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Between clubs? Choking up is always the best strategy

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What should golfers do when they’re stuck between yardages? Alter their swing? Hit their shorter club harder? Hit their longer club easier?

The answer is neither. I recommended that most golfers simply “choke up.”

Think about it: If you shorten the club by choking up, your swing will shorten, your clubhead speed will decrease and the ball won’t carry as far. It’s an easy solution to a problem that almost all of us make too hard.

Of course, there are situations when golfers must alter their swings or hit the ball differently, but thankfully these situations are limited. That’s why I recommend choking up 100 percent of the time for most golfers. At the higher levels there are a few other options, but choking up is the easiest, most consistent solution.

In efforts to help you understand what “choking up” does, I hit a few shots on my Trackman so we could look at what happens to ball flight when you hit a shot full, choke up 1 inch and choke up 2 inches. Here’s the data.

Stock 7 iron swing

Stock7

  • Club head speed was 82.3 mph.
  • Ball Speed was 113.4 mph.
  • Launch was 17.2 degrees with a spin rate of 6836 rpm.
  • Height was 103.6 feet and the landing angle was 55.6 degrees.
  • Carry was 152.3 yards. Given its spin rate, height and landing angle, this ball is going to sit on the green quickly.

Stock 7 iron swing (Choked up 1 inch)

ChokedDown1inch

  • Club head speed was 79.0 mph.
  • Ball Speed was 107.9 mph.
  • Launch was 17.2 degrees with a spin rate of 6477 rpm.
  • Height was 80.5 feet and the landing angle was 50.9 degrees.
  • The ball carried 139.7 when choked up 1 inch versus my stock carry of 152.3. That’sa difference of 12.6 yards
  • What is interesting to note is that even with the height going down by 23.1 feet the landing angle only went down by 4.7 degrees. That helped the ball only chase forward 3.5 yards.
  • It’s nice to see that the ball will sit rather quickly when choking down 1 inch and that the spin rate stays within 359 rpm’s of my stock shot.
  • The Verdict? When choking down 1 inch you will see a lower clubhead speed, a flatter launch, a shorter carry and shots will stop on the green almost as quick as your stock shot.

Stock 7 iron (Choked up 2 inches)

ChoedDown2inches

  • Club head speed was 77.4 mph.
  • Ball speed was 102.3 mph.
  • Launch was 13.5 degrees with a spin rate of 5592 rpm.
  • Height was 61.5 feet and the landing angle was 45.3 degrees.
  • The ball carried 152.3 yards with my stock shot, 139.7 yards choked up 1 inch and 131.2 yards choked up 2 inches. It’s obvious to see that choking up can alter your distance by over 20 yards.
  • The spin rate dropped from 6936 rpm to 5592 rpm, a difference of 1344 rpms and this greatly influences the release of the ball on the green. With this shot, I saw a roll out of 6.8 yards (20.4 feet).
  • The Verdict? As the launch, height and spin rate decrease you will see a flatter landing angle on this shot at 45.3 degrees, which will cause the ball to run out a touch more. So choking up more than 1 inch will cause the ball to chase a touch more on the green.
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Tom F. Stickney II, is a specialist in Biomechanics for Golf, Physiology, and 3d Motion Analysis. He has a degree in Exercise and Fitness and has been a Director of Instruction for almost 30 years at resorts and clubs such as- The Four Seasons Punta Mita, BIGHORN Golf Club, The Club at Cordillera, The Promontory Club, and the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. His past and present instructional awards include the following: Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, Golf Digest Top 50 International Instructor, Golf Tips Top 25 Instructor, Best in State (Florida, Colorado, and California,) Top 20 Teachers Under 40, Best Young Teachers and many more. Tom is a Trackman University Master/Partner, a distinction held by less than 25 people in the world. Tom is TPI Certified- Level 1, Golf Level 2, Level 2- Power, and Level 2- Fitness and believes that you cannot reach your maximum potential as a player with out some focus on your physiology. You can reach him at [email protected] and he welcomes any questions you may have.

70 Comments

70 Comments

  1. Sodapoppin

    Sep 23, 2014 at 2:32 am

    Hi Tom,

    What exactly do you mean with “chokin up”? The logical explanation will be to “grip down” on the club, and would also make sense.

  2. Kevin Russell

    Sep 6, 2014 at 11:31 am

    A quick question on your article about choking down an inch with your stock 7 are you starting at the butt end of the club or how far down do you grip for a stock shot?

