- Distance. Yes – you are probably going to lose a little bit of distance when you decide to choke up on the club. How much? ...
- Feel. There is a potential issue that you are likely to encounter with regard to the feel of the club. ...
- Flat ball flight. For many golfers, choking up on the grip is going to lead to a flatter ball flight. ...
Is it good to choke up on golf club?
Choking down lightens the club's swing weight and effectively makes the shaft stiffer. It also makes it difficult to hit the ball high enough for all situations.
Does choking up 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.10 May 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.4 Mar 2009
How far down the club should you grip?
How far down the golf club should your hands be? There should be around an inch from the top of the grip to the end of the club. By holding the club right at the top of the grip, it will result in a loss of control and increases the likelihood of shots to come out of the heel of the club.6 Apr 2018
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.14 Nov 2003
What does choke down mean?
: to eat (something) with difficulty or without enjoyment The meal was overcooked, but I managed to choke down a few bites.
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.
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 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.
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.
Should you choke up on a golf club?
With that said, you shouldn’t ignore the possibility of choking up on the club in order to improve in terms of accuracy and contact.
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.
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 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.
What shoulder tucks under your chin?
Just be certain your left shoulder tucks under your chin to assure you complete a full backswing. Newell adds that golfers “may lose a little distance” by choking up on the club, but players will likely be compensated with straighter drives.
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.
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.
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.
Why does Kim Jong Un not mind sacrificing distance?
Kim says he doesn’t mind sacrificing distance because his drives are more accurate. “It’s not very often you make a birdie from the rough,” he says. References. "The Complete Golf Manual"; Steve Newell. "My 55 Ways to Lower Your Golf Score"; Jack Nicklaus. Golf Digest: Left Wind: Grip Down.
How to choke down a golf club?
By simply adjusting your grip and choking up even an inch, it can help almost every club in your bag. Remember, choking down slightly allows you to: 1 Hit it more consistently 2 Gain more control even on your off days 3 Hit the ball lower and keep it underneath the wind 4 Add more shots to your game for more confidence on the course
How many yards does a gap wedge hit?
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. By choking up with your wedges, you can turn each wedge into a weapon so that you never have awkward distances again. Plus, you will hit the ball lower than you do with a full wedge.
How to get closer to a shot?
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.
How many wedges are in a golf bag?
This is one of the easiest ways to improve your game, yet so few players work on this stuff on the range. Think about it, most golfers have 3-4 wedges in the bag. Usually, there is a 10-15 yard gap between each wedge.
Why is it easier to chunk a short chip shot?
The main reason is because it makes it easier to accelerate on short chip shots. For example, if you have a bump-n-run style shot and grip the club regularly, it’s easy to chunk one because of deceleration. But if you choke up 1-2 inches, it’s easier to accelerate and make better contact around the greens.
How to get more control on golf course?
Gain more control even on your off days. Hit the ball lower and keep it underneath the wind. Add more shots to your game for more confidence on the course. But don’t take my word for it, instead go out and test it in your next practice session and short game area.
Does choking down make a golf club shorter?
Choking down lightens the club’s swing weight and effectively makes the shaft stiffer.”. Sadly, Anthony Kim has seemingly left the game forever but Trevino is right about how gripping down affects the club. Choking up does change the weight and makes the club shorter and slightly stiffer.
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.
Why are my nerves on edge?
Your nerves are on edge because if you par you will probably win and a bogey will most likely put you in a playoff. The problem is you are stuck between two clubs. Your wedge is your 130 club and your 9 in your 140 club.
Who is Maria Palozola?
Maria Palozola is a member of the LPGA and has participated in multiple LPGA Tour events. She has provided instruction to thousands of students in the past 20+ years and has won multiple teaching awards from the LPGA, Golf Digest, and Golf Magazine including being ranked as one of the top 50 female instructors in the world.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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, ...
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.
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?
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 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.
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.
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.
