Effect of Gripping Down on the Club
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txg.ca - Golfers often wonder what happens to their ball flight and consistency when they grip down on the club. In this video we test the effects on launch conditions and dispersion when gripping the club normally and gripping down. See the effects on contact, strike location, spin rate, launch angle and more to see if gripping down on the club may be a good option for you in certain situations on the golf course!
Filmed at: Tour Experience Golf
Custom Golf Club Fitting Studio - Toronto, Canada
Featuring: Ian Fraser & Matt Blois
/ theofficialtxg
It’s crazy. There’s not a single golf club related subject that TXG doesn’t have a video on. It never fails. If I search for it, TXG has a video. Finding these guys has been amazing for my game. I’m a ~5 hour drive to Toronto. It’s definitely on my priority list to get up to TXG within the next few years.
I went in Toronto TGX shop last fall ( 2022 ) ( driving from Montréal ) for a second opinion on my irons and putter. They changed my shafts ( gaining 5 mph + ) and discovered that 3 irons had bad lie & my Scotty Cameron X5 putter was nearly 4* instead of 3.5*as stated on Titleist web site. John did a professional good and serious evaluation and even suggested to go back and have a swing coaching for my irons and wedges. ( mind you I drove from 5 AM from MTL and got evaluated from 3 PM till 6 PM and drove back to MTL ….so I was not giving him a totally best swings session. But simply said, they are the best coach’s for fitting you in Northern America.
Im 34y.o. Ive been a scratch player all my life. Occasionally i have been +1,+2. Ive played competitive golf since i was 11. Since i was a kid i have fitted myself. Doing my own research on shafts, lie, etc etc then i would simply buy shafts and adjust things according to research and results on range versus what the numbers say by using any sort of device to give me feedback. I have always since 11 set every single club in my bag at 2 degrees flat without ever adjusting fairway woods or driver lies at all. Always used standard length clubs. Always used stiff flex shafts at 115,120 grams in weight in every iron and 65ish grams in weight my woods. I have always had the nickname "bookworm" because i have spent so much time doing research its ridiculous. And folks i am here to tell u now..... Changing lengths, weights, whatever it is never made so much of a difference ever in any club that i was wowwed. No matter what i did the results were so minimal i found that my game would improve 110% more by simply working harder on my mechanics, etc than trying to perfect the numbers. Yes, adjust correct lengths., weigths and stiffness but other than that dont waste your time. Do what feels comftkrable an do what simply works! Practicing has lowered my scores. Not the length or weight of the club or brand or this or that. My father always said golf is a game of MILIMETER so these miniscual numbers just dont make enough difference that its worth all your time and mkney and energy... A 20 handicap will never become a 5 by looking at numbers and a scratch player will never become a tour pro by adjusting numbers. Practice and yoyr mental strength is what makes a golfers game stronger or weaker than others. Hope this helps.
This is alomost entirely true.. I used to be an avid golfer when I was younger, never scored well due to psychological issues, but was a good ball striker. My dad was super stubborn with me instilling in me the very idea that it is about the player, not the instrument. I walked away from the sport after 8ish years of grind at age 18. From 19-24, like most college students, I bulked and tried to get stronger, and I did. Reintroduced golf into my system, playing for fun weekly... and one thing that stood out to me is that since golf requires repetitiveness and continuity to score well, even though I am stronger, hit the ball further, more knowledgeable with club fitting, there is a distinct limit to how well I can strike the ball and score, with little to no practice.
Granted, if I could play golf full time, with fitted clubs, I could reach all time low in all aspect of tbe game, but I don't see the use in that. It is a multifaceted sport, requiring you to have relatively full control of you body and mind.
I think there’s a bit of too much generalization here. I can tell you practicing with a launch monitor has improved my game a ton.
As someone who at my best was a +2 and then regressed back to a 6 and now back to a 2, it’s significantly harder to improve from a scratch to a +2 than 6 to a 2.
At your handicap, if your swing is functioning close to ideal, then maybe this is all marginal gains. But I do believe a 20 can get to a 5 by having the right fitting - and using numbers to track progress.
