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how far should you choke down on a golf club

by Marco Howell Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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The amount that you choke down on the grip of the club is a matter of personal preference, but you will probably want to come down at least an inch or two from the top. However, be careful not to come down too far as the club will start to feel lighter as you keep moving down the grip.

In general, start by choking up one inch on the club and see how it affects your shot shape and distance. Then, try out another inch. The more you grip down on the club, the closer you will need to stand to make up for it but otherwise, no real adjustment is needed.

Full Answer

How much should you choke down on the grip of the club?

May 06, 2020 · When you choke down on your driver, you should notice the loss of around 20 yards but an increase in accuracy. Final Thoughts As you can see, choking down on the golf club can have a major impact on your ball flight and can be a …

Does choking down on a golf club increase accuracy?

The amount that you choke down on the grip of the club is a matter of personal preference, but you will probably want to come down at least an inch or two from the top. However, be careful not to come down too far as the club will start to feel lighter as you keep moving down the grip .

What does choke down mean in golf?

Feb 20, 2019 · This is perhaps the most-commonly cited reason to choke down on the club. If you need to take a few yards off the typical distance that you would get from a given club, you can choke down. For example, if you usually hit your 7-iron 150-yards, but you need to hit a 145-yard shot, you could choke down an inch or two and make a comfortable swing.

Should you choke down on your club when the wind is blowing?

My average distance was only 2 yards shorter, but as I mentioned there was far less disparity. Overall, I can hit it much farther without choking down, but it was clear my strikes were more consistent gripping down. Choking down lowered my ball flight by about six feet, but had almost identical spin rates.

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Is it good to choke up on golf club?

Having better control of the club makes it easier to hit the sweet spot, negating the small loss in clubhead speed. Choking up on iron shots can boost your greens-in-regulation percentage (GIR) – a great way to lower your scores. You'll make better contact, of course, and your misses won't sail as far off line.

How far should I choke down on my driver?

To hit a more conservative tee ball, I always choke down on the grip a full two inches (No. 1) and narrow my stance so my feet are only slightly wider than my shoulders (No. 2). I tee the ball lower and farther back, maybe three inches inside my left instep.Mar 22, 2011

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.May 10, 2017

Does choking down on golf club change swing weight?

Choking down lightens the club's swingweight and effectively makes the shaft stiffer. It also makes it difficult to hit the ball high enough for all situations.Mar 4, 2009

Should you choke down on long irons?

12:5314:42When to Choke Down on the Golf Club - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBut when i hit the driver when i hit grip down on the club with the driver. I lost a lot of distanceMoreBut when i hit the driver when i hit grip down on the club with the driver. I lost a lot of distance that was the the big difference there too. So my suggestion here would be with regards to gripping

Should I choke down chipping?

of the shaft. Many players immediately grip the club and choke down so their hands are at the end of the rubber and sometimes touching the metal of the shaft.Nov 14, 2003

Why do you choke down on your iron?

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. So, if you want to learn how to reduce your drive especially if you’re hitting a short iron from a fairway lie, choke down on the club an inch or two.

How far can you hit a 7 iron?

As an example, if you normally hit your 7-iron at a hundred fifty yards, but you want to hit it at 144 yards, you can choke down a couple of inches on your iron and take a more comfortable swing. Instead of trying to hit with your 8-iron as hard as you possibly can, you can choke down on a 7-iron instead.

Can you hit a full shot with a sand wedge?

Hitting a full shot using a sand wedge and choking down will not alter your flight significantly. In most cases, you will only lose a couple of yards of distance. Additionally, dispersion will typically be the same, however, choking down can center your shots over the target much better.

How to hit the ball higher?

As you would probably guess, hitting the ball higher can be accomplished by moving the ball up closer to your left foot while keeping the rest of your swing the same. Maintain light grip pressure. No matter where your hands are on the club, they should always be holding on with a light grip pressure.

How to use a golf club?

Because the hands are the only direct contact a player has with the club, it's imperative nothing is left to chance. 1 Place the club face behind the ball, keeping it square to your intended target. 2 Firstly, let the grip run through the base of the left hand (for right handed golfers). The grip should begin at the joint of the little finger and run through the hand until it goes through the middle of the index finger. 3 After the grip has been placed correctly, wrap the left hand over on top of the grip. 4 When looking down on the left hand, players should be able to see two and a half knuckles. The V shape made by the thumb and index of the left hand should point towards the right shoulder. 5 Depending on which method you prefer, the right hand joins the left hand on the grip with either a ten fingered (baseball), interlocking or overlap grip. 6 The right hand sits on the grip with the left thumb covered by the base of the right thumb. 7 The V shape made by the right thumb and forefinger should also point at the right shoulder.

