Course Program

Up-and-down contest: how many can you save in a row?

Up-and-down contest, for a 24-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Master

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 23.97 drills

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

6 to 45

Average HCP

23.9

Duration (single session)

3 hr 2 min

or

1 drill/day: 7 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Scoring35%
Accuracy15%
Distance Control14%
Alignment14%
Aim13%
Visualization3%
Precision3%
Trajectory1%

Overview

Program Structure

Up-and-down contest: how many can you save in a row?. Up-and-down contest and turn into birdies. Focus on Scoring, Accuracy, Distance Control. For a 24-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.

Skill

Scoring

Shot

Pitch

What you will improve

  • Scoring
  • Accuracy
  • Distance Control
  • Alignment

Program details

Sessions
7 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 2 min
or
1 drill per day
7 days · 26 min/day

Drill Framework

Program breakdown

Each drill is designed to prepare you for the course. Follow the program or repeat the drills to improve key areas of your game.

01

Pitch | Parallel Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch shot in the bullseye. The best final score relative to PAR wins the challenge. Up to 80 balls are needed.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Parallel Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x
1

Put 4 straight lines of 9 balls each on the ground. Space balls 1 foot apart. Space each line 5 yards apart.

2

Set up these lines between 30 and 60 yards from the hole, on grass but not on the green.

3

On the green, make two circles around the hole: one with a 6-foot radius and one with a 15-foot radius.

4

Hit all 36 balls (9 from each line).

5

Hit every ball in a line before going to the next line. Any order.

6

Try to land each shot in the small or big circle around the hole.

7

If the ball stops inside the small circle, count as birdie. If the ball stops in the big circle but not the small, count as par.

8

Count how many balls finished in the big circle (including the small circle).

9

Enter this number in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612853
02

Pitch| Parallel Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 parallel lines 20 balls per line and stop pitch shots inside the Bullseye. Count the number of balls in the inner and outer Bullseye.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch| Parallel Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x
1

Put two lines of 18 balls on the ground, with lines 5-10 yards/meters apart, and balls 1 foot/30 cm apart in each line.

2

Mark two circles around the hole: an inner circle with a 6 ft/2 m radius, and an outer circle with a 15 ft/5 m radius.

3

Hit 36 shots, 18 from each line.

4

Hit 3 shots from the first line, then 3 from the second line, and keep switching every 3 shots until all 36 are done.

5

Count balls that stop in the inner or outer circle. Balls outside both circles are misses.

6

Enter the number of balls inside either circle in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282624201612853
03

Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped deep rough and other extreme grass types; one bucket with balls above feet level, and one bucket with balls below feet level.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet
1

Put 4 piles of 9 balls on a slope, 2 piles above feet, 2 piles below feet, 30 to 60 yards from the hole.

2

Mark 3 target zones on the green: left, center, right, each about 6 feet wide.

3

Hit 36 pitch shots, 18 from above feet piles, 18 from below feet piles.

4

For each area (above and below feet), hit 6 shots to each zone.

5

Switch between piles of the same area as you hit, aiming for the target zone.

6

A shot counts if the ball stops in the right zone.

7

Count how many shots went in the target zones and enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score292724201612964
04

Pitch | Perpendicular Piles | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch shot in the bullseye. The best final score relative to PAR wins the challenge. One bucket of balls per player is needed.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Perpendicular Piles | Bullseye 2x
1

Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines that cross each other, with each pile about 3 yards/meters apart.

2

Place the piles 30 to 60 yards/meters from the hole on similar grass.

3

Mark two circles on the green: a small 6-foot (2-meter) circle and a bigger 15-foot (5-meter) circle around the hole.

4

Take 36 shots: 18 try to land in the small circle, 18 try to land in the outer circle but not in the small circle.

5

Start with any pile and hit 18 shots for the small circle.

6

For the next 18 shots, try to land in the outer circle but not in the small circle.

7

Count a shot as a success if it lands in the circle you are aiming for.

8

After each shot, pick a different pile at random to hit from.

9

Count how many successful shots you made for each circle out of 36 attempts and enter your score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141075
05

Pitch| Scattered Piles | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal piles of 5 balls and stop pitch shots close to multiple targets. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch| Scattered Piles | Multiple Targets
1

Put 36 balls into 6 piles with 6 balls in each pile between 30 and 60 yards from the hole.

2

Place 3 flags on the green far apart and label them A, B, and C.

3

Hit 36 pitch shots, in 3 sets of 12 shots.

4

Hit 12 balls so they stop within 10 feet of flag A.

5

Hit 12 balls so they stop within 10 feet of flag B. Use any pile.

6

Hit 12 balls so they stop within 10 feet of flag C.

7

Hit from any pile and change piles or targets as needed.

8

Count each shot that stops within 10 feet of the target as a success.

9

Count the total successful shots and enter the score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612963
06

Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped deep rough and other extreme grass types; one bucket from the uphill slope and one bucket from the downhill slope.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill
1

Find a place on the uphill slope, 30 to 40 yards from the hole, to hit all shots.

2

Put a target (like a pin or club) at the hole or a visible spot on the green.

3

Split 36 shots into 2 groups of

4

Hit 18 balls from the uphill slope, trying to stop them close to the target.

5

Move to a similar place on the downhill slope at the same distance.

6

Hit 18 balls from the downhill slope at the same target.

7

Count how many balls stop in the chosen scoring area around the target (example: within 3 feet).

8

Add up successful shots out of 36 attempts and enter the score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129262218141063
07

Pitch | Fairway | Flat

Short Game

Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the flat fairway.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Fairway | Flat
1

Pick two spots on the fairway that are 30 to 60 yards from the hole.

2

Put three targets on the green, spaced at least 6 feet apart.

3

Hit 18 pitch shots from the first spot and 18 pitch shots from the second spot.

4

From each spot, hit 6 shots to each target.

5

Line up and aim at each target before hitting.

6

Count every shot that lands close to the target and stops there as a success.

7

After all 36 shots, record how many were successful out of 36 in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

Start the drills at your own pace or work with a coach to inside drills.golf.