I’ve been cooking up on all of my clubs for a year now and it helped me go from a 15 handicap to about 6. I’m only 5’9 and my clubs are a bit long. But this channel has inspired me to get my first fitting next month. Thanks you guys.
one of the greatest `take-home-message` is knowledge is power! Ian, you are so right, thanx for another differentiated and awesome video
I started to choke down 1.5” on my driver and gained better control with minimal loss of distance
I’m 6’3” and grip down around an inch on every clubs, my club are build 1” longer to counter act the grip down.
I start that setup about a year ago for me it feel easier to set my wrist and I feel more in control of the golf club.
It's actually 3/4" - THAT was GOLD!!
Handicaps down 3 strokes now, new clubs that I made a more informed decision on thanks in part to you, have made golf so much more satisfying. Love the channel!
👍👍
I use the grip-down technique with my irons to dial in yardages for distance control. It knocks some spin off, and when the ball lands on the green, it stops dead instead of spinning back. I tried to develop a bunt driver shot a while back too, but the result of gripping down was exactly the opposite! I gripped down to where the shaft meets the grip and launched driver farther than I ever had before hahaha. I started paying attention to where the strike location was, and it made sense because now I was striking everything dead center of the face. Different for everybody I guess lol
I asked my fitter a couple weeks after if I should have them cut down the shaft length cause I was just striping it so well, and they said no because that would change all of the balance point characteristics of the shaft. If it's working, go with it! : )
Nice vIdeo guys !! I would like to see a video where you test shorter drivers with the same swing weight. 44.5, 44, 43.5, 43". I think Ricky Fowler is at 43.5" and Jimmy Walker played a 42" for a while last year. Tom Wishon claims that we should all be playing shorter drivers 43-44" and would we would all get the same or better distance and much better dispersion. You guys are the only ones i would trust to do this. Please test. Thanks Cheers mates!
A belated "I second this"
A really belated third to this.
Probably one of my favourite videos to date, so many areas covered on implications of delivered loft, tee height, shaft lean, strike etc. As the old saying goes when playing Links Golf into a headwind, "grip down and swing easy" - so after watching this video what rings out to my is grip down, reduces spin and flight, thus covering same amount of yardage & swing easy as the change in swingweight and dynamic lie occuring...if you go full tilt when gripping down it gets nasty! Who's been there before? ME!
i tried this and was absolutely flushing everything. I believe that i am coming more from the inside with this technique
LOL. . . Watch Jack Nicklaus understand all this before there were launch monitors! We balata-age guys all used to understand what choking down did, we just really had no idea of the dynamics. Great video!!!! Well done.
If you claim you are a golf nerd and aren't watching every video these guys put out.............. you are probably not a golf nerd! This channel is so far above and beyond any other, it's in its own class.
👍👍👍
As much as i love all ur videos and watching Matt knock it out of the ball park ... it would be nice to see you both hit 5-10 shots each in this test with variety of clubs just to see the difference of how the ball reacts to different swings. Matt obviously doesn't use his wrists like majority of golfers do... he's Stricker Jr. more or less... most aren't ;)
This was a real eye opener for me. Been a real golf nerd for years and well studied and read on fitting and shafts but the section on driver was the first time in years I've got some real new information on the dynamics of the swing and equipment.
As a reasonably low handicapper (+1), but someone whose bad shot it's always low in the club, playing with tee height and grip is very interesting.
Thanks from South Africa.
What a great vid. Full of interesting content. I currently grip down on my driver and irons and they are so much more accurate.No distance lost and far better scores. My handicap 7. Huge thanks for this one guys..
This makes me VERY interested to see you guys do a single lenght irons testing. Cobra vs Sterling, that would be a joy for me.
Great video guys!
Milan Boskovic I’ve been playing sterling irons for 3 years now. Absolutely love them. Shot making is easier because a gripped down shot is the same with every iron, lie angle is the same, weight, feel, etc. ball position for a draw is the same, high fade, same position. The more I play the easier the clubs become.
Kourtney ,
Thanks for reply.
I have been seriously looking into single length option. Heard a lot good things about Sterlings, but I haven’t had a chance to try them out. In my mind the concept makes absolute sense. I am way more consistent and comfortable with my posture with my 7,8 iron than 3,4,5,6. Good to hear from someone who actually plays Sterlings, I like the look from what I have seen on youtube. How do distances and trajectories work for you with 4,5,6 irons?
