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.
Can you choke down on a golf club?
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 that can come with choking down on a club and the type of results it can provide.
What does'choke up'mean in golf?
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. Did You Know?
Why do golfers choke down their irons?
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.
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.
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What does choking down on golf club do?
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.
When should you choke down on a golf club?
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.
Should I 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 on my driver?
When a shot comes up that requires the best of your accuracy, but you still want to hit your driver, consider choking down on the grip of the club. Even moving down the grip by just an inch or two can go a long way toward improving your accuracy.
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.
Should I choke down on my 3 wood?
Consider Choking Down on the Club What is this? It's easier to control shorter clubs, so going down an inch on your 3 wood will help you manage the club better throughout the swing. As with all other changes to your game, it's important to practice this technique before you put it into action on the course.
Why do pros choke up on the 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
How far should 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.
How do I get more distance with my irons?
6:227:34How to get MORE DISTANCE with your IRONS - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipReally a much more powerful strike more speed off the face which gives you more distance with aMoreReally a much more powerful strike more speed off the face which gives you more distance with a better flight.
Do you chip with a sand wedge?
The sand wedge is the wedge that is the best for chipping. With a sand wedge, you can fly the ball reasonably close to the pin, and expect it only to roll a few feet. Sand wedges are great out of the bunker, and they provide a ton of spin even on shots out of the rough.
How do you hit a driver more accurately?
29:1731:31Simple Fixes For Golf Driver DISTANCE & ACCURACY - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipNumber three Zac same feeling go and take it to the top of the swing. Go ahead and give it a rip youMoreNumber three Zac same feeling go and take it to the top of the swing. Go ahead and give it a rip you're gonna get a lot of distance.
Do you hit down on the ball with fairway woods?
You will notice when TOUR players hit fairway woods, they still hit down on the ball allowing for the loft of the fairway wood to lift the shot. Although the angle of approach is not as steep as that of an iron, the club head still needs to be moving downward when striking a fairway wood.
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.
How much does golf club choke down?
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.
Do you hit down on the ball with fairway woods?
You will notice when TOUR players hit fairway woods, they still hit down on the ball allowing for the loft of the fairway wood to lift the shot. Although the angle of approach is not as steep as that of an iron, the club head still needs to be moving downward when striking a fairway wood.
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 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 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?
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.
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.
What is a knock down shot in golf?
The golf knock-down shot, sometimes called a “punch” shot, flies with a low, penetrating trajectory that limits the wind's effect. Played into a headwind, a knock-down won't balloon up into the air and lose distance like a higher shot. The knock-down's boring flight is less susceptible to crosswinds, too. What's more, the knock-down can be used ...
How to use knock downs in golf?
1. Take your stance with the ball positioned in the middle or just right of center (for right-handers) and your hands well ahead of the ball. 2.
How to do a knock down on a golf club?
The best way to establish ball position for the knock down is to take your stance with the ball in its normal position based on the club you are hitting, and then move it back just an inch or two from that point. Choke down on the grip. The next step in this process is to choke down on the grip of the club.
How to get comfortable with knock downs?
By dedicating a small amount of your session to hitting knock downs, you will quickly become comfortable with the shot and you will be able to pull it off on command out on the golf course . The swing that you make for a knock down shot shouldn't change dramatically from the swing you make to hit any other kind of shot.
Why is it important to use a knock down in the wind?
Therefore, using the knock down in the wind is a great idea. By keeping the ball lower to the ground, you can take out some of the guesswork and produce more consistent results.
How to play golf with a driver?
An easy swing will keep the ball down with minimal spin. It's also possible to hit a knock-down with the driver. Tee the ball so that the top is just above the club's crown, play it a few inches back of your normal position, and make a smooth, compact swing.
What is the most important piece of golf puzzle?
If you are going to solve the puzzle successfully on a regular basis, you need to have all of the pieces in your possession. The standard golf shot is certainly one of the most important pieces to the puzzle, but the other specialty shots are important as well.
