What is a choke in golf?
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.
Why do LPGA golfers choke up when they hit the ball?
May 06, 2020 · 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.
Is choking down on the Golf Club an art or a science?
Oct 14, 2016 · First we have to understand how he got here. #1 – he was hitting the golf ball really good. He hit his first 3-greens in regulation. #2 – he had his wedge working as he got “up-n-down” for Par on the 4th hole, 6th hole and 7th hole. #3 – he was putting pretty good because when he needed to make a putt, he did.
How far should you choke down on your golf clubs?
A golf choke happens when nerves get the better of a player, whose swing deserts him or her under the pressure of trying to win. A golf choke means bad golf shots at the worst possible times in a tournament.
How far should you choke down on a golf club?
Should I choke up on my long irons?
Why is a 5 iron so hard to hit?
Does choking up on driver Help?
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 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.
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 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 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.
What does it mean when you choke in golf?
A golf choke happens when nerves get the better of a player, whose swing deserts him or her under the pressure of trying to win. A golf choke means bad golf shots at the worst possible times in a tournament.
Who has never suffered a choke?
However, two golfers who never suffered a famous choke in their careers are the two greatest of all-time: Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.
What hole did the 2005 Women's Open happen?
It happened on the 18th hole at the 2005 U.S. Women's Open. She had rallied throughout the day from well back and was in a position to win, or at least get into a playoff. The 18th hole at Cherry Hills required the players to aim right, cutting off part of a lake and carrying the ball to the fairway.
What was the 18th hole of Cherry Hills?
The 18th hole at Cherry Hills required the players to aim right, cutting off part of a lake and carrying the ball to the fairway. Ochoa's drive never even sniffed land. Her driver hit the ground a couple inches behind the ball — taking a divot — then bounced up into the ball.
Did Calcavecchia miss the putt?
Amazingly, Calcavecchia reached the 17th green with a chance to halve the hole (and win the Ryder Cup) with a double bogey — but he missed the 2-foot putt . Thinking he had lost the Ryder Cup for Team USA, Calcavecchia walked away from the 18th green, down onto the beach, sank into the sand and cried.
Who went for the green in the triple bogey?
Along the way to a triple-bogey, Van de Velde found the rough, the sand, the water and even the grandstands. Following a mediocre drive that rolled into the rough, the smart decision would have been to lay up in front of Barry Burn, which crossed in front of the green. Instead, Van de Velde went for the green.
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.
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?
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.
What is a choke tournament?
A Choker Tournament is a golf format for three- or four-person teams in which one person per team, on every hole, is put on the spot: come up with a decent score, or choke and hurt your team's chances.
How many turns does a golfer get with a choker ball?
They'll get five turns with the choker ball, while the other two golfers will only have four turns each. Another way to approach it is to look at the water holes and the toughest handicap holes, and try to come up with a rotation in which your weaker players avoid the choker ball on the water holes, and your stronger players get ...
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!
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.
