Should you choke up on the Golf Club?
May 06, 2020 · 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, you can choke down a couple of inches on your iron and take a more comfortable swing.
What does choking down on the club mean?
When to Choke Up or Club Down When Should you Choke Up on a Golf Club? Watch on Stuck Between Clubs No Man's Land It's the last hole of the club championship. You have a 135 yard shot over water to the green. Your nerves are on edge because if you par you will probably win and a bogey will most likely put you in a playoff.
Why do golfers choke down their irons?
Choking down on the golf club changes its swing weight. It also makes the shaft a little stiffer, which results in a lower ball trajectory and a reduction in distance. This is ideal on days when you’re not at the races or if the wind is up.
Does choking down on a golf club reduce spin rate?
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 8 …
Should you choke down on golf clubs?
Summary. 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.
When should you choke up on a golf club?
When hitting an approach shot into a green that is guarded by hazards or deep bunkers, consider choking up to add accuracy to your swing. As long as you aren't an extremely long distance from the green, you should be able to simply take one extra club to reach the target as you choke up on the grip.
What does choking down on a club do?
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.
Does choking down on driver Help?
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 you choke down on pitch shots?
By choking down you are decreasing the leverage you have in your swing. Leverage allows the shot to travel higher and farther with minimal effort. Lack of leverage means you must swing harder at a chip shot and that's the last thing you want to do.Nov 14, 2003
Should you choke down on long irons?
Choking down on the club will reduce the distance you can hit the ball. Think about how your nine iron is much shorter than your six iron, and that will affect the distances you can hit them. Many people think this is a negative of choking down on a golf club, but it doesn't have to be.
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
How do you choke on a golf club?
0:341:37When Should you Choke Up on a Golf Club? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnother little disadvantages many people choke up and then actually top the ball because they're notMoreAnother little disadvantages many people choke up and then actually top the ball because they're not used to the shorter shaft. So I recommend actually if you don't need to choke up rather if you
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
How to make sure your ball lands right?
During windy weather, to make sure that you hit right, keep the ball flight lower. By lowering the flight, your ball will fly with precision and without any backspin. Usually, a ball in flight wavers and you are praying that it lands right.
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:
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.
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.
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.
