeaven
For those that choke up on their irons to control and take little distance off their shot, what is the most you'll choke up on a club and how much do you see the distance being affected.
starsail85
1/2" takes 2mph off your clubhead speed which is around 5 yards depending on club
Shilgy
There is no set number of yards that are cut by choking up or down on the grip. I recall Anthony Kim doing a show with Tiger a few years back. Nike had had a contest, I think it was with black or gold balls in some sleeves, and the winners would play with Tiger.
Anaheim944
There was a track man article saying choking down 1" on an iron will lower flight and take off about 10 yards. It definitely worked for me.
JohnKHawk
Older thread I know but I was experimenting with this concept & I think for average golfer gripping down will improve strike & they may actually gain distance. I do this routinely for my 5 & 6 irons my shots generally hit the center of club face & on average go just a far or slightly further as if I didn't alter my grip.
Scottie68
Choking up can have various effects. As stated, it can reduce club head speed, which can reduce distance.
Ipreach
I have the zepp golf training device which measures hand speed and it's more consistent then I thought.