Popular Post Javs Posted April 19 Popular Post Share Posted April 19 (edited) Found an interesting article on choking down on your clubs. This jumped out at me because I am one that likes to choke down on my clubs. I often have three distances for each of my clubs. Full, slight choke and half way choke. Also, on the days I am struggling I will immediately switch to choking down and shortening my swing to help find consistent contact. This article seemed to confirm my experience and thought I would share: https://pluggedingolf.com/does-choking-up-improve-ball-striking-golf-myths-unplugged/ Edited April 19 by Javs BLSkee, jbern, Mike10487 and 17 others 18 1 1 Quote Play like a champion today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Josh Parker Posted April 19 Popular Post Share Posted April 19 Great little read! I choke down if I'm in between clubs and need to gap the distance. I will choke down on wedges to flight the ball lower and have also done it on the woods at times. Shapotomous, Wakit300, Shlax and 11 others 14 Quote Titleist GT3 11* Tensei 1k blue Titleist TSR2 4w 16* Titleist TSR2 5w 18.75* MKII ZX 5's (4-6) w/ KBS Tour V MKII ZX 7's (7-PW) w/ KBS Tour V Vokey SM9 Wedges 50* 54* 58* DF2.1 Putter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javs Posted April 19 Author Share Posted April 19 12 minutes ago, Josh Parker said: Great little read! I choke down if I'm in between clubs and need to gap the distance. I will choke down on wedges to flight the ball lower and have also done it on the woods at times. Makes sense, I choke down a lot. I am a feel player. I see a shot in my mind and then take the club and set up as to how I see it going. Choking down has been a big part of how I play. It’s a carry over from baseball for me. Rob Person, MarvChamp, Shapotomous and 6 others 9 Quote Play like a champion today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongo312 Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 Was fitted for +1/2 inch length but always seem to strike the ball better when I choke down. Probably has more to do with movement in my swing than the club length. Dweed, jbern, Rob Person and 2 others 5 Quote Callaway Paradym X 10.5 set to 11.5 Callaway Paradym 3+ wood Callaway Paradym 3/4/5 hybrid Mizuno 923JPX irons 6-W AMT Black R300 Cleveland CBX2 48, 52, 56 Cleveland Huntington Beach 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdiver1 Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 There are so many directions this conversation could go during a post round stop in the bar. Aside from that, very interesting article. I never really noticed much change based on choking up/down; I used swing lenght. atmikeyp, jbern, Javs and 3 others 5 1 Quote Driver - Ping G400 9°, Project-X Evenflow Black 6.0S 65 gr. FW - TM M3 3-wood 15°, Project-X HZRDUS Red 6.0 75 gr. mid-spin Hybrid - TM M4 19°, Project-X Evenflow Black 6.0S 85 gr. HY Irons - TM P790, 3-PW, Oban CT-115, PXG 311 P Gen 6 Wedges - Mizuno T20 Ion blue 52/9 & 56/14, N.S. Pro Modus3 S-flex Putter - Evnroll ER2 Garsen Max grip Getting a grip - oversize Winn DryTacs and Bionic gloves Ball - ProV1, AVX, Maxfli Tour, PXG Bag(s)/cart - Vessel Player III Rovic RV1S and Alphard V2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckpillar Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 I choke down normally around the greens, usually down to the shaft or even on the shaft. This helps control length of backswing and provides excellent distance control. Full swing depends if between clubs or a specific type of shot. tdroma98, Dweed, William P and 5 others 8 Quote Jeff "PUTSO" Pillar buckpillar@gmail.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javs Posted April 19 Author Share Posted April 19 51 minutes ago, Subdiver1 said: There are so many directions this conversation could go during a post round stop in the bar. Aside from that, very interesting article. I never really noticed much change based on choking up/down; I used swing lenght. Agree, I found it interesting because I do it a lot. I also use swing length as well. Like I said I’m a feel player and like to play what I see in my mind. Plus, I color outside the lines so, I do a lot of unconventional things. Big part is I can replicate it so, it works for me. Sort of like using a hybrid off the green on a bad tight lie and “putting” it up close. Many ways to play this crazy game. That’s what keeps it interesting! Dweed, MarvChamp, tdroma98 and 4 others 7 Quote Play like a champion today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoverRick Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 I’m not 100% on with it is always shorter. I chock down on the driver often on number 7. I find that feels faster off the club face, launches lower, and draws. By chocking down it changes the swing weight and may increase the ball speed. Shapotomous, Rob Person, DawgDaddy and 2 others 5 Quote G430 LST 10.5° on T P T POWER 18 Hi Driver G430 Max 15° on T P T POWER 18 Hi Fairway iCrossover 3i on T P T POWER 18 Hi Hybrid iCrossover 4i on Graphite Design ADDI 7S i525 5-U on TGI 90 S SM9 54° & 58° on Wedge DF2.1 on