How To Play The Tiger Stinger With The Driver (or Irons)
When we hear the word stinger in golf, the first thought that often comes to mind is Tiger Woods and his famous 2 iron stinger he rips down the fairway.This golf shot is super important to have in your skill arsenal. If you don’t carry a 2- or 3-iron, a fairway wood will achieve similar results. The concept behind the shot can also be used for punch approach shots to receptive greens, using any club down to a pitching wedge.On windy days, you can use it to maximize distance by hitting that low flying drive that stays low and runs like crazy upon landing. Meanwhile, your playing partners are watching their drives get hung up in the wind, losing 50 yards off their normal distances.
So what's the secret? How do we perfect the stinger like Tiger?
To hit the “stinger” you want to produce a low dynamic loft when you strike the golf ball in order to create a low launch and low spin. By default, you're used to hitting with high dynamic loft so it can make the transition a challenge at first but once you master it, you can hit this golf shot on command any time you need.
How to Hit with Low Dynamic Loft
To produce low dynamic loft, we want to create forward shaft lean at impact which basically means the grip of your club is ahead of the clubface when striking the golf ball. This delofts the face which helps lower the launch angle and back spin rate.
In order to create a forward shaft lean at impact you'll need to change a few things during set up.
1. Start by moving the golf ball a little further back in your stance and place a little more weight on your lead side (left side for right handers). This simple adjustment in set up will set your hands forward at address and will help you produce a slight downward hit on the ball.
2. Choke down about an inch on the grip for added control. These adjustments should cause your arms and the shaft to form a “y”. Make a smooth, full backswing, and try to retain this “y” as much as possible throughout the swing.
3. Now the key to creating a low loft and square face at impact is in the lead wrist. The stinger’s low trajectory and extra roll result from the bowed wrist position at impact. To practice getting the bowed wrist feeling, simply make a swing with your lead arm, without a club. Return the hand to impact with your lead wrist “bowed” so that the logo on the glove points to the ground directly in front of the ball. This is a great “feeling” in the golf swing to help lean the shaft forward and square the face up when striking the golf ball
4. Lastly, make sure you maintain this low loft through impact and during the follow through. The mental swing thought is to hit the ball and stop. This prevents the wrists from flipping over or “releasing” after impact.
Once you achieve the bowed impact, the finish flows naturally, as the trunk and arms rotate the club around to the left. Instead of causing a slice, this allows for a low, running draw. The faster the body unwinds, the farther you can hit the ball.
The finish should feel very different from a normal swing where the hands turn over. To “sting” it, the wrists stay firm, and the left elbow folds down toward the ground.
Daniel Guest grew up surrounded by golf. His great, great grandfather played professionally in Scotland, and his great-uncle, Thomas Fischer, became the first golf professional at the DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware.
As the founder of Imagen Golf, Daniel Guest has redefined how players learn, practice, and experience the game.
Top 100 Coach Daniel Guest combines Trackman iO, app-based lesson storage, and remote weekly check-ins to provide 24/7 coaching support.
If you tried to book a Saturday morning tee time recently and found yourself staring at a screen that looked more like a sold-out Taylor Swift concert than a municipal golf course, you aren’t alone. According to a year-end message from the National Golf Foundation (NGF), more people are playing golf in more ways than at any time in recorded history. For the crusty veteran who misses the days of the four-hour round and empty fairways, this might sound like a nightmare. But for anyone who loves the vitality, future, and "cool factor" of our sport, we are officially living in the Golden Age of Golf. Here is what the numbers actually mean for your game, your wallet, and that lukewarm hot dog at the turn.
The calendar page is about to flip, and with it, the conversation that's been bubbling beneath the surface of the golf world is set to boil over: Tiger Woods turns 50 on December 30th. That golden birthday means a gold-plated invite to the PGA Tour Champions. As President of Imagen Golf, I've spent years analyzing swings, but with Tiger, we're not just looking at a swing—we're analyzing the DNA of a champion's competitive spirit, and that is where the real story lies.
Hello, I'm Daniel Guest from Imagen Golf, and today we're tackling a topic that chills many golfers: playing in the cold. It’s not just you; the cold weather fundamentally changes how your equipment—specifically the golf ball—performs, and that directly impacts your shot.1 Understanding these effects is the first step toward better cold-weather scoring.
Expert short game lesson guidance for Newtown residents. Learn how to choose the right golf instructor and what to expect from quality short game instruction.
Expert outdoor golf lesson guidance for Lansdale residents. Learn how to choose the right golf instructor and what to expect from quality outdoor instruction.
Find reliable indoor golf instruction in Chalfont. Local insights and tips to help Chalfont homeowners make informed decisions about indoor golf lessons.
Expert group golf lesson guidance for New Britain residents. Learn how to choose the right golf instructor and what to expect from quality group instruction.