Do you choke down on your clubs?

[IceIce]

I don’t like to use the word “choke” so I classify it a gripping down. I grip down in certain situations.  When I’m between clubs I may grip down 1/2 an inch to an inch so I don’t have to change my swing for the distance.  Occasionally I’ll grip down when I want to hit a controlled tee shot or when I'm playing a punch shot. 
I always grip down when the ball is above my feet or when I’m playing a bunker shot. 

[Mac attack]

Yes, all of the time a little, maybe 1/2”. With my chip shots I choke down to the end of the grip. Better feel and control is why I do it.

[Wburdett]

It's not a conscious decision but I do choke down about 1 inch. It's just comfortable as feel more. Control of head. I do slide to end on some shots where I want a little more power 

[mottyshreds]

If I am playing in heavy winds and need to play knockdown shots I will take more club and then choke down.  I also choke down if I am in between clubs and want to hit something easy to reduce spin. I never choke down on full swing regular shots. 

[bassman]

Sometimes I grip down on the club, but it depends on the shot.  Never use the word "choke" on the golf course.

[MN Loon]

I rarely choke down on clubs.  Like others, it is most common when the ball is above my feet.  There are times when trying to flight the ball low, below obstacles and into the wind, that choking down helps.  Short chip shots are another common time when control is important.
 

I do however choke down on my putter frequently, especially on short putts.  That however is a love/hate situation as age related inconsistencies start to impact my game.

[Roland Guidry]

I generally always choke down. I like to feel a certain club length. Even though I'm taller, I don't feel natural standing as upright as i probably should. Oddly enough, I was recently fit into irons that are + .5" and I choke down even more!

[release]

The habit is to grip with the full length of the golf club as a habit.  

However, gripping down is necessary when fulfilling the distance and elevation change of the ball flight.  Gripping down on occasion needs practice, lots of practice.

I think most professionals grip down because of the lie angle.  Gripping down will make a toe up lie flatter, just use more club when gripped down to compensate for the distance lost.  

Ladies grip down, perhaps because of their wrist to floor length and also will reduce the swing weight for a faster swing speed.

This is the same reason a few of the professionals had their irons bent stronger, to use the shorter clubs for the distance.

Golf clubs are tools, however one could utilize them to perform the task.

[Tom Davis]

I grip the club about as far up the grip as I can. I'm just most comfortable that way, because that was how I've always done it. I only choke down if the situation demands it, such as a severe side-hill lie or sometimes when chipping to better control the clubhead. Force of habit, I guess.

Edited May 24 by Tom Davis

[ScottM440]

I choke down on clubs a lot !! Depending on distance and wind and lie ! Club up and choke to keep the ball down and below the wind . Or out of fairway bunkers take a longer choke down to get the distance I want out of the ball ! 

[russtopherb]

I grip down all the time based on the situation and what I need to do. One of the reasons I like midsized grips is when I do choke down, I still have a lot of grip in my hands and the feel isn't off. 

[Duxman130]

How about "Grip Down". All golfers should adjust grip height depending on situation and terrain. When playing a hilly course, if the ball is well above my feet, I'll take an extra club and grip down. 

I also grip down on my 60 degree lob for that 5 - 8 ft shot over rough to get on the green. 

I generally don't grip down to take yardage off my swing - I prefer to adjust distance with lower swing speed.

[MarvChamp]

Some of you older guys may relate to the fact that we get shorter as we age (a problem for trouser length but maybe a great benefit at Disney World's rides?). Anyway, Yes...I grip down, about 2 inches on my longer shafted clubs, less on the shorter shafts. But I also found a bit more consistent strikes and accuracy with long clubs. Not much loss of distance in my case. Best, -Marv

 

 

 

[Shapotomous]

I grip down quite a lot. It doesnt matter which club, from wedge to driver.  I will also vary swing length as needed for distance control, especially with wedges.  I also adjust my posture to be more upright if i want to play a fade.  All this adds up to me having a feel swing more than a mechanical swing.  The distance adjustment happens enough that is messes up my average club yardages in shot scope.  The avg distance data is about 5 yards shorter than i actually play a club on a full swing.

If i am between clubs i will use the longer club and grip down about 1".

