The stinger might be the most enviable ball flight in golf. Tiger Woods hit the shot to perfection in his heyday, and any time someone pulls it out of their bag these days, it evokes memories of his low-bullet ball flight.
The pros make this shot look easy when they shoot the ball screaming down the fairway with little altitude, but for mere mortals, the shot can present some challenges. Recreational golfers struggle to hit a low, penetrating ball (unless they’re blading a chip across the green), and most have no concept of how to hit the shot on command.
Luckily, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jonathan Yarwood has some tips on executing the shot. Check out his video or read below for more on how to hit a perfect stinger.
Tee it low
If you want to hit a stinger, the first step is teeing it at the correct height. On this shot, you’ll want to tee it much lower than normal.
“You want to get the dynamic loft down a little bit,” Yarwood says.
Setup
To reduce the angle of attack, you should move the ball back just a touch in your stance. One or two inches should do for a stinger with the driver — just forward of the middle of your stance.
Deloft the club
Keeping the ball low will also require a reduced launch angle, so you want to make sure you don’t get too far behind the ball and swing up on it. Instead, keep your weight more centered in your stance.
3/4 swing
Another key for hitting it low is not over-swinging. If you swing too hard, you’ll put too much spin on the ball, and it will balloon in the air and be more likely to be affected by the wind. Try taking a three-quarter backswing instead.
1/2 follow through
An abbreviated follow through will also help you not over-swing on this shot. Keep your hands in front of the clubhead as you near impact and curtail your follow through at the halfway point.