White LINK1on T P T Putter (on order) ProV1 Precision Pro NX7 Pro All Iron grips are BestGrips Micro-Perforated Mid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javs Posted April 20 Author Share Posted April 20 6 minutes ago, RoverRick said: I’m not 100% on with it is always shorter. I chock down on the driver often on number 7. I find that feels faster off the club face, launches lower, and draws. By chocking down it changes the swing weight and may increase the ball speed. That was actually mentioned in the article Rob Person and William P 2 Quote Play like a champion today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Person Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 Yes , if I'm using a longer club to gap the distance (ie an 8i vs a 9i) but don't need full distance, it's easier to choke down for me then take a 3/ swing. I still want that flight path, just not at a sacrifice on distance. (Easier to take a club than to try to blast one with the shorter club) Also for higher lofted chips I do release, Gripit, jbern and 2 others 5 Quote WITB- Driver -Titleist 910D, 3w- Titleist 910F, 5hy/7hy- Titleist 910H, 6-PW - Stix , 52⁰, 56⁰, 60⁰ - Stix , Putter- AI-ONE DB / Lombardi Tour 34 custom Just an old newbie golfer, trying to learn and improve 1 club at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shlax Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 (edited) 11 hours ago, Javs said: Found an interesting article on choking down on your clubs. This jumped out at me because I am one that likes to choke down on my clubs. I often have three distances for each of my clubs. Full, slight choke and half way choke. Also, on the days I am struggling I will immediately switch to choking down and shortening my swing to help find consistent contact. This article seemed to confirm my experience and thought I would share: https://pluggedingolf.com/does-choking-up-improve-ball-striking-golf-myths-unplugged/ Very interesting. I’ve always instinctively gripped down about 1/2"-3/4" on all my clubs for as long as I can remember (think Tommy Fleetwood for example). It’s probably because I learned swinging a golf club as a kid using my father’s old clubs that were too long for me at the time and it stuck. After reading myth #6, I realized that I still grip down on my irons despite the shaft already being 1/2" shorter than standard length (they’re the Caley 01CBs that I tested last year and they were delivered that way). I’d say this myth is indeed very plausible! There is no reason for me to choke down on these clubs (5’10" and I’ve always played standard length irons in the past) and yet, I find myself consistently doing it and I’ve never hit my irons as good as these Caley. Edited April 20 by Shlax Tommy* Fleetwood not Timmy jbern, Javs, Rob Person and 1 other 4 Quote D: Rogue ST Max LS 9° / Rogue White 130 MSI 70X 3W: Sim Max 15° / Ventus Blue FW 6S 3H: TSi3 20° / True Temper Smoke Black RDX 6.0 80HYB 4i-PW: 01CB / Tour 130X 2023 tester 52°-56°-60°: Milled Grind 2 / True Temper S200 P: DFX 2-ball Ball: Q-Star Tour & Z-Star and TP5 & TP5x Grips: D-3W: Z-Grip Cord / 3H-PW: Crossline 360 / Wedges: Genesis Crossline Cord Bag: Anyday Ronin 14 2024 tester Stat tracking: X5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin B Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 I’ve been choking down on clubs for years depending on the shot I need. William P, Javs, Rob Person and 2 others 5 Quote I could play golf every day and learn something new each time. Driver: Paradym TD 9* or EPIC Max LS 10.5* or 425LST 9* Woods: Mini or Mini BRNR Hybrids: 3H, 4H, 5H Irons: 902PD Wedges: Vokey SM10 48, 52, 56* Putter: Black MiniGiant Ball: Pro V1X or Chrome TourX https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/63746-motocaddy-m-series-carts-2024-forum-member-review/?do=findComment&comment=1042686 https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/62621-forum-member-reviews-callaway-whitebox-testing/?do=findComment&comment=1020558 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmikecpa Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 I choke down on every shot as my clubs are technically half an inch long for me. I have tried having them built half an inch short and couldn't adjust so I have stuck with having them longer for the last 20 years. With my wedges I have three different positions that I use with my hands to vary the shot. Javs, Rob Person, jbern and 1 other 4 Quote WITB 2024 Driver: Qi10 LS 9* HZRDUS RDX Smoke Blue 60 TX Fairway: BRNR Mini Driver Copper 13.5* HZRDUS Yellow 76 TX Fairway: Sim 19* RDX Smoke Red 75 TX Hybrid: Sim2 Rescue 22* Matrix Black Tie 85x Irons: X Forged CB 5 - PW MMT 105 TX Wedges: Jaws Raw 50*, 54* & 58* TTDG "OG" Spinner Putter: Toulon Madison BGT Fire 34.75" Ball: Z Star Diamond Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobos101 Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 Great article and very interesting. I personally will only really choke down for 3 reasons: 1. The lie is above my feet - I do this to help with with the strike and it means I don't have to adjust my posture. 