Golf-FAQ.com

what happens when you choke down on a golf club

by Prof. Arlie Gerhold DDS Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
image

What Does Choking Down on a Golf Club Do?

  1. Control. When you choke down on the golf club, you can gain quite a bit more control. ...
  2. Distance. Choking down on the club will reduce the distance you can hit the ball. ...
  3. Wind. When you are hitting into the wind or even downwind, it is good to keep your ball flight lower. ...
  4. Getting Out of Trouble. ...

Choking down will reduce swing speed, increase control over the club head at impact, and reduce your shot distance. Choking down on your driver can also help if you need to hit a tee shot into the wind. Your swing speed will decline by choking down and you will put less spin on the ball.

Full Answer

Should you choke down your golf clubs?

When you choke down on the golf club, you can gain quite a bit more control. Choking down shortens the club by about an inch or a half-inch. If you have a shot into a green that requires some precision, choking down is a great choice. You can also choke down on the driver when you are hitting shots off the tee.

What does choking down on the club mean?

Mar 24, 2022 · 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 …

Why do LPGA golfers choke up when they hit the ball?

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 …

What is the meaning of'choke up and choke down'in golf?

Aug 26, 2021 · 6 Benefits of Choking Down on Golf Club 1. A higher ball flight in the air. Choking down allows for a higher ball flight into the air, which is helpful when it’s windy so that the ball doesn’t get blown off-course by the wind as easily or before it gets to where you want it to go.

image

Is it OK to choke down on golf club?

As you choke down on the golf club, it does become shorter and thus, affects total distance. While your spin rates will likely decrease, so will your total carry distance as well. The more you choke down on the grip, the less the golf ball will carry.

How far can you choke down on a golf club?

The further your grip down the club, the lighter it will feel, and the easier it will be to control. Most golfers will grip the club about ½ inch from the top. When you want to choke down on the club a bit, you can go about an inch or maybe even a little more than an inch from the top of the golf club.

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

What does choking down on a driver do?

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

Should I choke down chipping?

As for your body, remember as you choke down: Don't hunch your upper body. Instead, choke down with your hands, and get your body lower by adding more flex in the knees, as opposed to hunching over.Mar 16, 2010

What happens if my golf clubs are too long?

What Happens When Golf Clubs Are Too Long? For most golfers, having clubs that are too long will result in the most inconsistent shots. Clubs that are too long will make you stand too upright, which can cause both heel and toe shots as well as a tendency to pull the ball.

Why do I hit my driver better when I choke down?

Part of a video titled When to Choke Down on the Golf Club - YouTube
12:53
14:42
It's not a bad play if you're trying to keep that ball out of the wind. It's a great option to beMoreIt's not a bad play if you're trying to keep that ball out of the wind. It's a great option to be able to help control the ball have that will come in a lower penetrating ball flight.

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

What does choke down mean?

Definition of choke down

informal. : to eat (something) with difficulty or without enjoyment The meal was overcooked, but I managed to choke down a few bites.

When should you choke up on a golf club?

#1 Reduce the Distance of the Shot

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.
Feb 20, 2019

How far down should a golf club shaft be?

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 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.

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 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.

What is Choking Down on Golf Club?

Choking down makes the swing feel easier because you have greater control over both the shaft and ball with your hands closer to the clubhead. It’s best used for shots when accuracy is more important than power, like near-the-green shots where you need to fly the ball close to a flag or hole.

Choking Down on Golf Club – Conclusion

We hope this article has been helpful to you in understanding the importance of choking down on a golf club. The more control you have over your shots, the better chance that luck will be on your side and not against you!

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.

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.

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.

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.

image
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9