Should I choke down on my 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.
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 I choke up on my 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.
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
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 far down should a golf club shaft be?
around an inchHow far down the golf club should your hands be? There should be around an inch from the top of the grip to the end of the club. By holding the club right at the top of the grip, it will result in a loss of control and increases the likelihood of shots to come out of the heel of the club.Apr 6, 2018
Should I 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.Nov 14, 2003
What does choking up on golf club do?
3:0814:42When to Choke Down on the Golf Club - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBy going longer and picking up club speed by going for longer golf shaft. You can definitely noticeMoreBy going longer and picking up club speed by going for longer golf shaft. You can definitely notice the club speed. Difference by choking down on the club. And then gripping to the end of the club. I
How do you know if your clubs are too long?
How Do You Know If Your Golf Clubs Are Too Long? The most common way to tell if your clubs are too long is that your back will be too upright, the toe of your club will be off the ground at address, and you will often make contact towards the toe of the club.
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 to choke down a golf club?
By simply adjusting your grip and choking up even an inch, it can help almost every club in your bag. Remember, choking down slightly allows you to: 1 Hit it more consistently 2 Gain more control even on your off days 3 Hit the ball lower and keep it underneath the wind 4 Add more shots to your game for more confidence on the course
How to get more control on golf course?
Gain more control even on your off days. Hit the ball lower and keep it underneath the wind. Add more shots to your game for more confidence on the course. But don’t take my word for it, instead go out and test it in your next practice session and short game area.
How many yards does a gap wedge hit?
Normal gap wedge: 105 yard shot. Choke up one inch: 98-100 yard shot. Choke up two inches (close to the shaft): 93-98 yard shot. By choking up with your wedges, you can turn each wedge into a weapon so that you never have awkward distances again. Plus, you will hit the ball lower than you do with a full wedge.
How to get closer to a shot?
In general, start by choking up one inch on the club and see how it affects your shot shape and distance. Then, try out another inch. The more you grip down on the club, the closer you will need to stand to make up for it but otherwise, no real adjustment is needed.
How many wedges are in a golf bag?
This is one of the easiest ways to improve your game, yet so few players work on this stuff on the range. Think about it, most golfers have 3-4 wedges in the bag. Usually, there is a 10-15 yard gap between each wedge.
Why is it easier to chunk a short chip shot?
The main reason is because it makes it easier to accelerate on short chip shots. For example, if you have a bump-n-run style shot and grip the club regularly, it’s easy to chunk one because of deceleration. But if you choke up 1-2 inches, it’s easier to accelerate and make better contact around the greens.
Can you choke on a putter?
Putter. Finally, you can also choke up on your putter as well. Studies have found that most golfers are playing too long of a putter, which leads to some serious issues before you even take the club back. When a putter is too long, it’s hard to get your eyes in the right position and get the ball started on line.
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.
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 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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
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 ...
Why do you need a shorter golf club?
It takes a shorter club for most people to create the desired spine and shaft angles, swing planes, and contact with the ball. As would be expected, the shorter club and improved planes create better accuracy with the golf shots.
Why are long shafts attached to melon sized clubheads?
Thank goodness the long shafts are attached to melon-sized clubheads with tons of forgiveness, because the swing planes that result from these long clubs make it nearly impossible for most golfers to hit the sweet spot.
Does a longer club increase distance?
A longer club technically should increase distance. A club that is properly fitted in terms of the length of the shaft will maximize accuracy and distance. What I am saying is that the clubs most golfers are playing with, and even fitted for, are too long to maximize either; even when we call them “standard” in length.
Is a golf club too long?
There is a good chance that your golf clubs are too long. Over the past twenty years, golf club manufacturers have been making clubs stronger (meaning they have less loft on the face), and longer so that they can sell hopeful golfers the newest “hot” weapon that will knock the ball unimaginable distances. But when golfers arrive at the driving ...
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I’m the opposite. I play mine +1/2 because I naturally choke up since I grew up playing my dads hand me downs which were +1”. I also like a heavier swing weight and this helps.
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I would say that the improved accuracy is in a large part attributable to the fact that you are now actually holding the grip with all your hand and not just part of it. I would argue you could even lengthen your clubs and keep your hands in the same place as originally and you would see improved accuracy.
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Length of irons depends mostly on desired swing weight. Compared to my older irons, my 620 irons are a bit long OA. It's commonplace these days to help average Joe hit the ball a bit further. I could cut my irons shorter but then I'd have to adjust swing weight using a hosel weights.
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