How to Hit a Perfect Stinger Shot (Step by Step, Tips, is it Necessary?)

If you have been around the game of golf for a little bit, you remember Tiger hitting a few stinger shots.

Although the stinger has been around for quite some time, he was the one that really made the shot popular and appealing to more players.

The stinger is a shot to have in the bag, regardless of your handicap.

I use this shot quite a bit, especially in windy conditions. Take a look at how to hit perfect stinger shots, some tips to make yourself succeed every time, and when to use this.

The Stinger Shot Explained

A stinger shot is a low golf shot with a ton of power and lots of forward spin. The idea behind the stinger shot is to have a penetrating ball flight and tons of roll.

Most golfers use the stinger shot to keep the ball straight and ensure it’s rolling down the fairway; it’s not known for getting you out of trouble.

It’s a shot to play instead of a full-swing approach from the fairway.

Is This Shot for Everyone? Who Should Use it?

A stinger shot can be used by any handicapped golfer.

Lower handicap players use the stinger because they are more likely to make adjustments to their swing to hit a stinger.

However, mid-handicap golfers that learned these types of golf shots would soon find it much easier to break into the “low handicap” range.

What I love about the stinger is that it is simple to learn, and once you understand how to use it, it’s easy to repeat.

When to Use it?

If the stinger shot is so great, why not use it all the time?

You can’t.

With the stinger shot having such low spin and a penetrating flight, it’s a good shot for long distances and plenty of roll, not for spin and precision.

Here’s when to use the stinger.

Long Straightaway Drive

Hitting a stinger with a driver is a great idea. When you learn how to hit the shot, the stinger drive can give you just as much distance as the regular drive, but it increases the total roll that you produce.

Only use the stinger when you have a direct look down the center of the fairway; it’s not great for a dog leg where you may have to cut or draw the ball.

In addition, I really like to hit this shot from an elevated tee box. It gives you extra height and even better results.

Windy Days

The stinger shot stays low, and it cuts through the wind with ease.

If you find yourself in a coastal area where the wind is blowing off the water, you may play a few holes of your course with all stinger shots.

When hitting a stinger into the wind, be smart about what golf club you choose, some do a better job than others.

Approach to a Par 5 with No Trouble

Many amateur golfers try to reach a par 5 in two only to realize that it’s a bit too far away.

If you find yourself continually coming up just a little short on a par 5, it could be because of spin.

Backspin may stop your approach shot as soon as it hits the ground instead of allowing for that roll out toward the target.

The approach to a par 5 with a straight look at the hole is a great place to use the stinger. If you have water hazards or bunkers in front of you, go with another shot.

Links Style Golf

The links-style golf course is a perfect place to hit a stinger.

Instead of trying to hit high-lofted shots that stop in their tracks, you can play the shape of the land and work the ball through the course with a stinger.

For those that understand the way that links style golf is intended to be played, the stinger shot is a great solution.

Courses That are Running Fast

If your course runs fast, you may as well take advantage of the distance you can get with a stinger.

In the summer months, golf courses are usually more lush, and the grass can be longer. This means that you won’t get much roll.

However, when things start to harden up and some of the grass goes into dormancy, the stinger is a great way to capitalize on these conditions.

How to Hit a Stinger

Now let’s get to the specifics of how to hit a stinger.

When you read through my steps of how to hit a perfect stinger shot, you may think it’s too simple.

Remember, golf does not have to be quite as complicated as you think!

The Correct Setup to Hit a Stinger

The first part of this process is to get into the right position. The setup includes your stance and posture as well as the ball position.

When I hit a stinger shot, I take a normal stance, although sometimes my feet are slightly narrow.

This is just a comfort thing that I have developed over the years; the wider stance led to less control in the shot for me.

Posture and balance of weight are going to be the same as they would be when you set up for a full-swing golf shot.

With the grip, there are a few changes.

Some players do a slight forward press with their hands. The slight forward press can deloft the club a little and promote an even lower flight.

However, you won’t want to exaggerate this movement; you will only make it harder on yourself to hit a perfect stinger.

In addition, think about choking up on the club about an inch, sometimes two inches. The shorter feel of the club can make it easier to control.

The ball position can be slightly forward of standard; catching the ball a little later in the swing can promote that lower penetrating ball flight we are looking for.

Club Selection

Many golfers ask me whether or not they can hit a stinger with their 7 iron or their driver etc.

Technically you can hit a stinger with any golf club in your bag. However, I recommend trying anything with a loft less than a 6-iron.

The 7, 8, and 9 irons have too much loft, to begin with, and it becomes hard to control the ball quite as much. You may find that your efforts to keep the ball flight down are wasted.

My favorite club for hitting a stinger is my 5 iron.

It has the perfect combination of forgiveness, distance, and lower ball flight to ensure I’m successful with this.

I encourage you to experiment at the driving range and see which option is the best for your golf game.

Tee Height Lower

It’s perfectly acceptable to hit a stinger with a driver from the tee box, and many golfers do it with a hybrid, fairway wood, or driving iron from the tee.

When you are hitting a stinger from the tee box, make sure that you use a lower tee.

The lower the tee, the easier it is to keep the ball lower. If you take your big 460cc head driver and tee it high, it will fly higher than a stinger.

Backswing Length – Keep it Short

One of the main differences between a stinger shot and a punch shot is the length of the backswing.

