In golf, choke usually refers to a bad shot caused by a golfers inability to handle the pressure of the moment. Michael breed, host of the golf fix, shows how to grip down on your driver to hit more fairways. Bygolly, i will have my driver cut down if its better than choking up. Choking down lowered my ball flight by about six feet, but had almost identical spin rates. Practice your pairs on the range before you try it on the course. I know that a longer shaft provides more speed but hell, even tiger woods uses 43. 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. They do this to make their clubs better fit their swing, which might mean cutting the shaft simply to change length, or to change swingweight, flex or other playing characteristics. Sometimes youll see professional golfers gripping down on their clubs on tv. Jan 15, 2014 will a shorter driver give you more distance.
Wed jan 15, 2014 by dave phillips drivers generally come standard at 4546 inches in length, the longer the driver shaft the potential exists for more distance, theoretically your swing arc would be wider and therefore you could create more speed. When i pull the trigger on a new driver, that is something im going to factor in. Golf pride 25 is an option if you use a standard grip the grip weight is 25g and that is a little over 5 swingweight points. Because im launching so low with lower spin, the ball did not have a chance to rise up as much. Gripping down vs shortening golf shaft toronto golf nuts.
Imo, if your choking up for accuracy, dont bother getting the shaft cut down, as i am assuming you are trying to get better one day you will be able to hit a full length driver shot. John richmans choke down for more distance tip golf channel skip to main. Driver cut it down or choke down with mark crossfield pga professional and steve buzza. The quest for a more accurate driver practical golf.
One experiment ive been interested in conducting is how much gripping down on the golf club can change distance and trajectory. But some doityourself golfers also cut down golf shafts, then reinstall them in their clubs. A driver will actually not get stiffer by any significantly measurable amount by taking an inch off it. Choke up on the club for better accuracy and contact golf tip while its true that using the entire length of a golf club produces longer shots, this also hinders control.
So take a crash course in the science of your golf club. The downside is that choking down makes the shaft stiffer and you will lose trajectory. A golfer might choke down on a driver to increase his control during the swing, hoping to improve accuracy. If you can simply club down go down a club and go after it to. We performed a test to find out if gripping it lower made any significant changes. I ran the idea by him of shortening my shaft to make a more accurate driver, but he didnt think it was a good idea to cut it down because it would affect the weight too much. This technique isnt just for amateursjim furyk, briny baird and sergio garcia use the drop downchoke down technique. Meaning of choke up and choke down in golf liveabout. Hit your irons with the ball positioned for a driver the next time. I dont have a problem with choking down at all, since that is how i have been doing it since my first lesson 3 years ago. Glad that you were able to find the right combination of distance and control by choking down the 1 inch. In this article, i will explain some concepts regarding increasing your angle of attack, or aoa. Choke up on the club for better accuracy and contact, golf video by pete styles for most golfers, there isnt much thought put into where they are going to grip the club when making a swing. Apr 25, 2016 i read this article and it made me think.
Anyway, in the last couple of rounds, ive choked down the grip like anthony kim and the results have been instant. I just didnt know if i really needed to grip the clubs in that top area or not. If, for example, we were to add 2 grams of weight to the handle end of a d9 club, this would reduce the swing weight to d8. About a year ago i had done a fitting at petes golf shop with kirk oguri. Just wondering what the expert opinions are on the merits of.
Choking down to that degree changes the effective lie angle, so that is something to consider perhaps the clubs are not quite right at the fully gripped position. The first way to start for kr to try to figure out if maybe his driver is too long is to start choking up on it, stop at a half inch, then maybe to an inch. At some point in time, at each one, youll probably start. Choke up on the club for better accuracy and contact golf tip. Should you make your golf driver shorter askgolfguru youtube. Ive never hit as many fairways in recent memory and my natural draw. Yesterday, i choked down on the club and was able to hit it consistently straight with no loss of distance. Jul 17, 20 should you make your golf driver shorter askgolfguru with mark crossfield pga professional askgolfguru. Jan, 2016 if you want to find out how to hit the ball farther than ever, listen up. Choking down brings the balance point closer to the hands and makes the clubhead feel lighter and more under control. Did you know that almost all golf shafts are cut down to size before being installed in golf clubs. It can give you more control and take distance off of the shot if you need to do so.