    • Tom Stickney

      Sep 6, 2014 at 3:29 pm

      Yes from the butt end. I grip it just on the edge of the grip personally

  3. Mike

    Sep 5, 2014 at 2:55 am

    Hi,

    Nice data with your story. How you manage the Lie-angle change when choking up? With 2″ the lie-angle is so much different which should turn the ball more fade.

    Thank’s for your good story.

    • Tom Stickney

      Sep 5, 2014 at 9:03 am

      You need to practice a touch to manage the length changes.

  4. Jack F

    Sep 4, 2014 at 6:04 pm

    Tom… interesting and helpful article. One thing that may need to be emphasized (which you already eluded to) is the importance of the quality of ball striking and how it relates to all this data and your test. Every experiment requires assumptions to be made. This experiment assumes equal quality of contact at impact, which many may not have. Some may actually INCREASE the quality of impact which could provide opposite results. For me, early in the season or after an extended break, thus method wouldn’t work, as my ball striking is lacking. I’m sure this happens to a lot of you.

    • Tom Stickney

      Sep 4, 2014 at 11:45 pm

      Centered impact for different players can be length dependent.

  5. Stewart

    Sep 4, 2014 at 5:42 pm

    I enjoy going down the shaft on shots but for me they end up going the same length and often even further into the wind.
    This is due to me being a sweeper of the ball with my full swing and have around a 0* AOA but when I go down the shaft I tend to keep my weight towards the left and have around a 3-4* downward AOA which ends up a great flight for the wind but tricky to judge at times.

    • Tom Stickney

      Sep 4, 2014 at 6:09 pm

      The downward aoa shifts path to the rt and this coupled with more shaft lean can cause some distance control issues.

  6. Fore!

    Sep 4, 2014 at 1:38 pm

    So when choking up, I should still try and replicate a full swing as if I was hitting it with a normal grip? I’ve gotten in the mindset that if I’m choking up, I swing easier too. But really it should be just a normal full swing and ‘shortening’ the club is what alters the club speed, not me?

    • tom stickney

      Sep 4, 2014 at 4:19 pm

      The swing will naturally be a touch tighter due to the shorter club

  7. slide13

    Sep 4, 2014 at 12:42 pm

    Nice article, very useful, especially as I consider going out with a half-set in a Sunday bag for some casual rounds. I’ll experiment to see if this holds true. Great to see the numbers.

    I wonder how the yardage changes will hold consistent as one moves through the set. In other words, does choking down 1″ on a 4 iron yield a larger or smaller change in distance than doing so with a 7 iron.

  8. David Smith

    Sep 4, 2014 at 11:30 am

    Isn’t it choking down? I’ve actually never heard someone say “choking up” in this context. Either way, great tips! Always a pleasure seeing what 1-2 inches can do 😉

  9. Jacob

    Sep 3, 2014 at 10:44 am

    Isn’t the standard gap between clubs 10-15 yards? If so, by choking up 1″ and hitting it 12.6 yards less, why wouldn’t you just hit a full 8 iron?

    • Tom Stickney

      Sep 3, 2014 at 11:05 am

      Not everyone has all standard gaps

      • Jacob

        Sep 3, 2014 at 7:01 pm

        Good point. This would be handy if a player has a large gap between wedges. I myself have a 50* and 56* only and can think of a few occasions in my last round where I might have done well to choke up an inch on the 50* rather than hit 56*

    • eric

      Sep 4, 2014 at 1:41 pm

      Choke up 1/2″

  10. Desmond

    Sep 3, 2014 at 9:32 am

    By the way, commend you for the subject, condensed presentation, and showing the stats. Appreciate it.

  11. Don

    Sep 3, 2014 at 8:10 am

    Tom, a very useful and straight forward article. Thank you! So if we keep this conclusion in mind and we apply it to a driver, can you help me with a conundrum. I am trying to find the optimum driver. My swing speed is between 95-98 mph. When I try to increase my launch, my spin jumps up to high and when I try to lower my spin the launch gets to low. I am considering trying a driver shorter than 45 1/2 inches, but if your conclusion holds constant than my launch will get lower and my speed will decrease. I am a scratch golfer and center impact is pretty consistent. I would love to know your thoughts.

    • Tom Stickney

      Sep 3, 2014 at 9:46 am

      It sounds like a vertical impact problem. Hitting it low in the face gives you low launch high spin and vice versa in the upper part if the face. I’d schedule a fitting with a TrackMan and some dr scholl’s ASAP.