2. In a fairway bunker - This really helps to prevent me taking too much sand, this is always better than fat out of a fairway bunker. 3. In to wind - I will choke down in to the wind and club up. This helps take spin off the ball and keep the trajectory in a flight window that I want to see. Shapotomous, Javs, William P and 4 others 6 1 Quote Bob Gallagher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 (edited) full swings no. But on wedge matrix I choke down for all partial shots. If I want carry 3 less yards I choke down more, for 3 yards more choke up. So my 97 yard 50 degree shot is only to 10:00 keeping my arms stiffer than full shots. It results in around 6000 spin instead of 10000. I find approach shots much easier than in the past since incorporating this into my game. Edited April 22 by Shifty jbern, Mike10487, Rob Person and 3 others 4 2 Quote Paradym 9 degree Driver DYNAPWR 3 wood Apex 21 PW-4 Iron CBX 50 degree CBX 54 degree CBX2 58 degree SM6 62 Degree ER2 Putter CURRENTLY TESTING T-Squared TS-912 putter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fozcycle Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 I have a number for each wedge Full, Half & Quarter for PW, GW, SW & LW. This suits my game pretty good. Rob Person, Mike10487, Javs and 1 other 4 Quote Driver: 0311 XF 10.5* w/Project X Cypher 40 gram Senior shaft or 0811 XF 12* w/Evenflo Riptide CB Senior shaft Fairways: 0211 5W & 7W w/ Evenflo Riptide CB regular shaft and Tour Edge E521 9W w/Fubuki HD50 regular shaft Hybrid: None in bag at the moment Irons: Titleist T300 5-PW w/Fubuki MV Senior graphite shafts w/Golf Pride Tour Wedges: Edison forged 49*, 53* and 57* wedges with KB PGI Senior shafts(80 grm). Putter: 33” Evnroll ER2 w/Gravity Grip or ER6 or Bellum Winmore Model 707, or Nike Method Core Drone w/Evnroll Gravity Grip or Tommy Armour Impact No. 3 Bag: Vice cart bag(Black/Lime). Ball: Bridgestone RXS Mindset, Snell MTB Prime X, Maxfli Tour/S/X CG, Titleist Pro V1x or Titleist TruFeel Using Shot Scope X5 and Pinned Rangefinder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javs Posted April 23 Author Share Posted April 23 1 hour ago, Shifty said: full swings no. But on wedge matrix I choke down for all partial shots. If I want carry 3 less yards I choke down more, for 3 yards more choke up. So my 97 yard 50 degree shot is only to 10:00 keeping my arms stiffer than full shots. It results in around 6000 spin instead of 10000. I find approach shots much easier than in the past since incorporating this into my game. So, you carry 5 wedges? William P and Rob Person 2 Quote Play like a champion today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted April 23 Share Posted April 23 19 minutes ago, Javs said: So, you carry 5 wedges? Quite a bit yes. On my home course yes. To get to 14 clubs I have to pick 2 out of 62, 2 iron, 3 wood, 5 wood. So course dependant. At my home course I usually take 62, and wind dependant on the other as hole 1 is a pretty short par 4 if you go over lots of trees but only need about 235 carry. Easy 150 lay up. I always go for it and I'd say 5 wood is in my bag the most. 62 is in unless really windy at home. jbern, Javs, Rob Person and 1 other 4 Quote Paradym 9 degree Driver DYNAPWR 3 wood Apex 21 PW-4 Iron CBX 50 degree CBX 54 degree CBX2 58 degree SM6 62 Degree ER2 Putter CURRENTLY TESTING T-Squared TS-912 putter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javs Posted April 23 Author Share Posted April 23 29 minutes ago, Shifty said: Quite a bit yes. On my home course yes. To get to 14 clubs I have to pick 2 out of 62, 2 iron, 3 wood, 5 wood. So course dependant. At my home course I usually take 62, and wind dependant on the other as hole 1 is a pretty short par 4 if you go over lots of trees but only need about 235 carry. Easy 150 lay up. I always go for it and I'd say 5 wood is in my bag the most. 62 is in unless really windy at home. Interesting, but makes sense! Rob Person, jbern and William P 3 Quote Play like a champion today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike10487 Posted April 24 Share Posted April 24 I might not choke down 4- or 5-times a round. I don't like a full swing (with any club) unless I am straight down wind. I tend to strike my irons better with a slightly choked grip. I am far more accurate with driver when fully choked down. I might give up 7-10 yards. I would certainly rather be in the fairway hitting a 8 instead of a 9. I personally like to flight most if not nearly all of my PW, GW and SWs. For me distance control all starts with the amount of choking down. William P, jbern, Rob Person and 1 other 4 Quote Incredible recovery shots are set up by an equally incredible miss. D- Cobra Aerojet 8.0 Hzrdus Blue S. FW- Callaway Mavrik 3&5 wood Srixon ZX MkII 2 iron Callaway Epic forged E19 4-GW Taylormade MG 3 56 degree 10 bounce (personal grind to 6 degrees or so) Cameron Furtura F5r / Odessey Ai One Three T Maxfli Tour and Tour X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamsecond116 Posted May 5 Share Posted May 5 I don’t think enough people have this concept in their arsenal of shots. When I’m