Course Program

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

Up-and-down contest, for a 26-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Arrowhead Gc

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 25.67 drills69% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

4 to 45

Average HCP

25.6

Duration (single session)

2 hr 59 min

or

1 drill/day: 7 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Distance Control31%
Scoring26%
Aim13%
Dispersion8%
Trajectory7%
Accuracy7%
Alignment7%

Overview

Program Structure

Up-and-down contest: how many can you save in a row?. Turn into par saves and up-and-down contest. Focus on Distance Control, Scoring, Aim. For a 26-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.

Skill

Scoring

Shot

Sand

What you will improve

  • Distance Control
  • Scoring
  • Aim
  • Dispersion

Program details

Sessions
7 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
2 hr 59 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

Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a sand 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 Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x
1

Make 4 straight lines of 9 balls each in the sand bunker, with 1 foot between each ball.

2

Place the lines 3 yards apart from each other, and make sure all balls are between 20 and 40 yards from the hole.

3

On the green, make two circles: a small circle around the hole (6-foot radius) and a bigger circle (15-foot radius).

4

Hit 36 balls in total: 12 try for the small circle, 12 try for the big circle but outside the small, 12 can land anywhere on the green.

5

Hit the first 12 balls aiming for the small circle.

6

Hit the next 12 balls aiming for the big circle but outside the small one.

7

Hit the last 12 balls onto the green without worrying where they end up.

8

Count each ball that stops where it is supposed to for that round.

9

Add up how many balls landed in the right spots out of 36 tries and enter your score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3331282419151174
02

Sand | Parallel Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) in the sand into 10 equal parallel piles of 4 balls and stop sand shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Parallel Piles | Quadrants
1

Make 9 piles with 4 balls each, for a total of 36 balls. Put the piles in two lines on the sand, lines are 5 to 10 yards/meters apart, and place the setup between 5 and 60 yards/meters from the hole.

2

On the green, mark out 4 equal areas inside a 10-foot (3-meter) circle using string or tees.

3

Hit 36 sand shots, dividing them so that 9 shots try to stop in each of the 4 marked areas.

4

Take shots from each pile, trying to land the ball in the current area.

5

After 9 shots for one area, change to the next area. Keep going until all 36 shots are done.

6

Count how many balls stop in the correct area.

7

Enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282623191511853
03

Sand | Scattered Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls in the sand (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal piles of 5 balls and stop sand shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Scattered Piles | Quadrants
1

Make 8 piles of 5 balls each (total 40 balls) in sand bunkers 20–40 yards from the hole.

2

On the green, make a 10-foot circle around the hole. Divide the circle into 4 quadrants.

3

Hit 36 shots from the sand. Aim for 9 shots in each quadrant.

4

Hit from different piles to change distance and angle.

5

Try to stop each ball in the right quadrant. Count only the shots that stop in the correct quadrant.

6

Count successful shots in the correct quadrants. Enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612963
04

Sand | Scattered Piles | Multiple Targets

Short Game

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

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

Divide 40 golf balls into 8 piles of 5 balls each in the sand between 5 and 60 yards/meters from the hole.

2

On the green, set up 3 flag targets in a straight line, each 6 feet (2 meters) apart. Label them Target A, Target B, and Target C.

3

Hit 36 sand shots in total, with 12 shots aimed at each target.

4

Start from any pile. Hit 12 shots at Target A.

5

Move to Target B, hit 12 shots, then hit the last 12 shots at Target C.

6

Switch between piles after every 2 to 5 shots.

7

Count a shot as a success if it stops within 10 feet (3 meters) of the target.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129272318131074
05

Sand | Scattered Ball Lines | Quadrants

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls in the sand (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal lines of 5 balls and stop sand shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.

23 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Scattered Ball Lines | Quadrants
1

Put 32 balls in 8 lines of 4 balls each, spaced about 2 feet apart, in the sand area 20–40 yards from the hole.

2

On the green, mark a circle with a 10-foot radius around the hole.

3

Divide the circle into 4 equal parts (quadrants) using two lines that cross at the hole.

4

For each line of 4 balls, choose one quadrant and try to hit all 4 balls so they stop inside that quadrant.

5

After finishing one line and quadrant, move to another line and aim at a new quadrant. Do this until all 8 lines and quadrants are done.

6

Count each ball that stops in the chosen quadrant.

7

Add up the number of successful shots out of 32 and enter score in the app, out of 32 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions32
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score2826242016131074
06

Sand | Perpendicular Piles | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls in the sand (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal perpendicular piles of 4 balls and stop sand shots inside 9 Stop Zones. Count the number of successful stops.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Perpendicular Piles | 9 Stop Zones
1

Place 36 balls into 9 piles of 4 balls each. Space the piles in two crossing lines about 5 to 10 yards apart. Keep piles in each line about 2 yards apart. Make sure the piles are 20 to 40 yards from the hole.

2

On the green, make 9 stop zones with buckets, tees, or string. Keep zones clear and not overlapping.

3

Hit 36 sand shots, trying to stop 4 balls in each stop zone.

4

Hit 4 shots from the first pile to the first stop zone. Move to the next pile and aim at the next zone.

5

Keep going until you finish 36 shots, 4 to each zone.

6

Count each shot that stops in the right zone as one success.

7

Add the total number of successes out of 36 attempts and enter the score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282521161285
07

Sand | Perpendicular Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls in the sand (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal perpendicular piles of 4 balls and hit-and-land sand shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Perpendicular Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

Put 36 balls into 10 piles near the sand, each pile with 3 or 4 balls, about 2 yards apart, in two lines between 20 and 40 yards from the hole.

2

On the green, set up three landing zones with sticks or string, each zone 6 feet apart in a straight line.

3

Hit 36 sand shots total: 12 shots for Zone 1, 12 shots for Zone 2, 12 shots for Zone

4

Start hitting balls from any pile, aiming at Zone

1

Do 12 shots, then aim for Zone 2 for 12 shots, then Zone 3 for 12 shots.

5

You can pick balls from any pile, but keep aiming for the same zone until you finish its 12 shots.

6

Count a shot as successful if it lands and stays in the right zone.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612964

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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