Golf Tips: The Stinger

For years during Tiger Woods' career peak, he had an impressive "go to" shot.  That go-to shot is the trademark "Tiger stinger."  Tiger would tee up a long iron and hit a very straight and super-low trajectory shot.  He could keep it in the fairway at high pressure times, when it was absolutely necessary to do so.  Let's talk about how to hit a stinger. Stinger Setup First we will pick an iron.  Any long iron will do.  We'll say a 3-iron. Our stance will be a bit open.  In other words the front (left foot for right handed players) foot will be pointing a little bit more toward the target than normal. The ball will be positioned toward the back (right foot for right handed players) foot.  Normally when hitting long irons the ball position is toward the front foot, which helps to hit the shot higher but we don't want to do that! With the ball more toward the back foot, the left wrist will automatically be hinged a bit and the clubface de-lofted.  This is perfect. The Swing A full regular back swing is fine, or for more control a shortened and lower takeaway can help.  Try both and use whatever is comfortable. Keep the previously discussed wrist angle at impact and then "chase" the club face very low through the hitting area.  Finish as low as possible.  The lower the finish, the lower the ball's trajectory will be. Try It I find that I can swing as hard as I'd like with this technique and the ball comes out hot, low and straight.  Experiment a bit with ball position and the takeaway.  You'll groove a solid go-to shot you can use when the fairway is tight and the pressure is on!