90% of Golfers are Doing This WRONG when Gripping the Club!

[@troyrambo6804]

Great video Matt. Lots of golfers don't know about the lie angle change when you choke up. Helped an older golfer on the range struggling with low left shots on his 45.75 in Ping driver. He was about 5ft 7 in tall. Told him to choke up 2 inches and all of a sudden his ball went higher and straighter and farther because he was hitting the center of the face squarely. He never realized that with new clubs that he added length doesn't mean it still setup to work for him. Same with his new irons which had 1/2 longer graphite shafts. Not a tall guy. He was very happy at the end of that day.

[@riccardorinaldo7934]

This channel is definitely in my top 3 for golf channels on KZbin. Thanks Matt!

[@brett7011]

Looks like mr short game is using bots for comments

[@Jimmarch-r1h]

I must say you have helped my game a ton! I drive the ball 280-300 & always get outscored by my friends who drive it about 240ish. For the last month & have only worked on my short game with your tips & I shot an 84 last Sat. My game was always around 92-96. Just wanted to thank you!

[@ThePhantom740]

84 is my best score and I drive the ball 220 I practice pretty much only my wedge and some putting

[@jimmyReesby]

It's time to work on course management.

[@08turboSS]

No way you hit 280-300 and score over 84. Your drives are likely 240-250. Btw, a successful blk player named Calvin Pete drove it 250-260 and was a very good tour player, consistent.

[@jimmyReesby]

@08turboSS I know guys that hit the ball 280-300 and they rarely break 95. So, I'm calling BS on you. Believe me, they're out there. They pull out driver on every hole and find trouble on half of them. That egauls 85+. Their course management isn't good.

[@MrJove89]

@@08turboSSlol why did you specify that he was black? lol could’ve gotten your point across without that but ok

[@suncitypro1]

Thank you! I thought about this and you convinced me and it damn sure works! I should have known this, but I was used to gripping a bat and there you go. I have wasted a lot of swings over time. Choking down from now on!

[@briandenton2097]

When I first watched one of your videos a few years ago, my first impression was "this guy is a little intense and possibly crazy" didn't think I would be a fan. Well fast forward a few years the algorithm kept putting your videos in front of me and it's golf related so I'd end up watching a few. Yes you are intense, and yes a little nuts, the best ones are, but what made me a fan is your passion for everything you do. There is no reason you shouldn't be a bigger channel than RS. I believe, if you continue to put out the quality of content that you are, you will find yourself on top. Keep up the good work. We love you too!!! Lol

[@paulprimac]

I completely agree. In the beginning his style seemed to be a little too "schticky" for my taste but over time I started to see his passion and dedication as well and almost every instructional video of his I've ever watched has always helped me when I tried the suggestions. But, that being said, I still believe that this dynamic could be hindering his subscribership and maybe a little less bent knee, one foot in front of the other stance theatrics could result in more people immediately tuning in for the gems of technique that he always has. I think that youtubers are sort of like standup comics, need to keep trying new things to see what sticks. But in this case, me thinks less comedy and more straight talk to other passionate golfers will pay dividends. Thanks again for another fantastic instructional video Mr. ShortGame! This one was HUGE for me.

[@dxr2002]

I have been chokeing down on my driver and its has without a doubt help prevent slice and be more repeatable shots! I also havent lost any distance either.

[@michaelb6420]

I literally was thinking this as I'm watching!!! I am Mr. SUPER slice 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ & my irons are ALWAYS short..

[@richdouglas2311]

By definition, shortening the shaft by gripping down will slow the clubface. But it will also make you more likely to hit it near the sweet spot. The question is: Do you gain more from more-solid hits than you lose with a shorter shaft? The answer for most golfers: yes! Most golfers play drivers that are FAR too long for them. This is because club sellers push raw distance instead of relative distance (distance and accuracy). Personally, I can swing my 45.5" driver from the end of the grip. But I also play a TM Mini driver for more accuracy on many tee shots.

[@suncitypro1]

That’s the great thing-no loss of distance!