  12. Pingback: Between Clubs? Choking Up is Always the Best Strategy | Golf Gear Select

  13. CD

    Sep 3, 2014 at 6:03 am

    Nice, simple article, no need for all these technical questions, or to delve into the ‘why’, I just I liked the fact that interestingly you get to a point and it releases more, and I’m looking forward to feeling and seeing different shots.

    Amazing how often something simple you learn as a beginner gets over-looked with time.

    Thanks

  14. John

    Sep 3, 2014 at 5:04 am

    You guys kill me sometimes … Tom offered a very good tip and i thought it was worded very well and easy to understand and instead of just thanking the man for his work and very helpful advice you want to chastise him for the way he said it .. good grief can’t anyone just say thanks or say nothing at all??

    Thanks Tom for a very good tip that is very helpful !!!!

  15. B

    Sep 3, 2014 at 1:10 am

    Great article, thank you! I play with a lot of spin. I’ve been trying to reduce it through equipment changes, but ultimately, I know that a conscious effort to change course strategy is going to be the only effective solution. Basically, I can’t hold an 8I (and under) on greens that have a slight incline, due to the ridiculous amounts of backspin. This article has got me thinking… maybe the solution is to take two clubs extra (i.e. 6I instead of 8I), grip down 2″, take an extra 1000RPM spin off, and HOPEFULLY hold the green.

    • Joe

      Sep 3, 2014 at 1:30 am

      How about you play a lower spin ball…until the time when you plan on buying new clubs, at which point you can get fitted for lower spin shafts?

    • Tom Stickney

      Sep 3, 2014 at 9:49 am

      You have too much spinloft at impact hence the reason why it’s spinning too much. Hit your shots a touch lower without digging down any deeper and the spin should come down.

  16. james

    Sep 2, 2014 at 8:47 pm

    My regular swing already incorporates quite a bit of choking down (ala Anthony Kim) and doing so has never altered my distance. In fact, distance has increased due to more consistent sweetspot-striking. Would you recommend I further choke down or would you recommend some other tip? Thank you for your articles, they have been wonderful for me.

    • tom stickney

      Sep 2, 2014 at 11:30 pm

      Thank you…experiment…I’d say if you choke down further you might find that yardage comes off as well.

  17. Brian

    Sep 2, 2014 at 8:36 pm

    I have been trying to improve my course management and making intelligent decisions this year. I tried this on Sunday whereby the pin was towards the back but if I hit my nine iron the proper distance I was flirting with back edge on a green where you do not want to go over the back. However the pitching wedge would be at front of the green and no way would get back there. I decided to choke down one inch and I nailed it pin high. Was wondering how to go about figuring out an approximate choke down yardage subtraction. Perhaps a simple rule of thumb for myself. Time to hit the simulator/good winter project.

    • tom stickney

      Sep 2, 2014 at 11:31 pm

      Everyone is different….it’s a feel thing

  18. John

    Sep 2, 2014 at 7:17 pm

    Something I noticed when you do this is I get a bit of a fade as a result of the club being held a fraction more toe down. Something to keep in mind. At first I thought I was putting a different swing on it, but it was happening too consistently to put down to anything else. It’s not a huge difference, but definitely a few yards.

    • tom stickney

      Sep 2, 2014 at 11:31 pm

      It can hang a touch if you are not careful

  19. John

    Sep 2, 2014 at 7:09 pm

    I have found recently when I choke up on the club a 1/2 to 1 inch and take my stock swing, I almost always hit the ball more solid and consequently farther! The whole smash factor thing. Now I am consciously aware that I am taking my stock swing so I definitely believe your advice to be quite sound. So, I’ll either shorten my clubs (duh) or choke down a little farther and allow a smoother, shorter swing to happen. Thanks for the article. Simple and easy implement.

  20. Ken

    Sep 2, 2014 at 7:08 pm

    Great article. Personally, I like to use the term ‘Grip Down,’ rather than ‘Choke Up.’ Just hate that “C” word.

    • tom stickney

      Sep 2, 2014 at 11:33 pm

      The word “choke” has no power unless you allow it to conjure up bad thoughts

  21. Peter Klemperer

    Sep 2, 2014 at 6:01 pm

    I’ve been doing this with my wedges on the advice of the Pelz book. Now I’ll do it with all my irons. Might even mark the yardages on the shafts!