Ian’s answer on club path at about 13 min mark is EXACTLY what happens when I choke up on my 5 thru 3 iron, I am able to keep the club in front of my chest and not get it wrapped behind me if that makes sense. I am seriously considering making my 5 thru 3 iron the same length as my 6 iron. Would love to see a video on using 6 iron shaft on long irons! Great stuff Gents!
Great professionalism between the two guys - great stuff !
A tag-team of insight - love these videos
For me. When I grip down. I get more elevation on my shots. More air time. I am also much more consistent in making contact with the ball. Thus, I have more control. Gripping down about 1 to 2 inches on the shaft. Best thing for me is I get very close to the same distance than if I wasn't gripping down. See many p g a players gripping down in today's game also.
One of the most useful videos you’ve done that doesn’t directly relate to club fitting. I think info helps you make better on course decisions.
Dynamic Lie angle change is very good to know.
I think the minimal distance change gripping down helps validate the possibility of single length sets working.
I think lie angle on driver isn’t as crucial because you always hit it off a tee combined with minimal loft; but I think fairway woods and hybrids it’s very important. Not so much for shot direction but for turn interaction. Hitting a 4 wood off the fairway and delivering severely toe up will definition change impact location and turf interaction will be terrible.
Very interesting video. I watched a video by golfmates Liam Harrison where he put a 7 iron shaft on his driver for an experiment. Since then I have been gripping my driver down at 7 iron length and found that I am now finding more fairways as my ball tends to go straight down the middle. Holding the driver this short is working wonders for me and I haven't lost much distance. I am a senior player at 23 handicap and I also play Cobra single length irons which are all 7 iron length.
Great review guys. This gripping down thing is so difficult to figure because everyone is so different. What works for one might not go well for someone else. Too many variables.
I'm 78. A kindly gentleman suggested to me to choke down with my bad wrist due to arthritis. Worked out great! Lightened the club and really closed down the dispersion. As he said:" The grip down the club helps prevent the flub!" Great distance is a thing of the past!
As part of the horde that asked for this topic, THANK YOU!! I learned more than I ever imagined.
👍👍
Good stuff guys I experienced gripping down but kept tee normal so it came so high of club face nearly had sky Mark's on my driver I have definitely learned something
Just love what you guys do here! I tinker a ton so.... Thanks fellas.
My girlfriend is starting to get fed up with me. Our shared data plan keeps getting used up in the first couple of weeks of the month. She thinks I’m watching porn all the time when actually it’s your videos 😂 she doesn’t believe me when I tell her
New TXG videos > sex
hahaha, so my wife 😂
Hahaha brilliant
Haha maybe click the little dots in the upper corner and watch in 144 p vs 1080 p and save some of that data (and your relationship lol)
Anthony Jones No prob it’s golf porn
Interesting. Before launch monitors good players figured this out. Read Golf My Way by Nicklaus. He recommends taking less loft and choking down into the wind. Most people just take less loft, then spin it too much. Choking down is the key. Good video.
Thanks again guys these videos are Invaluable pieces of information as we all know the small details add up to HUGE results.... much appreciated 😄😄
I didn't have time to watch the entire video but I choked down on the club quite a bit and have gained a lot of control doing so. The one thing I have not heard in this discussion is both the swing weight of the club and the stiffness of the shaft that occurs by gripping down. Gripping down both lightens the club and stiffens the shaft.
You're swing does not have much wrist action. I've found this gripping down to make your wrist feel much more supple.
I think both of these affects add to the sensation of being more in sync. I feel there something about the counterbalance of the shaft behind the grip that adds to this. I may be mistaken but I believe Jack may have used this method by putting counterweights on the grip. It's definitely something I play around with and has helped my consistency tremendously.
Great great video. Love the knowledge and insight. Again you guys prove again how important strike is. Also shocked that distance really isnt lost when you choke down just spin.
Any chance you guy's could do some testing on shaft tipping.. Some of us are between regular and stiff and it's not easy to get it correct. Plus now we are dealing with counter balanced shafts that even makes it more confusing. Thanks
I would like to see same with wedges. I have seen that my wedges launch higher when I grip down
Another great video gents! I saw Brooke hit driver on the range and on practice rounds, I have no idea if she was making slight changes in her grip by shortening or lengthening it, but from what I witnessed she was controlling distance with it, outstanding athlete and extremely skilled. Definitely opened my eyes that the driver has some versatility to it as well, so have some fun it.
