Should you choke down on your golf clubs?
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. When it comes to a driver, choking down on this club increases your control and improves the accuracy of the swing.
Should you choke down on a driver to improve your game?
Ultimately, if you’re struggling to hit your driver off the tee consistently, choking down on the club can be a great way to improve your ball striking and is likely to result in fewer wayward shots. What Does Choking up on a Driver Do? Choking up on the driver makes it easier to strike the ball and control where the ball lands.
Why do LPGA golfers choke up when they hit the ball?
LPGA golfer Brooke Henderson, known for her aggressive driver swing, usually chokes up on her driver for this reason. Or it might be necessary to choke down due to the golfer's stance if the ball is above his feet.
Which pro golfers choke up the most on the driver?
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, so losing a few yards isn't a big deal.
Why do I hit my driver better when I choke down?
12:5314:42When to Choke Down on the Golf Club - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIt'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.
Does choking down on driver change swing weight?
One thing I usually see though is that effective swingweight is often dismissed as negligible when choking down, or acknowledged that it changes a little, but it "shouldn't affect you too much". TXG had a good video called effect of gripping down. So it's even more of a change than the 3 SWP estimate when cutting down.
Is it OK to choke up on golf club?
0:401:37When 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 decrease power?
In general, choking up decreases batting power because most hitters use this method of hitting to simply get the ball in play.
Does choking down affect 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.
What are the benefits of choking down on golf club?
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
Why do pros choke up on the 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 down do you grip the driver?
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.
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.
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, ...
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 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.
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.
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.
Why do golfers choke down?
A golfer who chokes down — or on who chokes up, because golfers tend to use the terms interchangeably — on the golf club move his hands down the grip, farther away from the butt end of the grip. This might be done for one of several reasons: Doing so increases the golfer's control of the club during the swing, and it also takes some distance ...
What does it mean when you choke down on the driver?
One golfer might say to another on the tee, "If you choke down on the driver a little bit, you'll increase your odds of hitting the fairway. ". However, the term "choke" when used by itself in golf typically carries the first meaning mentioned above: to misplay a stroke due to nerves brought on by the pressure of the moment; or, more generally, ...
What does it mean to choke up on a baseball bat?
In baseball, "choke up" means sliding one's hands farther away from the grip-end of the bat; "choke down" means moving one's hands closer to the end of the bat. Choking up on a baseball bat gives the batter more control but less power; choking down on a baseball bat gives the batter less control but more power.
Why does Brooke Henderson choke?
LPGA golfer Brooke Henderson, known for her aggressive driver swing, usually chokes up on her driver for this reason. Or it might be necessary to choke down due to the golfer's stance if the ball is above his feet. One golfer might say to another on the tee, "If you choke down on the driver a little bit, you'll increase your odds ...
What does "choke" mean in golf?
Brent Kelley. Updated January 06, 2020. In golf, "choke" usually refers to a bad shot caused by a golfer's inability to handle the pressure of the moment. But when "choke" is combined with "up" or "down" — choke up or choke down — it refers to the position of a golfer's hands on the handle of a golf club.
Where did the term "choke up" come from?
The terms "choke up" and "choke down" were borrowed by golfers from the American sport of baseball, in which the terms refer to the position of a batter's hands on the handle of the baseball bat.
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.
