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 on the Golf Club?
For most players, choking down on the golf club results in a slight loss of distance, but it can be a smart move if you’re struggling to hit the ball consistently off the tee or out on the fairway. Most people grip the golf club towards the top or middle of the grip, so choking down reduces the amount of motion you can generate in your swing.
Should you'choke up on the club'to hit longer drives?
Newell adds that golfers “may lose a little distance” by choking up on the club, but players will likely be compensated with straighter drives. Jack Nicklaus recommends literally choking up on the club to avoid choking -- figuratively speaking -- in a pressure situation.
How much should you choke down on a driver?
While every golfer is different, the ideal amount to choke down on your driver is about an inch. You should go as far down the grip as you can without placing your hands around the shaft. If you choke down and it feels uncomfortable or unnatural, don’t hesitate to shift your hands back up the club a little bit.
Are you supposed to choke up on golf club?
0:331:37When Should you Choke Up on a Golf Club? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo I recommend actually if you don't need to choke up rather if you could just go down a club.MoreSo I recommend actually if you don't need to choke up rather if you could just go down a club.
Does choking down on golf club affect distance?
6:167:41The REAL TRUTH about Choking Down on the Golf Club - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBecause we're getting closer to the ball. And a little more upright swing and it's going toMoreBecause we're getting closer to the ball. And a little more upright swing and it's going to eliminate. The left side of the golf. Course more often because we have a more upright swing plane. So if
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.
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.
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.
How do you know if your clubs are too long?
The most common way to tell if your clubs are too long is that your back will be too upright, the toe of your club will be off the ground at address, and you will often make contact towards the toe of the club.
How do you hit a 5 iron 200 yards?
0:000:50How To Hit Your 5-Iron 200 Yards with Christopher Smith | Golf TipsYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAh so you want to hit your 5-iron 200 yards first learn to hit it honored yards Y PGA Tour playersMoreAh so you want to hit your 5-iron 200 yards first learn to hit it honored yards Y PGA Tour players practice this all the time the ability to hit the same club different distances.
What happens when you choke up on a golf club?
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.
What does choking up on the bat do?
Sliding the grip a bit toward to top of the bat, which is known as “choking up” on the bat, brings the bulk of the mass closer to the rotation axis; it reduces the rotational inertia. For a given twisting motion, the batter is thus able to rotate the bat more quickly.
Can you choke down on driver?
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.
How to decide if you should go with more or less clubs?
When trying to decide if you should go with more or less club make sure to factor in the pin location, wind direction and elevation change. Then, based on your personality, what you feel more comfortable doing and what you have rehearsed on the practice range, make the best decision you can and stick with it. Whether you are going with more club and swinging easy or going with less and swinging hard, make sure to make a committed golf swing with a complete finish to avoid decelerating.
Can you clubbing up on the green?
The option of clubbing up may work though, if you can stay committed and the longer club with lower loft is going to stay on the green. When you are in between clubs there are other factors that may help you make a more clear decision.
What is the importance of choking up on a golf club?
What is essential, however, is the ability to control your shots. If choking up on the club means you will gain control but lose a little bit of distance, that’s a trade you should strongly consider making. Feel. There is a potential issue that you are likely to encounter with regard to the feel of the club.
How do you feel when you put your hands on a golf club?
When you have your hands at the top of the grip, you feel the entire weight of the club at address, and during the swing. As you start to move your hands down the grip, however, some of that feel goes away.
How to keep the ball down in the wind?
By choking up, you should be able to hit the ball lower, meaning the wind won’t have as much of an impact on your game. It’s still going to be difficult to play as well in the wind as you can on a calm day but keeping the ball down by choking up is a big step in the right direction. Take distance off your shots.
How many yards can you lose with a full length grip?
A full length grip at the top of the club is a powerful thing, drop it down by an inch, you’ll probably lose 5 to 10 yards but gain a little bit more accuracy. Particularly works really nicely on your big clubs like your drive or your 3 wood.
What hand is the left hand on a golf club?
For a full swing, the typical golfer will simply grab the end of the club and get to work. For a right-handed player, that means the left hand is going to be all the way up at the top of the grip.
Can you hit balls while choking up on your clubs?
If you can make frequent visits to the range to hit balls while choking up on your clubs, you are sure to get more and more comfortable with this technique. Too many golfers fall into a comfort zone when on the range, only working on the things they already know how to do.
Does golf choke ups help with nerves?
In time, you’ll get to know your own tendencies with regard to when pressure affects you and when it doesn’t. Golf is a game that requires you to stand up to pressure situations with confidence and having the choke up technique in your back pocket is a nice tool to manage your nerves.