V e r y INTERESTING! I'm gonna experiment next spring.
SAIL.....SAIL.....SAIL....nice tune......as always a great video !..... All Good Fellas !
I'm a bit of a down-gripper since I'm a shorter guy, and from what I've seen here it might be really hurting me with my driver since it already kinda feels light to me and I struggle with steepness and consistency, and also consistently hit it high on the face. I'm going to try gripping full-length tomorrow and see what happens. Thanks!
I still tend to grip down on my irons as I was 1,66cm as a junior playing dad's old Tzoids - now 1,89cm and still grip down a little bit on my 3/4" longer MP18s. My misses are usually thinned so perhaps trusting my iron fitting and gripping higher would help alot.
For the driver, I remember vividly my club pro told me I need to keep swing weight in mind, as he fitted me with a rogue head with an Evenflow 3 wood shaft. I tend not to grip down on it that also due to the short shaft.
Another tool in the box. Awesome stuff!
Is it true that 1/2" change in shaft length will give a 3 point change in swing weight, surely doing that on an 8iron and a driver would give a different result. Also, why does my d2 rescue fell heavier than my d2 irons when I swing them.
I use golf pride mid size plus 4 grips on all my irons very good when griping down for wind shots and chipping it stops you getting over active hands to links player
Great topic! my guess is it makes the club flatter and steeper attack angle
Grips that don’t taper as much are very handy too
I’m confused. I see touring pros grip down to adjust distance. I’ve also heard that you could expect to lose 3 yards for every mph less of swing speed. Is this true? Why did Marty maintain equal distance and the pros don’t? Love the lesson!!
Love how uncomfortable Matt was gripping down. Creating shots on the golf course you instinctively change to suit the shot. That’s the issue hitting in the booth too much.
I just got fitted. Would love to see a “blind control” video whereby the same golfer gets fitted from two different fitters…either at the same fitter or different “companies”. Would make a great vid. Theoretically, the fitting should be the same, but how would they differ? I bet there would be differences but how different?!
I've adjusted my rogue sz to 216 grams with a black tie m5 cut to 44'1/4. It's a sledge hammer, and I'm finally middling the head and getting the most out of it.
So what is the best indicator for correct iron shaft length?
Another informative video guys , good to know that choking down creates lower flight but not really changing the overall carry by much. I was expecting a bigger impact Regarding length. it’s getting a bit windy over here in UK ! Will see how this works this weekend 👍
Here's a suggestion: Why don't you measure off the grips in, say, 1 inch (2.5 cm) increments and redo each data set. Measuring, say, 10 shots at each grip down length would give you more interesting and scientifically valid data. Just a thought.
Is gripping down to 44 inches the same as cutting the shaft to play 44 inches??
The distance you hit the ball will probably be similar. Main difference will be swing weight I would imagine.
I always choke down when trying to lower yardage... usually when I choke down I can lower the overall distance by 10 yrds or so especially since i like to take a nice and easy swing
Another eye opening topic. Great video. Thanks
Very interesting dynamics!! I would have guessed larger changes!
Nice video guys. I’m going to try gripping down on my driver tomorrow at the range.
Would love to see a video of the thought of clubbing up and choking down into the wind. I really never know how much more club to take or how much to choke down. Good vid as usual boys!
Txg I actully hit my driver further when I grip down on it and idk why this is help me please
I do this too and have the same result. Your driver shaft may be too weak for your clubhead speed. Choking down stiffens the shaft and will make solid contact easier. Try to tee the ball slightly lower as well as choke down. You'll find more consistency.
I ALWAYS wondered about this, thank you!
I love to grip down on the grip on every irons, so I build my irons 1.5” longer so now I grip down to a standard length. My question is Will gripping down on the club increase the counter balance effect of your modus which I think are already counter balance.
I miss anthony kim
You had me at lower spin. Totally going to grip down next time. Great video.
Great topic guys. Very informative.
I was fitted for cobra F9 driver and 3 wood. I was told to grip down slightly and the only thing that changed was my dispersion. Managed to half it.
Very informative, as always....
