Consider choking up on the golf club if you struggle with accuracy, or if the club feels difficult to control during the swing. Experiment by gripping the club at different lengths from the top until you feel comfortable and hit straighter, more solid shots.
Should you choke up on the Golf Club?
Consider choking up on the golf club if you struggle with accuracy, or if the club feels difficult to control during the swing. Experiment by gripping the club at different lengths from the top until you feel comfortable and hit straighter, more solid shots.
What does choking down on the club mean?
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.
Should you'choke up on the club'to hit longer drives?
Newell adds that golfers “may lose a little distance” by choking up on the club, but players will likely be compensated with straighter drives. Jack Nicklaus recommends literally choking up on the club to avoid choking -- figuratively speaking -- in a pressure situation.
Should I choke up on the golf club?
As you can tell, choking up on the golf club is a secret weapon that a lot of golfers don't take advantage of enough. Sure, you will lose some distance by choking up but in general, it's almost always worth it. This is a great way to add new shots in your bag and save yourself when you're hitting it poorly.
Why do golfers choke 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
Should I choke up 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 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 you 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. I know you have been told to choke down for control and around the greens control is a must.
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.
Is it OK to tee up on the fairway?
Can You Use A Tee On A Fairway? The rules of golf state that you must play a ball as it lies. If you walk up to your ball in your fairway and tee it up, this would be breaking the rules of golf. You cannot tee your golf ball in the fairway once it is in play.
How do you hit the fairway every time?
1:5911:51How to Hit the Fairway Every Time - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIf you're really concerned about finding the fairway i recommend. Doing your 3-wood. And hittingMoreIf you're really concerned about finding the fairway i recommend. Doing your 3-wood. And hitting like a stinger. Shot but it's going to be kind of the same technique for both.
Should I tee up irons?
1:104:36Perfect tee height for irons – hit your irons further from the tee - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipNow what will it change when you use a higher tee for a better play you'll get the ball higher up inMoreNow what will it change when you use a higher tee for a better play you'll get the ball higher up in the air. It might be useful when you play with the wind from behind and get the ball to fly.
How do you hit a driver consistently?
Basic Fundamentals to Hit The Driver Consistently:Check Alignment.Be Smooth at Take Away.Complete the Backswing.Do Not Over-Swing on The Backswing.Concentrate on Weight Transfer.Hit Through The Ball, Not at it.Maintain The Swing Tempo and Rhythm and Don't Rush it.Think Swing Sequence.More items...•
How do you hit a driver correctly?
1:002:58How to hit a driver - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBasically just let your arms dangle get that club moving back and through by using your feet to helpMoreBasically just let your arms dangle get that club moving back and through by using your feet to help turn your body around and let those arms swing up naturally as if they're soft.
How much should I shorten my driver?
Remember, the average driver standard length is 45 inches for men and 44 inches for women (off the rack). With a shorter shaft can help with the right clubhead, you can make magic off the tee and start to shoot consistently lower scores.
How long should my driver be for my height?
Driver Shaft Length Based Solely on HeightHeight (feet/inches)Driver Shaft Length5'4″-5'7″45.5″5'2″-5'4″45″5'0″-5'2″44.5″4'10”-5'0″44″6 more rows•May 9, 2021
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 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 is it called when you choke your golf club?
Gripping down on the golf club an inch or more from the butt of the shaft – called “choking up” or “gripping down” -- can greatly improve your accuracy. 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, ...
Why do you choke up on the club?
Choke Up on the Club for Better Accuracy and Contact. Two of the most important elements to playing good golf are hitting accurate shots and making solid contact. In fact, those two things usually go hand in hand. When you hit the ball accurately, you are typically hitting it solid as well, as vice versa.
How to play with choked up grip?
As you are learning how to play using a choked up grip, watch your spin rates and adjust your aiming process if you find that you are spinning the ball more with your short clubs. None of the changes that you will notice from choking up on the club are drastic.
How to shorten the length of a golf club?
By moving your hands up the grip toward the club head (or down the grip, depending on how you look at it), you can shorten the effective length of the club, making it easier to hit the ball solidly.
How far down should your hands be when you choke up a golf club?
Depending on how much you wish to choke up, your hands could be anywhere between one inch and several inches below the top of the grip.
Why is practice important in golf?
Practice is important when learning how to choke up on the club just like it is important when learning any other skill on the course . Many players think that they can just move their hands down a couple of inches and swing away, but there is a little more to it than that.
Why do you stand up when hitting a shot at impact?
Since you are standing slightly closer to the ball at address, you may be tempted to 'stand up' through the shot at impact in order to make room for the club. Of course, you don't need to do that, and the result will often be a topped shot that rolls along the ground.
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 "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.
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.
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, ...
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 the wind blow at my back?
A stiff wind blowing at your back when you’re in the address position can be tricky because the wind will be partially blocked by your body, but will swirl around you and potentially affect the club during your swing.
Is it bad to choke up on a golf club?
By choking up you’re effectively shortening the club’s length, which lessens your swing arc, reduces your maximum clubhead speed and limits your potential power. Nevertheless, choking up on the club isn’t always a bad idea. Choking up is recommended on a variety of short ...