[@richdouglas2311]

I used to choke down on wedges to change distances. But I've been playing Wishon single-length clubs for the past 8 years, so now I don't want to change my stance and swing. Instead, I just change clubs! My set is 4-iron through LW. With the LW, SW, GW, and PW, there's no need to change the swing. They're all the same length; just change the club! I do follow Dave Pelz's guidance with a 3x3 system. In other words, I have three swings (half, three-quarters, and full) for the LW, SW, and GW. (I only hit the PW and above with full swings). This gives me 9 distance options. I check the carry distance, check my chart, then select the club and the swing length. What I NEVER do is change the length of the club by choking down. On the other had, I choke down on ALL my chips. When you choke down on the driver, you change the lie angle AND the swing weight. Better to either swing it at full length all the time or choke down all the time. I choke down 1/2 inch in order to shorten the club and to counter-weight it. Most golfers swing drivers that are far too long for them anyway.

[@jdwond3673]

This year, I changed my iron shafts over to graphite. I added 3/4s of an inch to the length. As a 71 year old I feel this has a positive effect on my back. With these lighter shafts, I was keeping the swing weight at an acceptable range for me with the longer length. I haven't noticed any decrease in my distance. This could also be due to a lighter shaft and my new swing lessons.😊

[@08turboSS]

Longer club will hit ball farther.

[@peterbuzz7279]

Great video solid advice for tweeking your swing with your clubs. Choking down will tell you pretty quickly if the swingweight on your clubs is too high. It really seems to help if you have a fast tempo swing and the club seems to lag too far behind. Also worth trying plus 4 type grips so the grips don't narrow too much when you choke down.

[@kevinmontgomery1054]

The instruction is top notch. I especially appreciate the detailed explanations. Keep it up.

[@mikehogi]

Ur Always Asking th RITE questions . Thanx .

[@yjk1234]

I do half inch for driver and 1/4inch for iron changed my game.

[@ryancampbell4445]

Those pipes are looking pretty jacked 💪. Thanks for the video, it's actually perfect timing 👍

[@mikehogi]

Lov ur vidz Thanx 4 sharing. If u use small bungies on th lower corners of ur screen it wont distort so much in th vid. God bless u n urs,,,

[@bkirkwd52]

Where the club is gripped varies by the grip type. Some grips flair at the butt end. These need to be gripped down 1/2 to 1 inch. Grips that have a constant taper and don’t flare at the butt end can be gripped closer to the butt end.

[@tomhorne6172]

Harvey Pennik said, "Grip" the club. Place, the grip in your hand. Choking is too much stress/pressure.

[@leeloopatsy]

The Ladies European Tour come to play once a year at my club in Spain. It's very interesting to see how these girls play on my course. And among all that I've noticed, I was surprised to see that 80% of these pros hold their grip at least one inch down. Now I understand why, thanks for this video.

[@gringo19860]

Good stuff here Matt, Thanks. Don't know why some people call it 'choking up'? Down towards the ground is... well, 'down' 😆

[@lovickyou5]

Because people do the same thing with a baseball bat and call it choking up.

[@davidsevers]

I was very inconsistent with driver until I put my 3w shaft on it. moved from 45.5" length to 43.5" driver length. I am hitting about 60% of fairways (double from before) now and longer because the ball striking accuracy is in the middle of the face now instead of heel or toe. glad I did this change instead of chasing a new driver into the same problems or worse. I stopped chasing my tail! I added some weight to the club head to replace the swing weight I lost.

[@bille9995]

Tremendous tip Coach! THANK YOU!

[@jasikes]

practicing choked-down half-swing shots like this will change your game. and you'll also start to look like an actual golfer instead of trying to rotate your arms around you like a gumby thinking "this is the way". choking down with all else staying the same will produce some consistently unnecessary draws tho so it does take practice. if you've never tried or been able to shape a draw, this will do it!

[@Reddy_golf]

Well that's interesting! always hear people saying just choke down 2 inches or something like that to take 10 yards off the shot. Guess I'll start gripping the club down a little now, as I grip at the end of handle. Thanks mate.

