Course Program

Open up and let it fly: alignment for flop shots

Set up for high shot, for a 21-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Asuncion

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 21.14 drills

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

7 to 45

Average HCP

21.1

Duration (single session)

1 hr 44 min

or

1 drill/day: 4 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Alignment28%
Distance Control23%
Accuracy20%
Precision10%
Scoring8%
Aim8%
Dispersion5%

Overview

Program Structure

Open up and let it fly: alignment for flop shots. Open up and fly and set up for high shot. Focus on Alignment, Distance Control, Accuracy. For a 21-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.

Skill

Alignment

Shot

Flop

What you will improve

  • Alignment
  • Distance Control
  • Accuracy
  • Precision

Program details

Sessions
4 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
1 hr 44 min
or
1 drill per day
4 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

Flop | Rough | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Up to 5 players hit flop shot two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped rough grass; one bucket with balls above feet level, and one bucket with balls below feet level.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Rough | Above/Below Feet
1

Place 36 golf balls into 6 piles of 6 balls each around the practice green.

2

Set up 2 target zones on the green about 6 feet apart: Zone A (closer to the edge) and Zone B (closer to the hole).

3

Hit 36 flop shots: 18 shots for Zone A and 18 for Zone B.

4

First, from piles above your feet, hit 3 shots per pile to Zone A, then 3 shots per pile to Zone B, switching piles as needed.

5

Next, repeat the same sequence from piles below your feet: 9 shots to Zone A and 9 shots to Zone B.

6

Count shots that land and stop inside the correct zone as a success.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score292724201612853
02

Flop | Perpendicular Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 perpendicular lines 20 balls per line and stop flop shots inside 9 Stop Zones. Count the number of successful stops.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Perpendicular Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones
1

Put 36 balls in two crossing lines with 18 balls in each line. Balls are 1 foot apart.

2

Make 9 stop zones on the green using tees, strings, or markers. Keep them spaced out and easy to see.

3

Hit 4 flop shots to each stop zone. This makes 36 shots total (4 shots for each of the 9 zones).

4

From the first line of balls, hit 4 shots, one to each of the first 4 stop zones.

5

From the second line, hit 4 shots, one to each of the next 4 stop zones.

6

Use the rest of the balls to hit 4 shots to the 9th stop zone, then enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

7

Count a shot a success only if the ball stops inside the right stop zone.

8

Add your total successful shots out of 36 and enter the score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
03

Flop | Rough | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Hit flop shot two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped rough grass; one bucket with balls above feet level, one bucket with balls below feet level.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Rough | Above/Below Feet
1

Place 18 balls on a slope above the feet, and 18 balls on a slope below the feet, on opposite sides near the green.

2

Set one target on the green at a short distance between 10 and 20 yards.

3

Hit 36 flop shots: 18 from above the feet, 18 from below the feet.

4

Every 3 shots, change aim to left, center, or right of the target. Hit 6 shots at each aim for both slopes.

5

Try to land each ball close to the target.

6

Count a shot as successful if the ball lands within 3 feet of the target.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074
04

Flop | Deep Rough and Other | Flat

Short Game

Up to 5 players hit flop shot two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the flat deep rough and other extreme grass types.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Deep Rough and Other | Flat
1

Set up 3 target zones on the green, spaced about 4 feet apart in a row.

2

Place all golf balls together in a pile 10 yards from the green, outside the deep rough.

3

Hit 36 flop shots from the rough, aiming 12 shots at each zone.

4

Hit 12 shots to Zone

5

Hit 12 shots to Zone

6

Hit 12 shots to Zone

7

Count each shot that lands and stays in the correct zone as a success.

8

Add how many successes out of 36, and enter the score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score312926221713963

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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