Against the wind, downwind, narrow fairways, under pressure, or slump. Each of these things have one thing in common other than dreadful. They can all be less dreadful by use of the knockdown shot. This particular shot is also known respectively as the Tiger Woods “Stinger” which he used primarily in his 2000-2002 seasons to conquer the field. While other players were having to carefully maneuver 3 woods and drivers into very tight landings, Tiger was taking out his two iron and knocking the ball about ten feet off the ground, 280 yards into play.
Golf is not a game of how high or how far you can hit the ball. Golf is a game of getting the ball in the hole in the fewest amount of strokes possible. That being said, today we are going to cover the basics of how to hit the knockdown shot, so that you can eliminate mistakes when playing in any condition on any course and help lower those scores!
You do not need to wear red on Sunday, have a 2 iron in your bag, or hit the ball 270 yards to be able to pull off this shot. All you need is a few minor adjustments and you’re ready to go!
Set Up:
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Place the ball approximately an inch or two further back in your stance. If you are right handed you’re going to move the ball back in your stance towards your right foot, and the opposite for a lefty.
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Position your grip about an inch further down (toward the shaft).
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You want to make sure that you have most of your weight shifted to your left foot. (Right foot for lefty’s)
Visual:
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After making these adjustments you should be able to visually see a “Y” with your arms and the club. You want to keep this “Y” the entire duration of the swing as best as you can. This means that you are going to have to keep a firm left wrist.
Swing:
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You want to have the idea in your head that you are going to swing and stop! Take the club back as normal, but once you hit the ball attempt to stop your swing. This is not a punch shot. You want to go ahead and take a full swing, you just need to focus on keeping your finish very low and compact.
This shot can be used anywhere, in any condition, by any player. It will help you keep the shot in play, help you to maximize on distance and roll in tight positions, and help you lower your score by avoiding trouble! The great thing about this shot is that it can be used with any club as well. .
“No matter how good you get you can always get better and that’s the exciting part.”
— TIGER WOODS
-Briana Sweeny