If i need to flight the ball lower, grip down and ball back in stance, hands low on follow thru.

If i need to hit a stinger off the tee, grip down, stand taller and play for a fade.

If i am in a fairway trap, grip down and less leg action.

Dang thats a lot to remember!  

Edited May 24 by Shapotomous

[AndyK]

Yes… I do.

[trail78]

I had a great golf coach who always taught me that for every inch you choke down in irons you'll lose about 10 yards of distance.  Works out pretty close most of the time for me so I use it accordingly if in between shots or if I'm looking for a specific flight. Certainly on a day where things aren't exactly clicking I choke down for control to right the ship even with driver. 

[BallsLeon]

Yes, I never grab the very end of the grip. Having 0.25-0.5” of grip extending beyond my hand/palm gives me a more secure feeling and more controlled swing.

Will also choke down further to take distance off the club, or to hit chip shots. 

Edited May 24 by BallsLeon

[RanMan]

Not often 

[Krls032022]

When I’m hitting a knockdown shot into the wind then I choke down an inch or 2

[in3948]

When do I choke down?

1. ball above my feet on sidehill lie

2. lowering the loft by using a longer club and choke down to reduce distance

3. choke down to flight down a few yards on distance

4. choke down on pitch and chip shots around the green for added control

[Ben_Davis]

My favorite shot to play is a choke down 56 between 65 and 75 yards. If pride wouldn’t get in the way I would lay up to this distance any time I could. 

[jeepjrn]

Honestly, in 50 years I seldom if ever choke down. Never taught to nor ever felt the need to except for an occasional low punch out shot from the woods. Choking down never really felt right to me for whatever reason. 

Edited May 24 by jeepjrn

[jbern]

Preface: I did not read the article linked in the first post of this thread.

I saw a video with Brooke Henderson recently and she grips down on every club about 3-4 inches. Her driver is 46" and then her irons are men's standard length and she grips down. Very interesting!

I kind of do the opposite, I actually have a little bit of the pad of my hand off the grip of the club. So I think I technically "grip up" about .25".  I'm pretty certain this comes from when I gripped a baseball bat I would wrap my pinky finger around the knob of the bat, giving a similar feeling.

I do grip down when punching out and for almost all shots under 60 yards.

[jpgolf15]

Choking down is a natural way for me to play, now.  I spent years at the end of the club - but, over the last few, choking down has allowed me to control the club better… which is letting me find the center of the club face better.  All in all, my scoring improved once I made the decision to go down a little. 

[Rustler1958]

Yes I choke down on all wedges gives me more control and accuracy. Have also choked down on hybrids when hitting stingers 

[Dave Hamilton]

I do on occasion. Typically to control the distance when I am in between clubs or if hitting into the wind and I want to keep the shot lower.

[Marty2Shanks]

Yep.  Unfortunately, in the race for distance, manufacturers have made clubs longer with flatter lie angles to try to gain clubhead speed.  This makes the golf swing more rotationally flat and leads to more erratic contact; especially trying to find the center of the club face (with lighter shafts making consistency even more difficult).  Choking down produces a more upright backswing, which then lends to a more shallow down/through swing (since golf is a game of opposites).  Most golfers would benefit from shorter shafts and more upright lie angles, especially in the driver.  44.5” with a 61-63 degree lie angle should be the norm for drivers.  Would see a lot less slices.

[ChitownM2]

I usually only choke down in 2 scenarios....

1) when i need to take a few yards off a full swing shot because I'm in between clubs.  I really only do this on 8 iron down as my consistency with my 7 iron and higher isn't sufficient to warrant trying to dial in 5-7 yards from 155 out.

2) on wedge shots around the green where I need/want extra control.

Edited May 24 by ChitownM2

[Sdub]

Mostly, I only choke down in a bunker. Sometimes for gap purposes if I'm in between club. But generally not. I was fitted for my clubs and know my distances well.

[Huse343]

On anything over 75 yards, I rarely choke down, unless I have a shot I need to keep extra low. I choke down on nearly every shot inside 75 yards. Much more consistent impact on short game, gives me a better opportunity to get steeper on it - which provides more spin/check