Course Program

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

Up-and-down contest, for a 18-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Bizen

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 17.89 drills

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

1 to 45

Average HCP

17.8

Duration (single session)

3 hr 51 min

or

1 drill/day: 9 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Scoring29%
Accuracy22%
Aim18%
Distance Control10%
Alignment9%
Visualization5%
Dispersion4%
Precision4%

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 Scoring, Accuracy, Aim. For a 18-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.

Skill

Scoring

Shot

Sand

What you will improve

  • Scoring
  • Accuracy
  • Aim
  • Distance Control

Program details

Sessions
9 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 51 min
or
1 drill per day
9 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 Long

Short Game

Up to 5 players hit sand shot two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sand.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand  Long
1

Set up two sand piles 5 yards apart, 40 to 60 yards from the hole.

2

Hit 18 shots from the first pile, then 18 shots from the second pile.

3

Mark three landing zones around the hole, each 3 to 5 feet wide.

4

Try to land 12 shots in each different zone.

5

Hit 12 shots at the first zone.

6

Hit 12 shots at the second zone.

7

Hit 12 shots at the third zone. After all 36 shots, count how many landed and stopped in the right zone for each stage. Enter your total successful shots out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302824201612853
02

Sand | Perpendicular Piles | 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. One bucket of balls per player is needed.

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

Arrange 10 piles of balls in two lines that cross at a right angle, with 5 piles in each line. Each pile has 3 or 4 balls.

2

Place the piles 3 yards or meters apart, between 20 and 40 yards or meters from the hole, in sand bunkers and not on the green.

3

On the green, mark two target circles around the hole: an inner circle with a 6-foot or 2-meter radius (bullseye) and an outer circle with a 15-foot or 5-meter radius (outer bullseye).

4

Take 36 sand shots in total. Do 18 shots aiming for the inner bullseye, then 18 shots for the outer bullseye (including the inner).

5

Start at any pile and hit one sand shot at a time, trying to land the ball in the target area.

6

After 18 shots at the inner bullseye, switch to the outer bullseye for the next 18 shots.

7

Count each ball that stops inside the targeted circle as a success. Balls outside the outer circle are misses.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282418141063
03

Sand Mid

Short Game

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

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand  Mid
1

Pick two different bunker spots, each 20 to 40 yards from the hole.

2

Put Target A on the left and Target B on the right on the green, about 10 feet apart.

3

Hit 36 shots total: 18 from one spot, 18 from the other spot.

4

From each spot, hit 9 shots to Target A and 9 shots to Target B. Alternate every 3 shots.

5

Use the same setup and swing for all shots. Only change where you aim.

6

Count a shot as good if it stops within 3 feet of the target you aimed for.

7

Add up your good shots out of 36 and enter the score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282623191512963
04

Sand | Scattered Piles | 9 Stop Zones

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 inside 9 Stop Zones. Count the number of successful stops.

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

Scatter 36 balls into 9 piles of 4 balls each in the sand, 20 to 40 yards from the hole.

2

Mark 9 target zones on the green, spaced out evenly.

3

Hit 4 sand shots at each target zone, for a total of 36 shots.

4

After 4 shots at the first zone, move to the next and repeat for all 9 zones.

5

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

6

When finished, add up the number of balls that stopped in the right places and enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3330272318141074
05

Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

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

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

In a sand bunker, make two straight lines of golf balls. Put 18 balls in each line, spaced 1 foot apart. Lines should be 5 to 10 yards apart.

2

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

3

Stand in the bunker 20 to 40 yards from the hole.

4

Hit 9 shots from the first line, trying to land balls inside the 6-foot circle.

5

Hit 9 shots from the second line, trying to land balls inside the 15-foot circle but outside the 6-foot circle.

6

Do steps 4 and 5 two more times, switching lines and targets, until you hit 36 shots total.

7

Count how many balls stopped inside the 6-foot circle and the 15-foot circle. Enter the total number of successful shots out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612963
06

Sand Short

Short Game

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

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand  Short
1

Place 3 piles of 12 golf balls in the bunker, each pile in a different spot between 5 and 20 yards from the hole.

2

Mark 3 target zones on the green around the hole, each zone about 3 feet wide.

3

Hit balls from each pile and try to land them in each target zone, 12 shots per zone.

4

Count each ball that stops inside the right zone as a success.

5

After all shots, enter the number of successful balls out of 36 in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282623201612963
07

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
08

Sand | Parallel Piles | Bullseye 2x

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 Bullseye. Count the number of balls in the inner and outer Bullseye.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Parallel Piles | Bullseye 2x
1

Put 40 balls into 2 straight lines. Each line has 5 piles of 4 balls.

2

Make the lines 6-10 yards apart. Piles in each line should be 2 yards apart.

3

On the green, mark 2 circles around the hole: one small (6 feet from the hole), one big (15 feet from the hole).

4

Make 36 sand shots in total. Split them into 3 groups of 12 shots.

5

In the first group, try to land balls in the small circle.

6

In the second group, try to land balls in the big circle but not in the small one.

7

In the third group, try to land balls anywhere in the big circle (small or big both count).

8

Switch to the next pile every shot, changing between the two lines.

9

Each time a ball stops in the right circle for that group, count it as a success.

0

After all shots, add up your successful shots and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302824201512853
09

Sand | Parallel Piles | 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. One bucket of balls per player is needed.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Parallel Piles | Bullseye 2x
1

Set up 10 piles of golf balls in two lines in the sand. Each line has 5 piles, 4 yards apart, and the lines are 3 yards apart.

2

Put the piles 20 to 40 yards from the green.

3

Draw two circles on the green around the hole: one with a 6-foot radius (birdie zone), one with a 15-foot radius (par zone).

4

Hit 36 sand shots: 18 shots trying for the small circle, 18 shots trying for the bigger circle.

5

Start at any pile. Hit one shot at a time, aiming for the zone you need.

6

After 18 shots at the small circle, switch to aiming at the big circle for the last 18 shots.

7

Count a shot as good if it stops in the target circle. Shots outside the big circle are misses.

8

Add up how many good shots out of 36 and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282624201612963

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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