The stinger shot is still considered to be a pretty full swing.

Remember, golfers should use this to maximize distance.

However, in order to create that lower ball flight we need, it’s best to keep the swing about ¾ length.

Remember that momentum plays into this, and as golfers, we can’t see the position of our golf club, so if you feel as though you are taking a half swing and then letting the club travel up from there, it’s probably the right backswing length.

Learning how to control the length of your backswing is an incredibly important step towards becoming a lower handicap golfer.

Downswing and Approach – Pull to the Left

When hitting a stinger shot, you will want to almost feel as though you are trapping the ball. As your club comes into the impact position, feel a pull towards the left of your target.

In addition, do what you can to keep the club low.

Low and to the left is a great combination when hitting the stinger.

Of course, the clubface should be square at impact, but if you swing out and to the right, your golf ball will travel considerably higher.

Wrist Action in the Stinger Shot

Wrist action is important in any golf shot you hit, but it is even more important in something like a stinger shot.

When your wrist comes into the impact position, the angle has to ensure that your hands are in front of the golf ball.

If your wrist is behind the golf ball, it angles the clubface up, and the result is a higher lofted shot, not what we need for the stinger.

Understanding the relationship between the wrist and the club head in the stinger shot can take a bit of time.

A feedback tool like HackMotion can help you get there quicker.

HackMotion will analyze the perfect wrist angle and ensure as you are getting closer to impact, you are in the right position.

Loose Arms

Although we want the wrists to be in the proper position at impact, stinger shots always work best when the body and your rotation are leading the swing.

When you get a little too handsy or incorporate too much hand motion into the swing, the results are not as consistent.

In addition, the tension in the arms can actually restrict your rotation and total distance.

Feel like your arms are along for the ride; maintain that position of hitting down and through at impact, and the ball flight should work out perfectly.

Finish and Hold Position

As I mentioned, the downswing and follow-through of the stinger shot are best when you can move your hands and wrists to the left as you make your way to impact. For me, the feeling of this is low and left.

When I hit a stinger shot, I think about making contact with a square clubface and then continuing the shot low and to the left of the target.

The finish is going to be considerably lower with the stinger than it is with a full swing.

Most players have the club to the side of their body, not up by their ear.

Also, keep in mind that this position still allows players a full transfer of weight onto their left side.

If you can’t transfer your weight forward all the way, don’t expect to get the same distance results.

Learn From Tiger Himself

As Tiger has gotten older, he has become more likely to share some of his secrets and how he has become the player he has.

TaylorMade worked with Tiger on a video explaining how he hits a stinger shot.

I’ll warn you; he makes this look really easy.

Let’s remember that Tiger has quite a bit of control over his body positions in his golf swing. For him to make, slight adjustments are rather simple. In addition, he has a ton of clubhead speed.

Take a look at this video to see how Tiger hits the stinger. You will find the basic approach to the shot to be similar to the one I explained, but it helps to see one of the best stinger shot golfers of all time do his thing.

FAQs

The stinger is a popular topic of discussion on the driving range. All you really need is to see Tiger Woods hit one or two of these, and you will likely be hooked on the concept of adding this shot to your game.

Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about hitting a stinger.

What is the difference between the stinger shot and the punch shot?

The stinger shot is intended for maximum distance; when you hit a stinger, it’s supposed to travel quite far and continues rolling even after it hits the ground.

Punch shots are shorter shots, usually to get out of trouble and get a ball back in play. Most punch shots only require a half swing, not a more complete motion like the stinger.

Which clubs can I use for a stinger?

Golfers can learn how to use everything from a driver to a 7 iron to hit a stinger shot. Most players find the most success with their longer irons.

However, the driver stinger shot is also quite popular when playing on windy days or when there is a tight fairway.

What is the best club to hit a stinger with?

The best club to hit a stinger with is usually the 5 or 4 iron.

If you still carry the 4 iron and haven’t switched to a hybrid, you can really turn this into almost like a driving iron by knowing how to hit a stinger.

Can you hit a stinger with a driver?

A driver is a great club to use to hit a stinger. Make sure you take that ¾ type of swing and finish with the club as low as you can.

This is what really helps to ensure the ball flight stays low and maximum distance is achieved.

How far is a stinger golf shot?

A stinger shot can be hundreds of yards; the key is to hit the ball with an accelerating clubhead and fast clubhead speeds.

The higher your swing speed, the higher the ball speed (and distance) will be for your stinger shot.

Do Stinger golf shots go farther?

Stinger golf shots can go further than traditional golf shots depending on course conditions and the accuracy of the strike.

Some stinger shots are very low spinning, so they roll for a long time; in addition, if the golf course is hard or packed down, the stinger can result in lots of roll distance.

What are the benefits of a Stinger?

Stinger shots help some players keep a golf ball in control, have more roll distance, and allow for a more penetrating ball flight in conditions where it is needed the most.

Summary

At this point, you should feel most confident about your ability to hit a stinger.

As I mentioned, I love this shot and have been so glad I had it in my bag at certain times throughout my golfing career.

For golfers that find they are only getting the average distance in the shots they hit, the stinger can help solve some of your distance problems on longer par 4 and par 5 holes.

Now the only thing you have left to do is get out there and start practicing.

Try to hit some stingers on the driving range before you take it out to the course.