I don't know if it's because my arms are long but when I choke down I hit the ball more solid and I feel the club is more balanced and it feels lighter so the ball goes further. This is probably because I hit it more solid but since I began gripping down, Ive hit the ball exponentially better and it's making the game more enjoyable.
I’ve always gripped down 1” to 1.5” on all my clubs for the longest time now. I get great distance control, swing feels lighter due to the counterweight like effect I guess.
I really never wanted to cut my clubs down because sometimes you might need to use the whole length.
Thank you! Now doubt is creeping in... just an hour ago i ordered a TM M4 fairway wood high launch 16,5 degree, with the kuro kage silver tini 60 in stiff and as you named it a 4 wood shortend the shaft to right between 3 and 5 wood length. All just on your information, no fitting. Now i am not sure if shortening 0,5 inch is a good idea... but it is just half an inch
Man wish u guys woulda shown the carry/roll out distance on thr comparuson chart, all we vare about is if choking doen lowers the distance conscistently
I like to choke down for control only. One inch feels right to me. I've never really been fit for my irons. Every time I get new irons, the Sales people look at me and say, standard length and lie. I can choke down one inch, and if I swing normally, the ball pretty much goes the same distance. My dispersion is just tighter when I choke down one inch. Two inches feels weird, don't really like that. I'm planning on getting some new irons soon. I will make sure I get a proper fitting for my next set of irons.
I think you should do the same with him using extended shaft length, because that is the reason why I'm gripping down on my regular length shaft. If I don't the toe is way too upright. I wanted to see if me gripping down on my regular length shaft to achieve a flat lie would be the same as shortening my shaft to the length where I can grip the club at the top end of the grip and achieve a flat lie.
Biggest problem with just going to the range is the range ball. I tested the difference between my range ball and a pro v1 on gcquad and our range balls spin almost 50% less than a pro v1. So when I go practice wedge shots on the range i basically have to ignore some things because the ball flies drastically different that my gamer ball does. Going inside on a simulator using your actual ball you play with has made a huge difference for me dialing in my game.
Thanks for this informative video.
Another great video. Slightly off topic, but has TXG ever done a video on the Cobra one length clubs? The GW through 4 iron are the same length as a 7 iron. Brandel Chamblee is a PGA golfer that is currently using them. I am considering trying them, but I would value hearing what TXG has to say about them.
I asked them about it in a Q&A once and back then they really were not very enthusiastic about them. They definitely improved the one length concept alot though so I personally would be really interested in them testing a set. Honestly I thought the same as you did. If you can choke down 2 inches and play a 6 iron with a 9 iron length and still have these results a set that is made to be played at the same length will be even better.
Brandel Chamblee... 😂😂
@@grza1636 BRYSON DECHAMBEAU
Just fantastic
Interesting content guys. I played around on the range this Summer a few times with choking down about 1/2” - 1” on my 6 iron and found that more often than not I made better contact and didn’t lose much if any distance. I tend to be shallow and a handle lifter and my strikes are a bit out on the toe. I remember a video from several months ago where Ian was doing an iron fit with Mike and gave him a 1/2” shorter club to try to increase his AoA. Mike got good results so I thought I’d give it a try. It definitely gave me the feel of staying down on the ball and improved contact.
i love gripping down on 6-Lw whenever i need it . it goes a little lower, little straighter and a little shorter. i usally hook or draw my irons.
Wish I could just get a direct answer Ian, please..... is cutting down the shaft in all simple reality the same as gripping down on the shaft of the driver equivalently, please?
I would really like to watch Matt hit from a side angle once during a video, when I watch him from your camera angle it looks as if he's resting the irons on the heel with the toe slightly up and his hands seem to be even with the ball making it I would assume adding more loft . I love his swing would appreciate if we could see from a side angle. GREAT VIDEOS
Very informative, I personally stopped shortening due to inconsistent thin shots, especially with wedges.
Any chance you guys can make a vid on why someone like Ariya Jutanugaarn can't play with driver? I play regular with someone that is long and straight with every club besides driver.
I would be interested if you increased the shaft length and had your hands at the same distance from the club head, but gripped down on you new length.
Your best example of a grip down golfer is a short leg, long torso guy. The hands and hip joints will be closer to the ground than a normally proportioned guy.
This was fascinating learned a lot on this vid and plan to rewatch it over many times. Let me ask this question if my goal was to bring all my shots down in flight in another words make all my shots fly lower and straighter what ball characteristics would I shop for and what would I change in my equipment or swing?