Take three clubs onto a par 3 and adjust for distance by choking down. I tee the ball lower and farther back, maybe three inches inside my left instep. To hit a more conservative tee ball, i always choke down on the grip a full two inches no. If however you feel that you really are in between clubs and need to choke down then go ahead, but know that the ball will come out lower. Should i grip down on my golf driver to improve accuracy video. The choking down does not effect my wrist from hinging properly. I then hit some balls with the driver holding the club as usual, and i got the same clubhead speed i was getting with my 5 wood and with the drive when choking down. Thinking about cutting my driver shaft down an inch. Wesley, glad that you were able to find the right combination of distance and control by choking down the 1 inch. In this lesson, we teach you how to choke down on the golf club and hit the recovery shot you really want to hit, beneath the trees and dead on your target. No need to club down how to hit more fairways with your driver.
Ive had trouble hitting fairways consistently with driver in recent months yes, i know its me, not the club. Gripping down with my 4iron reduced the amount of height i could get on the ball, which is why i lost so much distance. When, where, and why to choke down on the golf club. Talking golf drivers and if you should get them cut. Many golfers get into bad habits when swinging the driver, as they try to. Ive been struggling to hit my driver lately and was wondering if anyone had success with this technique. When i measured my clubhead speed with the driver choking down this much it was within a mph or 2 of what i normally get with my driver. Choke down an inch when you grip the club and cover the face of your driver with a dry erase marker. Im in the panhandle where golf is a way of life and we havent got. You need to keep spin rate down while playing drives into the breeze, so this is the perfect adjustment to make. Ive gone through a long series of cobra drivers, and cut them all down to 44.
I recently cut 1 14 inches off my standard length iron set as an experiment because i started choking down on the club for a more consistent ball strike. Theres probably been a few threads on this topic before but i wanted to share some thoughts. How to hit more fairways with your driver golficity. Does choking down on the golf club affect your ball flight. Gripping down on the golf club an inch or more from the butt of the shaft.
Choking down on your driver is also a good method when you need to play a tee shot into the wind. Home golf instruction getting started getting started lessons when to choke up or club down. Choking up vs cutting fittervention episode callaway. If you can simply club down go down a club and go after it to get the desired distance then i recommend that you do that. My dispersion was slightly tighter it both directions while choking down. Choke down vs shorten driver shaft sign in to follow this. Jack nicklaus recommends literally choking up on the club to avoid choking. 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 clubs sweet spot. Most golfers will find that the ball comes out lower when they are choking up on the club.
Choking down on the driver the sand trap golf forum. Mar 25, 2018 but some doityourself golfers also cut down golf shafts, then reinstall them in their clubs. This is a good question from bob campo that weve discussed before about the benefits of using a shorter driver. In one of the backyard lessons that i recalled, you were addressing seniors and their loss of distance. Should i have have my driver shortened and reweighted. Mark answers questions about drivers and the length of your golf club for straighter longer. I have plenty of distance, but driver accuracy is an issue for me.
I take a unique grip and make a shorter backswing than most of the guys on tour. How to increase your angle of attack adam young golf. Choke down vs shorten driver shaft golf talk the sand. Its part of the manufacturing and clubbuilding process for new clubs.
How to be a great driver of the golf ball golf digest. Should you make your golf driver shorter askgolfguru with mark crossfield pga professional askgolfguru. When to choke up or club down caught between clubs. When, where, and why to choke down on the golf club golficity. We call it an art, rather than a science, because there is a lot of room for personal style and preference with these kinds of shots. How much distance can you expect to lose in a golf shot if you choke down and take a 34 golf swing. Even moving down the grip by just an inch or two can go a long way toward improving your accuracy. Choking up on your driver may not cost you much, if any, distance. I have always had trouble hitting my fairway woods. Whatever the reason, you should be planning on a lower ball flight when choking up on the club. How much distance does choking down in your golf swing cost. I lost almost 20 yards of distance and actually saw decreased accuracy.
