Zac Radford is a mini-tour player who has become something of a legend for his mastery of the stinger -- enough of a master for golf.com to run an article on his ability just under a year ago. The article focuses on his five technical basics, as well as providing a link to his Instagram. (He also has a YouTube channel, and that's where I got the video below.)
You can read the article and watch the video to get the details -- the video also teaches you how to hit a slicing stinger, a hooking stinger and a rising stinger -- but his first key is one you don't usually hear and I think it may be the real key to learning how to 'sting' it effectively.
Don't reach for the driver, at least not at the start. Begin with your 5-iron. Zac says he uses a 4-iron most of the time. And I think this one piece of advice could be the most critical for those of you trying to develop a stinger.
A 5-iron has more loft and a shorter shaft than a driver, making it easier to get the ball up off the ground while making it easier to make solid contact and get the ball in the fairway. And since a stinger is intended to get much of its distance from rolling, a 5-iron stinger is going to give you A LOT more distance than a standard 5-iron... and probably more than a wayward drive as well.
In short, if you're looking for a dependable shot to get you in the fairway, Zac just may have just handed you the keys to a very desirable drive. Give it a try and see if you don't agree.
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