Why do golfers choke up?
Newell says golfers should choke up 2 inches on the club for all their short game shots, including pitches and bunker shots, because choking up provides better control of the club. He offers the analogy of writing with a pen.
Why does Anthony Kim choke up on his golf clubs?
Anthony Kim. PGA Tour player Anthony Kim began choking up on his clubs at a young age because it suited his physique, which featured long arms and a short torso. He continues to choke up about 2 inches on all of his clubs. He acknowledges that choking up costs him close to 10 yards of distance.
Why does Jack Nicklaus say to choke up on the club?
Jack Nicklaus recommends literally choking up on the club to avoid choking -- figuratively speaking -- in a pressure situation. Nicklaus says that in a key moment in a match golfers typically grip the club tighter, swing faster and raise up off the ball a bit, creating a longer but not necessarily accurate shot.
Why do you choke up on your driver?
Choking up on your driver may not cost you much, if any, distance, simply because having better control of the club can help you to hit the ball on the club’s sweet spot. Golf writer Steve Newell recommends golfers try choking up 1¼ to 1½ inches on their drivers, then taking their normal swings.
What happens if you hold the pen at the top?
If you hold the pen at the top you won’t write as neatly as when you hold it more toward the middle. Tiger Woods sometimes plays chip shots with a 3-wood, if his ball is on the green’s fringe, or in light rough. He chokes up severely, holding the club at the bottom of the grip.
Is it bad to choke up on a golf club?
By choking up you’re effectively shortening the club’s length, which lessens your swing arc, reduces your maximum clubhead speed and limits your potential power. Nevertheless, choking up on the club isn’t always a bad idea. Choking up is recommended on a variety of short ...
What to do if you choke down on a golf club?
If you are choking down on the club to hit the ball lower than it can be a good idea to cut off the finish of your swing and finish with the club out in front of your body instead of swinging all the way up to the full finish and having the club wrapped around your back.
Why do golfers choke down on their clubs?
The most common reason a golfer will choke down on the club is to reduce the distance of a shot. If you want to take a few yards off your usual distance that you get from your club, then choke down on it. As an example, if you normally hit your 7-iron at a hundred fifty yards, but you want to hit it at 144 yards, ...
How much distance do you lose when you choke down on a 4 iron?
You’ll lose around 10 yards for most of your shots. Your ball flight will be about 12 feet lower. In both directions, dispersion should be slightly tighter. When you choke down on a 4-iron and it will reduce the backspin you can get on your ball, which is why you’ll gain so much distance.
How does choking down affect swing?
If you’re new to the game, you may not even know what choking down on the club means. When you have a good iron in your hands, you can choke down on a club by moving your hands down the grip at address, in order to reduce the distance of a shot. However, there are other possibilities ...
How far can you hit a 7 iron without choking down?
When you choke down on a 7-iron your ball flight will be lowered about 5 to 6 feet , however, you’ll have almost identical spin rates.
How to reduce drive when hitting a short iron?
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. If you’re faced with a shot that could be handled better using a lower spin rate, then choking down on your club is the best way you can accomplish that.
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 down should your hands be when you choke up a golf club?
Depending on how much you wish to choke up, your hands could be anywhere between one inch and several inches below the top of the grip.
What is it called when you choke your golf club?
Gripping down on the golf club an inch or more from the butt of the shaft – called “choking up” or “gripping down” -- can greatly improve your accuracy. Several prominent pros, including Anthony Kim and Sergio Garcia, choke up on almost every shot, even with the driver. Of course, they generate tremendous clubhead speed, ...
How to play with choked up grip?
As you are learning how to play using a choked up grip, watch your spin rates and adjust your aiming process if you find that you are spinning the ball more with your short clubs. None of the changes that you will notice from choking up on the club are drastic.
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 do you choke up on the club?
Choke Up on the Club for Better Accuracy and Contact. Two of the most important elements to playing good golf are hitting accurate shots and making solid contact. In fact, those two things usually go hand in hand. When you hit the ball accurately, you are typically hitting it solid as well, as vice versa.
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.
Why do you stand up when hitting a shot at impact?
Since you are standing slightly closer to the ball at address, you may be tempted to 'stand up' through the shot at impact in order to make room for the club. Of course, you don't need to do that, and the result will often be a topped shot that rolls along the ground.
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.
Why do you chok down when you are facing a shot?
If you are facing a shot that will be better handled with a lower spin rate, choking down is a way to accomplish just that. You’ll have a bit less speed through the ball, so your spin rate should be lower as the ball leaves the club.
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 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.
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.