Golf writer steve newell recommends golfers try choking up 1. In golf magazine it wrote that his new graphite shaft mitsu diamana is almost 40 grams lighter then his older steel shafted one. When choking down 1 inch you will see a lower clubhead speed, a flatter launch, a shorter carry and. Golf channel academy lead coach john richman shows how to increase your ball speed to gain more distance off the tee. Also think about the psychology of choking down im sure you feel more confident using the shorter clubs rather than those long scary drivers. May 15, 2019 my dispersion was slightly tighter it both directions while choking down. They do this to make their clubs better fit their swing, which might mean. Does choking up on the golf club cause you to lose distance. Im sure you felt what you felt, but it was a psychological response.
John richmans choke down for more distance tip golf channel. 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. Make sure to check your distances of your driver when you choke up vs. A midsize grip, or some extra tape might help with that. Mar 28, 2016 the current driver i have is a callaway razr fit tour that has a 45. A number of posters in other forums have claimed that they hit straighter and often farther when they choke down about 1. 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. However, when i gripped down on my current driver, which effectively made the shaft 42. Choking down also may alter your posture, potentially working the arms more in conjunction with the body.
Youll hear about how the 2 will effect swing weight, etc. Nov 04, 2011 the best thing you can do is take the longer club and choke down on the grip to automatically subtract yards from your swing. I have noticed that choking down improves my accuracy noticeably and reliably. So what are your thoughts on choking down on the club. Its nice to see that the ball will sit rather quickly when choking down 1 inch and that the spin rate stays within 359 rpms of my stock shot. Choke down on the golf club to avoid trees and hit your. This is a very important part of the fitting process, because changing the swing weight up or down can dramatically affect the golfers general comfort with the club and that of course translates to confidence on the golf course. Choking up vs cutting fittervention episode options. A few do it more than others, like tommy fleetwood and brooke. If you are choking down as a way of hitting the ball lower, its a good idea to cut off the finish of the swing. The speed of your swing will be reduced when you choke down, which means your spin rate should be reduced as well. Cutting it down an inch or choking down an inch results in the same playing stiffness. Now i am wondering if it is only because of the choking down or is the shaft too flexible. Choke up on the club for better accuracy and contact.
Anthony kim shows you how to hit your driver straighter. However, ive recently discovered that when i choke down drastically 23 inches i. But when choke is combined with up or down choke up or choke down it refers to the position of a golfers hands on the handle of a golf club. Hit a few shots with your normal grip and a few choking down an inch, note where on the face you are hitting the ball and see if you are more consistent at finding the center of the clubface with the shorter length. For a total distance amounting to about 75 inches from shoulder to club face, its hard to see why a two percent shortening of effective swing radius could make a significant difference in performance. Im about 5 9 and i think choking up does flatten the lie angle a bit. Cutting driver shaft the 19th hole mygolfspy forum. In this article, we are going to talk about the art of choking down on the golf club. The very best players in the world, guys who hit the sweet spot on their driver as easily as most of us would hit water after falling from a cruise ship, guys who routinely drive the ball to distances that some reading this would need two swings to achieve are playing drivers upwards of 1. Now with a longer driver, you are able to hit longer golf shots thats. This is mostly to do with the reduced swing speed that you will experience, but it can also be a side effect of making a slightly shorter swing. Ive posted several articles about driving the ball more effectively, some of which are linked at the bottom of this post.
Im 5 10 and have hit standard or plus length clubs all my golfing career. The best thing you can do is take the longer club and choke down on the grip to automatically subtract yards from your swing. Choke up on the golf club for better golf shot accuracy video by pete styles. However, bob adds a twist here by asking if he can also accomplish the same thing by choking down on the shaft. Or should i leave well enough alone and just remember to choke down. Depending on how far you are choking down, it may be affecting your grip since grips do tend to get thinner farther down. Choking down lightens the clubs swingweight and effectively makes the shaft stiffer. On monday they also talked about it in a simulator segment and how you should try choking down on your driver first to see if you like the feel of a shorter shaft before you get fitted for one. Taking an inch off the shaft has the opposite effect, i would imagine, bringing the balance point closer to the clubhead. I have been choking down on the driver about an inch or more which has given me better control. Yet ive read on some websites like or the makers of the perfect club, that a shorter 42 or 43 inch shaft is best.