What is a grip in golf?

However, the word 'grip' in the golf world can also refer to the actual piece of rubber that is on your club.

Which hand is the V shape?

The V shape made by the thumb and index of the left hand should point towards the right shoulder. Depending on which method you prefer, the right hand joins the left hand on the grip with either a ten fingered (baseball), interlocking or overlap grip. The right hand sits on the grip with the left thumb covered by the base of the right thumb.

What is a neutral grip?

Although each player has their own unique way of holding a club, it is widely acknowledged a neutral grip is the one most likely to give the most success to golfers across the board. Before changing or adopting any particular type of grip, ...

What does it mean when you choke down on a golf club?

Obviously, if you are going to choke down on your club – which means moving your hands down the grip at address – you need to have a good reason. If there wasn’t anything to gain by choking down, after all, you would just keep your standard grip and hit a normal shot. So, what can you gain by choking down?

When to use a choke down shot?

Choke down shots are also used often when the wind is blowing. A shot played with your hands down the grip will usually come out lower and fly lower as it heads toward the target. That’s a great thing when the wind is blowing and making it difficult to move the ball around the course accurately.

When you make a full swing while keeping your hands up at the top of the club, you are likely to produce

When you make a full swing while keeping your hands up at the top of the club, you are likely to produce a significant amount of backspin. That is particularly true if you are hitting a short iron from a fairway lie.

Is a golf club shorter than a normal swing?

Remember – the club is now effectively shorter than it would be for a normal swing. That means you don’t have as much club between your hands and the ground, so you will need to do a good job of staying down through impact if you are going to make clean contact.

Should you cut the finish of a golf swing?

If you are choking down as a way of hitting the ball lower, it’s a good idea to cut off the finish of the swing. Rather than swinging all the way up to a full finish with the club wrapped around your back, cut it off on the way through and finish with the club out in front of your body.

Is golf boring?

Golf would be a pretty boring game if you hit every single shot the exact same way. It’s the variety of the game that makes it interesting. The fact that you need to be able to produce many different shots in order to rise to the various challenges you’ll encounter on the course is what makes this game so addicting.

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:

Seven Iron

My dispersion was tighter in both directions. I had better distance control (8 yards between shortest/longest shot vs 13 yards). Looking at my dispersion left to right, I also had a tighter dispersion of about 10 yards.

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.

bigoak

I have noticed the grips of many pros both men and women and they appear to grip about 1/2 to 1 inch down the grip from the butt. Do you do this? and is there a reason other than proper sole alignment?

Wazzu8

Where they in the rough? That stuff is deep at their golf courses..#N#Funny you ask, I actually did the same thing yesterday with my 9iron at the range. The 130 out flag I was either on it or to either side of it but still close. Choked up about 1/2 inch to an inch ish and was putting everything on the green close to the pin.

GaijinGolfer

I grip down about 1/2" because that gives me a better lie angle. You can also grip way down on the club is you are inbetween clubs and want to fine-tune your distance.

bogeyhitter25

On my driver, woods, long irons (4,5,6) I'll grip at the end.#N#With my short irons (7,8,9,P) and my wedges I'll choke up a little.

JackLee

I will grip down if my ball is on higher ground than my feet. Otherwise, only 1/8 inch clear of my left hand.

elivate

I really noticed last week that Anthony Kim does this... He seems to grip down almost 1"... I never seem to notice those things for myself, I will just grip it where I pick up the club... need to start focusing on some of these smaller things...

m11

i grip it at the end of the club. i feel when i start choking down then i start messing with the lie angle.

How to shorten the length of a golf club?

By moving your hands up the grip toward the club head (or down the grip, depending on how you look at it), you can shorten the effective length of the club, making it easier to hit the ball solidly.

Why is practice important in golf?

Practice is important when learning how to choke up on the club just like it is important when learning any other skill on the course . Many players think that they can just move their hands down a couple of inches and swing away, but there is a little more to it than that.

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