By Tiger Woods
With Pete McDaniel and Mark Soltau
Photo By J.D. Cuban
July 2009
Controlling trajectory is part of the fun of the game. I like hitting knockdowns because that's the way the game was played in the old days to combat windy conditions at links courses.
One of my coolest shots is the stinger with a fairway wood. It's a great control tee shot that bores into the wind. I can hit it with the driver as well, using the same technique. It flies low and runs out there nicely.
Basically, I set up in a slightly narrower stance than normal but use my standard ball position, just inside my left heel for the driver and fairway woods.
My swing thought is to keep my hands leading the club past impact by softening my elbows. I take a little divot when I hit this shot with a fairway wood (above). I also get more extension through the shot by keeping the club pointing to the ground as long as possible.
The release point determines the shot shape. I usually hit a little draw with the stinger, releasing the club naturally. If I want to play a low cut, I hold off the release a fraction of a second through impact.
Tiger Woods writes instruction articles only for Golf Digest. Ask Tiger a question.
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