[@Aimfinity-zf1tj]

I'm newbie in golf -110-120 for a year, usually hit bad contact / shank / behind ball / Top ball and whatever Now I maintain 90-95 for last 4 rounds after choking down every clubs THANK A LOT!!!!!

[@gtn1994]

When doing this it's also important to pay attention to your spin numbers, descent angles, and total yards as well.

[@kyshapka]

Love this video, very helpful, thanks! Also, would love to see a vid how you approach playing in the wind and adjustments you make too. Just a thought, love all the vids anyway.

[@oliveradami199]

I came across the problem of choking down and going further and I was puzzled by that. Had a par 3 with 141 meters pin and a bunker at 148 meters. My 8i goes 146 m, so I decided to choke down a couple of centimeters. It flew 146 carry and straight into the bunker. Couldn't understand it. Now I do. Thanks for the tip.

[@israelgonzalez5499]

At the top of the swing your trail leg is to straight, which means you are standing up on the back swing this affects distance?

[@davidcole2337]

Getting back to the basics. I will have to give these suggestions a try.

[@724riff]

I read an article or seen a video where Jack nicklause says or calls that last inch a counter weight also . I wonder if it stabilizes impact or something

[@nycabilifeisgreat9768]

WOW ! Very interesting! I’ve try choking down on some of my clubs in the pass….. But, I have never payed attention to the results ! LOL! In addition, I’ve never thought of it as a strategy on the course! Thank you for this encouragement! I can’t wait to take this to the range and work on it ! Boy….. do I need to find more fairways and greens ! LOL!

[@mrow7598]

My grips have a little red/white dot on them. Always led me to place my hand the same place as I would put my thumb on that red dot. Which did lead me to have consistent shots. I'm going to try this but there's a nice arrow point an inch below that red dot I can use.

[@larryyoung9106]

nicely done. Makes sense what you are demonstrating. Can you do me a favor and demonstrate Bryson's grip and why does it work, since you are the grip master. Thanks

[@eaflom]

Always great info!

[@scottsutton7097]

I was all choked up after watching this video.. 😂😂 thanks for the great videos Matt.

[@Blackcloud319]

I can tell you’ve been working out and eating healthier foods Mr. Fisher! Keep up the God tier work sir, much respect!🫡

[@jwhartwayne]

Great explanations- i hope it helps me decode the choked up shot because i was noticing longer iron play and it didn’t make sense until now

[@pmdwyer274]

Mr. Short Game, what you are actually advocating here is swinging like Keagan Bradley, watch him sometime. Another little point is that the use of the term "Choke-down" has a negative connotation, while "Grip-down" keeps it positive. Thanks for your comments.

[@JACOJACO-q4v]

Good tip what i like about golf always different ways to do things an never to old to learn

[@Blocknomad1]

Good right here in this video and many more!

[@enoughisenough1932]

I learned to choke down watching Lydia Ko…I only use it on my irons…great video 👍👍

[@RandomBrosHDTV]

Such a great coach!

[@leemartin1122]

Interesting stuff! I made a big discovery today re my grip. I always try to take a strong grip and in my mind I'm making sure the grip is in the fingers etc... Then today I changed it and made sure I got the grip under the heel of my palm, and realised that for a long time I've "let" the grip find it's way back into the wrong position in the middle of my palm, and my shots have suffered. I wonder how many people might be the same?

[@nathangraham8162]

Too much expensive looking stuff in shank range, makes me nervous!

[@shams923]

I'll definitely try choking down the irons. However, I used to slice my driver shot but since I started choking it down not only my ball goes a baby fade or draw but I also managed to gain more distance like from 290 yds to 330 yds. I don't know how but it did 😅

[@thomashenry3284]

Good video thank you!!!

[@kyusim8149]

Where do you find impact screen? Looks like there is less sound than mine

[@MrNicebuttrue]

Everybody probably remembers the coaches in little league baseball: “choke up boys”. This with the bat vertical in front of you…your hands move up. Of course, in golf it’s reversed, choke down, toward the ground.