between clubs I’ll choke down with the less lofted club and tend to hit the target distance. It does feel different than a “normal” swing but it’s also consistent. Great topic. jbern, William P, Shifty and 3 others 6 Quote Practical golf FTW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AverageSizedDog Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 On 4/22/2024 at 4:55 PM, fozcycle said: I have a number for each wedge Full, Half & Quarter for PW, GW, SW & LW. This suits my game pretty good. I appreciate this more than choking down and swinging fully. I feel more comfortable full grip and either clubbing down or half-swinging. jbern, William P, Rob Person and 1 other 4 Quote Driver Ping G5 3 Wood Ping G5 22 degree hybrid Ping G5 Irons Ping G5 4-SW Putter Ping Anser 2 Ball, anything that finds water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cmra1 Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 I will grip down on a club to knock a couple yards off and want to keep flight down Gripit, William P, jbern and 1 other 4 Quote Callaway Mavrick Driver, Callaway Rouge Max 3,5 wood, Cobra 3-4 hybrid, Nike Vrs Forged irons 5-A, Cleveland Zipcore 56,60, Odyssey Marksman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzy51 Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Yes I do for me I am more accurate without much distance loss Rob Person, William P and jbern 3 Quote WITB Callaway Rouge ST Max D driver Titleist TSR2 fairway Titleist Tsi2 fairway Titleist TS2 Hybrid Titleist T300 irons Vokey Wedges SM8 Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5.5 Titleist LinkMaster bag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LWD Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Absolutely! I choke down just a tad for accuracy. I choke down more (to a specific spot on my grips, related to the placement of the logo), to take 5 yards off. BUT, I also move my grip back almost to the butt of the shaft, when I need to "cut" the ball a bit. If I have a severe dog leg right, I'll alter my stance just a tad, too, but that doesn't always work out well, as I have overdone it on more than one occasion! Rob Person, jbern and William P 3 Quote 10 handicap, French Bulldog owner, Sports enthusiast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edbmac Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 I’ve taken to “choking down” on all of my clubs to increase control. I feel that I get better accuracy and consistent distance. In fact, I am getting more distance by doing this. I’m developing more tongue in the hitting zone. William P, jbern and Rob Person 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaredC Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 I learned to choke down from a local pro I play with. I can honestly carry less clubs but just choke down on the others to fill all my gaps. It works really well for me. Rob Person, jbern and William P 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrikurJim Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 I am one who likes to choke down on my clubs. Not just for chipping or pitching, but for many different shots. I have to admit I need to be swinging good so I know my yardages. So, it’s not generally something I do early in the Season. I find it helps mostly with distance control and a little with loft control. It definitely has its advantages, and I don’t see the disadvantages to doing this as long as I am striking the ball really well. Rob Person, jbern and William P 3 Quote WIMyB Nike Vapor Fly driver Nike Covert Tour 3Wood Titleist 913 5Wood Titleist 915 7Wood Mizuno MP-64 4i-PW Mizuno T-4 50 and 54 Wedges Callaway Mack Daddy forged 58 Odyssey Stroke Labs Double Wide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie T Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Much like the rest here - shot dependent. Most of it is wedge related around the greens for up and down situations. Others it’s for punch outs when in the trees and I’m just working to get back to the fairway. Choking down is a great tool to help fine tune the game. With that said - we’re talking hybrids down to wedges are up for a good choking down from time to time. jbern, Rob Person and William P 3 Quote WITB? G400 SFT w/Aldila NXT GEN NVS 55 Aflex ; G410 3w; G400 3h(19), 4h(22), 5h(26) - stock Ping Alta CB R-Flex; SMS 6i, 7i - KBS TourLIte 95 R-Flex; Maltby TS1 8i-9i-PW w/Apollo Acculite 85 R flex; INDI FLX-S wedges (50, 54, 58) w/Recoil graphite shafts -R-Flex and AI-One 7T BD Milled (aka Millie), ball choice tends to be Pro-V1 or simliar 3pc urethane balls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That’s Mr. Dirt Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Honestly, the only time I choked on the club is if I have to punch out of the woods, pine straw, or somebody’s backyard. If I need to dial back the distance, I’ll take a shorter backswing. Other than that, the only part of my game that I choke on is pretty much putting, short game and driving. Rob Person and William P 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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