    Thanks for doing this great work.

  22. Teaj

    Sep 2, 2014 at 4:51 pm

    Great idea for those back pin placements that want the ball to roll out a little more. need to go find me a launch monitor to compare the choked down swing to the stock.

  23. kevin

    Sep 2, 2014 at 4:24 pm

    when you do choke down, you will have a tendency to hook the ball if adjustment to tempo and swingweight isn’t made. i usually open up the clubface just a touch.

  24. Jason

    Sep 2, 2014 at 4:16 pm

    Thanks for the information, it’s pretty enlightening since I seem to struggle with those in between shots. I’m fairly inconsistent with my decision as to how to hit that in between shot. Sometimes, I’ll play a draw/fade to adjust a couple of yards, and other times I’ll use an easier swing. The easier swings never works of course!

    Did you notice anything while you were performing this test around the swing weight and lie angle of the club? I know the clubhead would feel quite a bit lighter when choking down–did it have a noticeable affect on the swing? Also, I think the lie angle would get out of whack when choking down. Did you notice any issues with that?

    • Tom Stickney

      Sep 2, 2014 at 5:46 pm

      Not really

    • Desmond

      Sep 3, 2014 at 9:28 am

      If you are inconsistent with your decision, your shots will show it. You see Touring Pros grip down all the time without negative effect.

      Be confident, maintain a good rhythm.

      • tom stickney

        Sep 3, 2014 at 12:09 pm

        It’s all about practice…after a few shots you will easily be able to control the face a touch

  25. Jeremy

    Sep 2, 2014 at 3:59 pm

    Semantics aside, the data you’ve provided is great and will definitely help the decision-making process in the future. It’d be interesting to see the results of “going for it” with an 8-iron as well. Thanks!

  26. Mike

    Sep 2, 2014 at 3:58 pm

    Glad to see I’m making the first rational comment/question…

    Tom, do you recommend people actually marking up their grips so they grip in the same location every time?

  27. Dan

    Sep 2, 2014 at 3:34 pm

    I think the term “choking down” makes more sense here. I know it’s arguing semantics but I honestly clicked on your link because I thought you might have been introducing some new swing thought. You choke down on an iron/wood, with your hands becoming closer to the club head and moving down towards the ground. You choke up on a baseball bat because of the vertical position of the bat in your normal stance, completely opposite of the starting position of your golf club.

    • Tom Stickney

      Sep 2, 2014 at 3:49 pm

      Whatever. Just enjoy the tip.

      • Knobbywood

        Sep 6, 2014 at 10:21 am

        Haha Tom maintain your dignity like the professional we all know you are… There will always be people like this and they don’t merit a response from a respected instructor like yourself… Keep up the good work you are my favorite writer on this blog

    • sebastian

      Sep 2, 2014 at 8:08 pm

      ….that guy

    • Joe

      Sep 3, 2014 at 1:33 am

      Dork.

  28. Desmond

    Sep 2, 2014 at 3:08 pm

    The term should really be “grip down”.

    You do not want to use the term “choke” in any endeavor… especially golf.

    “Grip Down” also makes sense.

    • Tom Stickney

      Sep 2, 2014 at 3:14 pm

      I make sure I choke the club…tells it who’s the boss!

      • Jeff B

        Sep 2, 2014 at 7:29 pm

        This comment wins.

        • Desmond

          Sep 3, 2014 at 12:39 am

          Funny, I think “choking up” is confusing when you’re gripping down. I prefer the “golf whisperer” approach with my clubs, instead of violence against them.

          • Tom Stickney

            Sep 3, 2014 at 9:51 am

            Ha ha.

          • Knobbywood

            Sep 8, 2014 at 10:05 am

            Man I’d hate to work for you Desmond! Never satisfied… First it was don’t say choke, now it’s say up not down… Obviously you understand the concept so just shut up and go play… No need for your semantic criticisms

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Instruction

Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!

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Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?

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How a towel can fix your golf swing

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This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.

For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.

Setup

You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.

While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.

Get a Better Shoulder Turn

Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.

In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.

Stay Better Connected in the Backswing

When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.

Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.

Conclusion

I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.

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Instruction

Clement: Why your practice swing never sucks

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You hear that one all the time; I wish I could put my practice swing on the ball! We explain the huge importance of what to focus on to allow the ball to be perfectly in the way of your practice swing. Enjoy!

 

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