[@dennisqueener5208]

It's all true. Good points Matt 🏌️‍♂️

[@thecman26]

I was taught to adjust the length of my backswing to make a shot shorter.

[@tradernz2038]

Great ideas for my next round 👍

[@thesloppyjoes]

I did this on my own at beginning of season. I will say for me "choking" down created better ball compression for me, and less "chunks" I shaved three strokes off my handicap. Still need to work on some other bad habits, but this was the correct start in the right direction. Why it also works is I am using one length golf clubs too, so setup the same 5i-GW.

[@Catojay-z8s]

So should most people simply be using shorter shafts across the board? I have a shorter shaft in my driver but never considered my irons. Shorter iron shafts would also then make the grip feel consistent with the longer clubs

[@frankwilliams977]

great lesson

[@GoldGunsandGolf]

I mean... choking down on long irons tends to have a lower ball flight, BUT distance doesn't change as much... my 56 at sea level is 100 yards... choking down to bottom of grip puts me at 83 yards, no change in ball flight... if I choke down on a 4 iron.. ball flight changes but distance is not as dramatic percentage wise...

[@melnor82]

You done a WITB lately, Matt? Curious to see what you're gaming these days.

[@iLoveSports321]

Thx for your amazing video again 😅 just a question: to grap 1 Inch shorter is a good idea.. but should I choose a 1 inch shorter shafts to grap „normal“? Grap 1 Inch shorter works graet for me

[@joesunova8874]

What about these hybrids: 7H thru 3H? Thanks.

[@EricJohnson-vi6ri]

Looks like you’re using some thick grips. What size are those?

[@gordonmckevitt9131]

Will try this next game 🤔🏌️‍♂️

[@gavinfavelle7215]

So get shorter shafts for your irons?

[@drvngrange]

Jealous of your iron shafts. ty for the videos

[@mightye.d.c.2059]

I can appreciate this knowledge; especialy for the use of accurately punching-out between a few oak trees! ⚠⚠

[@DFox-ud3gx]

Good morning Matt. Coffee time

[@ScratchLefty]

The Coach of the People!

[@AntonVanDerSar]

dude, this sounds like me talking to my completely uninterested girlfriend after I come home from playing a round, stinking of cigars and beer, doing a few bumps and getting way too intense about this awesome, perfectly read chip-in for birdie on a tough green to a super tough pin placement on my nemesis par-3.

[@RichardEngle-pu3fz]

Great stuff every week. Let's get Rick Shiels. 🎉

[@esoteridactyl]

Single length clubs don't really shorten length and ruin gapping like people think. Loft is much more important

[@08turboSS]

When one chokes down on the clubs its closer to the club head. The only reason to do this is for shorter and more control.

[@sicxdgixxd6326]

One of the truest videos I have seen

[@VideosbyStew]

Instead of choking down, an 80% swing on par 4s is usually plenty to get there , I have big hands and griping the club further down feels too weird.

[@beng4647]

Try the less taper grips....I love them for choke down wedges

[@ryanrich06]

I’ve always choked down on my clubs, just always felt better and felt like I can control the club face better. Hey, if Tommy Fleetwood does it, can’t be too bad right?

[@Daniel-qr6sx]

Its funny, a couple of years ago the clubs were on average an inch shorter the standard length for MALE drivers were at 44" today at 46" in general. It's the same with irons, in general people are playing with too long shafts

[@vincentmckenna1755]

The taper can alter your grip

[@jcoleman924]

I just have to ask.. the edits in between the driver hits and then the stats... is it because you re-took the drive? It just is weird because you didn't do that w/ the iron. No call out here - just trying to understand if you are editing to get the result you want or why the quick edits were there for driver and not iron.

[@MrShortGame]

Sometimes there is just some dead space that I like to take out to keep the video flowing.

[@jcoleman924]

@@MrShortGame Makes sense! Thank you for clarifying! I had the wrong idea of the choke down thing as well.

[@losova7543]

I’ve tried many times choking down on my driver but I end up hitting it thin or topping it so I stopped doing that and same thing with my irons. Maybe what I need to do is get down a bit lower and a bit closer like you said for better ball contact. I’ll try that thanks.

