Instruction – Sting It!

Hitting a stinger is more than just a cool looking shot that gets views on Instagram. It’s a shot where the technique transfers to flighted wind shots in general. It’s also handy when needing to hit accurate tees shots with long irons on tight par 4’s or laying up on par 5’s.

Let’s take a look at the set up but remember that this can also be applied to hitting low flighted shots like a knockdown short iron into the wind.

The Set Up (this was with 4 iron):

1. Move the ball back in your stance 1-2 inches.

2. Grip down the club (the lower you want to hit it, the more your grip down the club).

3. Stand slightly closer to the ball.

4. Feet slightly narrower.

5. Keep pressure on your lead foot.

Normal Grip

Stinger Grip

Normal Stance

Stinger Stance

Now, you do need a decent amount of club speed to get the pure stinger flight like that of a Tiger Woods, Gary Woodland, or Zac Radford (@realzacradford on Instagram). That’s not to say that you can’t hit stingers with less club speed, but there might not be the carry as you see from these players with higher club head velocity.

Remember, it’s not just a fancy looking shot! It’s a great weapon to use when you need control over accuracy.