So cutting down the shaft 1 inch is similar to gripping down, then one can assume to tee the ball lower in this instance as well?
Hi guys good stuff my question is what if it feels better choking down if i shorten my clubs how do i keep the dynamics the same. does the weight lost go in the butt or the head . thanks MAX
Is there a benefit to play them 1" longer and grip down that 1" to get the benefit of a little butt weighting. Further, what if you added even more butt weight to see if it adds, subtracts, or just doesn't matter.
Could be a long video, but with jump cuts and taking high spots along the way to flush it out and possibly start a new facet for fitting.
I beleive that doing this would greatly reduce the effective swing weight. The butt would act as a counter-lever. I actually do this with my driver.
I have a 47 inch driver with phenom 70g tour x stiff; 52 gram grip; 202 gram bang driver head.
The swing weight is D9. Choking down by an ich makes it feel like a D2
When I got fitted for my clubs they were made an inch longer than standard because I like to grip lower on the club where the standard grip would be.
It seems to work for me.
I wonder what I might have gained or possibly lost as a consequence??
I just got a set of Srixon ZX7 with Nippon Modus3 130 S shafts on them and they felt soo heavy but I found if I grip down like this today on my first round with them the weight is manageable and the distance and accuracy is getting better.
Any thoughts on this?
I noticed the heal half of the sole is clean on strikes and the toe half of the sole is contacting the turf.
I'm hitting low on the club is it because I'm tee too high or angle of attack or something else? Help
I’m considering making my clubs 1/2“ shorter and lie1deg up when I get my new clubs what things need to be done in fitting.
But what about gripping down when your a short person using a standard length club. I’m 5’ 4” and when I went in to get a swing analysts and lesson immediately he pointed out that my posture was way to upright because the irons were too long. He didn’t have a short shaft but he put a standard shaft on a club head with the correct lye angle and had me choke down on the grip and it put me in the correct posture.
Brooke has recently been using a 48 inch driver, probably playing at 45 when she grips down. Tommy Fleetwood also grips down.
Hi guys it would be interesting to take this to the next level with swing weight ,because with drivers seemingly getting longer every year a lot of people fuss over swing weight ,I cut mine down to 44.5 inches but if I try and add weight to the head because someone says I should the club feels nothing like it did before ,more like a bowling ball is on the end. Lopping under an inch of the driver to 44.5 ,it feels just the same but more consistant in the strike ,adding weight feels terrible ,so I don't bother , play it as it is and hit it pretty decent ,I mean who's to say D1 or D4 is right and where the balance point is .This could all work the other way too ,take Bryson Dechambeau as an example ,his grips are massive on all clubs ,that must alter swing weight in a big way and I'm pretty sure he has not chucked on a load of lead on his clubs to combat it and he's the most science type player around .Is to better to go with what feels feels right and the end result .
His clubs were like a C7 swingweight I believe because they majority of the weight is in the grips. I personally don't trust "fitters" because ultimately they sell equipment and its not about a real fitting. Im currently fitting myself because I have been fitted 3 times (1 at club champion)and left extremely frustrated and disappointed. They don't answer your questions, they have very few actual options because all they are trying to sell are the newest models 😂. At the end of the fitting their recommendations are always $2k irons and $600 drivers that happen to be on sale for $525!!! Such a joke!
Does Henderson or AK grip down less the as they move towards driver? Or quite the opposite? Just curious.
I’m going in the opposite direction. I’m a very straight driver of the ball so thinking if I added an inch or so, maybe I would gain a few
Hi my golf club feels better easier to swing and control could I get a set of clubs standard length to fee the same .Thanks Max.
closed captioning changes Ian saying "gripping down" to "Griffin donut"
Hi hold all my clubs down 1 inch . Hit all a lot straighter not left or left draw . Is it because my lie angel changes
Gurus,
I always thought a shorter club moved the strike toward the toe. If dynamic lie was the same(adjusted to be flat) a longer shaft moves the strike to the heel of the club is that correct? So that being true if you find your strike location is in the toe and your divots relatively even lengthening the club would be a good option.
Just curious, what swing weight is Matt's driver, don't know if you've mentioned it before? I think you said before his driver was 45", correct.