[@peterlee4549]

My friend your videos are great. The only problem is you can explain everything in 5 minutes instead of 10 to whatever. Thanks

[@enemyofgood3793]

If I choke down to the steel I lose about 6 yards per club. I hit the ball higher than average though

[@electricalstuff259]

Solution with driver is actually to play a shorter driver. Vast majority of people are using a driver that's way too long.

[@mycommentpwnz]

Idk, when I choke-up on a club, I always, ALWAYS, lose club speed. Doesn't matter how much I choke-up, I lose speed.

[@08turboSS]

You mean down. Closer to the shaft is down.

[@johnstratton6207]

I always choke down on every club, but now I need to try the opposite to see what happens.

[@nickrizzi4927]

Good for you but you didn't need this vid to provoke. Play with every aspect of your game on the range, yard or beach until you know your gig! Best of luck, lies, and rolls!

[@bubbajones1035]

I always thought it was the other way. If you choked down it went shorter.

[@Onemoreday1623]

With the exact same swing it does go shorter but gripping down means you have more control and makes the swing easier so you actually get a better strike which compensates for the slight loss of distance and it goes the same or occasionally further

[@GoldGunsandGolf]

Iiiiiiii... dunnnoooo... With short irons I can choke down and get pretty reliable distances choking down..... Choking down on driver doesn't do as much, so that is opposite of what I experience as a 7 handicap.

[@alanduncan9204]

Lydia Ko chokes down on every club about 3 inches on Driver - makes me think she uses mens clubs ? I watch way more Mr SG than Rick these days. He is nowhere near your current ability especially compared with your competition rounds.

[@drmorcoch9338]

that actually works for me

[@jeffrielly]

so much of this game is counter intuitive! lol

[@supervelous]

i thought this guy was a stand up comedian

[@BobbysBearded]

I cut my driver down and have been getting better shots. My miss isn’t as bad

[@AP-ui7oi]

Never go flag hunting. Go for the middle of the green.

[@AsianVideoGamer]

I can't even see the flag half the time... Can't see through trees

[@ericjencson9489]

Someone needs to tell Brooke Henderson.

[@georgesimmons4923]

How dare you describe my golf swing lol.

[@jimjimenez9561]

So let’s all agree that the terminology of ‘choking down’ should be replaced with ‘gripping down’…. I’m just saying.

[@michaelfenton4878]

90% of scratch golfers can't break 80 in a pro tournament. If you want to learn how, contact me.

[@ricardovazquez5962]

I feel like I’m a short guy 5 foot 6 and I started to choke down on my driver and have realized more control with it and have even added a few more yards, thinking about cutting it down haven’t done it with irons as I feel like those are almost perfect length.

[@jasikes]

Similar to me - cut my driver shaft (stiff) -1.5" almost and two things happened. slicing went from 60-70% to about 4% (made up because it's so rare now), and remarkably longer... can get 300+ a few times a round (arcos gps data) that never happened in the past two years using stock shaft. the misses are different tho - have to tee it lower or I can get under it and end up with a 150-220 yrd drive in dead center of the fairway. haven't "solved" driving but massive improvement. cut it down or get a used shaft cut down from ebay for like $50-75. it's basically free. and fyi all my irons are -0.5 to -0.75" fitted.

[@samson3026]

Doing it wrong? There is only one way to grip the club?

[@FelixGallardo1946]

Tommy Fleetwood chokes down on 90%

[@jimmylegs06]

Choke up = pull

[@keestel6975]

No other golf tip will ever surpass your cheating tips! XD

[@oldegolfer5146]

You are mistaken sir. I have been a 1-3 handicap. my whole life. If you choke it a 1/2 inch it goes about 5 less. You are doing something else different.

[@kge420]

How do you arrive at your percentages? 90% of ….. do this …..

[@npmerrill]

It’s “grip down,” not “choke” up or down. My buddy Fat Bob told me. He’s good at golf. Imma go with him on it.

[@n2golf989]

Anthony Kim style.