Course Program

Save par with a clutch bunker shot—pressure drill

Save par clutch, for a 16-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Cathedral Canyon Golf Club

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 16.17 drills77% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

3 to 45

Average HCP

16.1

Duration (single session)

3 hr 2 min

or

1 drill/day: 7 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Accuracy29%
Scoring27%
Distance Control14%
Aim14%
Precision11%
Dispersion3%
Visualization3%

Overview

Program Structure

Save par with a clutch bunker shot—pressure drill. Save par clutch and up-and-down contest. Focus on Accuracy, Scoring, Distance Control. For a 16-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.

Skill

Scoring

Shot

Sand

What you will improve

  • Accuracy
  • Scoring
  • Distance Control
  • Aim

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

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
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 Short

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  Short
1

Make two piles of 18 golf balls, 5 yards apart, in two bunkers: one bunker is 5 yards from the hole, the other is 20 yards from the hole.

2

Mark three zones on the green: Close (within 3 feet), Medium (3 to 6 feet), Far (6 to 10 feet).

3

Hit 18 shots from the 5-yard bunker and 18 shots from the 20-yard bunker.

4

For each bunker, aim 6 shots at each zone.

5

Hit each shot the same way. Try to land the ball in the right zone.

6

If the ball lands and stops in the target zone, it counts as a success.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score292724201512963
04

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
05

Sand | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls in the sand (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 perpendicular 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 | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x
1

Arrange 36 balls in 2 straight lines in the sand, 18 balls in each line, balls 1 foot apart, lines 5 to 10 yards apart.

2

Mark two circle targets on the green: inner Bullseye 6-foot radius, outer Bullseye 15-foot radius around the hole.

3

Hit all 36 balls from the sand aiming for the target circles on the green.

4

Hit 3 balls from one line, then 3 from the other line, repeat until all 36 are hit.

5

Balls inside the inner Bullseye count as 'birdie', balls inside the outer (but outside inner) count as 'par'.

6

Count total balls in the Bullseye circles as your score, enter the number out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
06

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
07

Sand | Scattered 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 | Scattered Piles | Bullseye 2x
1

Place two piles of balls in the sand 20-40 yards from the hole.

2

Make two circles around the hole on the green: one with a 6-foot radius and another with a 15-foot radius.

3

Hit 36 shots: 18 aimed for the small circle, 18 aimed for the area between the small and big circles.

4

Hit 18 balls, trying to land them in the small circle.

5

Hit 18 balls, trying to land them in the area between the two circles.

6

A ball in the right area counts as a success.

7

Count the number of balls in the right spots as you go.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612853

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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