Grip down to take distance off? Our test shows that it comes with some risks
Welcome to MythBusters, a Golf Digest+ series where we explore answers to some of golf’s most common questions through a series of tests with golfers and robots. Sometimes definitive, other times less so, our findings aim to shed new light on topics that have consumed golfers for years.
Wouldn’t it be nice if every time you had an approach shot, you had a perfect yardage to make a full swing? Of course, most often we’re left with those tricky in-between numbers, when we need to take a few yards off a full shot.
To do that, teachers advise several methods, one of which is gripping down on the club. But how much yardage does gripping down an inch or two take off? Does it affect the height or dispersion?
We tested it.
Our test
To compare the difference in ball flights when gripping down various lengths on the club, we enlisted three Golf Digest staffers: Luke Kerr-Dineen (0.5 Handicap Index), Christopher Powers (7.9) and Ryan Herrington (17.2).
Each player hit a series of shots with a 7-iron gripping at full length, one-inch down and two-inches down. A ruler was used to identify how far down to grip the club. The players rotated between each grip-down length after each shot to limit any fatigue bias. The players were instructed to make the same “stock” swing with each grip position.
What we found
Taken together, the three testers averaged 151.1 yards of carry when gripping the 7-iron at full length. These shots went about 82.5 feet in the air and averaged 8.1 yards offline.
When the players gripped down one inch on the club, they lost exactly five yards of carry distance on average (146.1 yards). These shots also traveled lower (76.2 feet) and went straighter (6.7 yards offline).
However, this trend didn’t continue when the players gripped down two inches. Their carry numbers stayed the same (146.1) as when they gripped down one inch. The shots gripped two inches down flew lower (72.6 feet), but on average they were the most offline of any of the three categories tested (9.5 yards).
What it means
Gripping down one inch on the club can reliably take distance off and lower the flight of the ball. By gripping down, the club is acting as a shorter lever, thus slightly decreasing swing speed and causing distance to drop. This slightly shorter lever can be easier to control, too, says Joe Plecker, one of Golf Digest’s Best Teachers in Georgia. That’s why the dispersion got a little tighter as the players gripped down one inch.
“There’s probably a sweet spot that you’re finding that is an inch to an inch-and-a-quarter, where you can control it,” Plecker says. “But when you start going lower [on the grip], now it’s affecting the static lie of the golf club.”
As Plecker mentions, gripping down further than one inch on the shaft can sometimes lead to diminishing returns, as our test shows. When our players gripped two inches down, their dispersion got worse. Plecker says the culprit is likely the dynamic lie angle of the club.
“When you grip down, you’re changing dynamic lie. When I’m shortening something, I’m making it more upright, and when something is more upright, the ball can go more left,” he says.
Ideally, you want the clubhead to be fairly level to the ground when you hit the ball, without the heel or toe significantly off the ground. When you grip down, the toe of the club can be too high in the air as it makes contact with the ball, which will cause the face to point to the left.
Some of our testers also felt a little uncomfortable when gripping down two inches, explaining how it felt like they had to bend their knees a lot to reach the ball. One tester, however, felt like he could make better contact the more he gripped down. It’s worth reiterating that our testers averaged the same carry distance when gripping down two inches as they did gripping down one inch, possibly because of more solid contact as they gripped down.
Regardless of this personal preference in feel, Plecker says that depending on the club, golfers can expect to lose about five to 10 yards of distance when gripping an inch down, which is consistent with our results.
What it doesn’t mean
Like we just mentioned, there is some personal preference in gripping down. Some players might enjoy the control of a shorter lever, while others may feel uncomfortable and start missing shots to the left. For this reason, it’s important for you to test for your own game how gripping down an inch or two affects your ball flight.
Besides gripping down to take distance off, Plecker recommends a “squeeze” shot for the same benefits. To hit this lower flighted shot, he says to shorten the backswing and through swing to about shoulder-height, like Tommy Fleetwood often does. Just like gripping down, this will take off distance and lower the ball flight.
Takeaways
- Gripping down one inch on a 7-iron takes off about five yards of carry distance.
- As you grip down, the ball flight becomes lower.
- Dispersion gets tighter when you grip down one inch, but can deteriorate as you grip down further.