SHORT GAME · DRILL GUIDE
Stinger Practice
A new hole every shot, a branch over the line and a carry past it. Keep the ball under the branch and still carry the target.
Free in your browser. Also on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
WHY IT WORKS
The problem, and the fix
Behind a tree on the course you need a shot that stays low and still goes the distance. On the range every shot is up in open air, so the low, running stinger never gets practiced against a real ceiling.
The goal: Control your height and your distance together: under the branch and far enough, every time.
Both have to happen. Every shot brings a new branch height and a new carry, never the same twice running, so you learn to flight the ball down on demand.
How it works
Five steps from opening the drill to a stinger you can call on.
- 1In Settings, set your carry range (50 to 100 yards to start, 100 at most) and how high the branches hang (15 to 30 feet to start).
- 2Each shot the app draws a new hole: a tree beside the fairway, in any season, with a branch over the line. The pill under the branch says how high it is, the pill at the ring the carry.
- 3The dashed yellow line is the stinger it takes: low, under the branch, down at the ring. The faint white one is a full shot, into the branch.
- 4Hit one shot: ball back in your stance, hands ahead, a shorter finish. Then tap Short (under it, not far enough), Made it (under the branch and carried) or Too high (it would have hit the branch). On a keyboard, 1, 2 or 3.
- 5A launch monitor or simulator tells you the peak height and the carry. Outdoors, pick a real branch or a flag on a pole at about that height, and a marker at the carry.
SEE IT IN ACTION
On iPad, iPhone and the web
Stinger Practice looks the same everywhere: in your browser on a phone, a tablet or a computer, and in the iPhone and iPad app. On a wide screen it uses two columns, so the buttons stay in reach.
THE ANSWER
One tap per shot
Made it, in the middle, is the one to hit: under the branch and far enough. Short sits on the left and Too high on the right, each shaded by its chance under a branch this high, so your usual miss stands out.
The trees change only in the picture. Your numbers go by branch height and carry.
Settings
Settings take effect from the next shot and follow you between your devices when you sign in.
Shortest and longest carry, 20 to 100 yards in steps of 10: 50 to 100 to start. Set it round your own punch or stinger with a wedge or short iron.
Lowest and highest branch, 5 to 60 feet in steps of 5: 15 to 30 to start. Lower is harder.
Profile ▸ Units ▸ Distance shows carries and branch heights in meters.
Progress and badges
Every shot is saved, so you can see how low you can go and still get there.
A row for each branch height, with every shot marked made it, too high or short.
Bars showing how often you got under the branch and far enough at each height and each carry, with Shots, Made it, Lowest made and Best run.
First session, 100 stingers, 500 stingers, 5 in a row, and Under the branches: make 60% or more of your shots in a session of at least 10.
Coaching tips
Move the ball back in your stance and keep your hands ahead of it through impact. That takes loft off at the strike.
A shorter, held-off finish keeps the ball down. A full release sends it up into the branch.
Take one more club than the carry needs and swing easier: less speed means less spin, and a lower flight.
SOUND AND HANDS-FREE
Keep your hands on the club
With Voice prompts on, the app says each shot as it comes up (“Under the branch. 20 feet, 80 yards.”). Voice prompts are off to start: turn them on in Profile, or with the drill’s Voice button for one session. Turn on Hands-free and it listens for your answer. Things you can say:
Works in browsers with speech recognition, such as Chrome and Safari, and in the iPhone app. You can always tap instead.
Questions
Why 100 yards at most?
It’s a short game drill: a punch or stinger with a wedge or short iron, the shot you play to get out from under a tree.
Does the kind of tree matter?
No. Beech, oak or palm, in any season, it only changes the picture. The branch height and the carry are what count.
I don’t have a launch monitor. Can I still do it?
Yes. Pick a real branch or a flag on a pole at about the height, a marker at the carry, and make the call yourself.
Can I use it on my Apple Watch?
Yes: Made it, Too high or Short, one tap each. It also runs on iPhone and iPad, with the same history when you sign in.
Ready for Stinger Practice?
Open it in your browser and keep your first shot under the branch. Practice as a guest, or sign in to sync with the iPhone app.
By David Golfs · Questions? david@davidgolfs.com