Course Program

Pick your landing spot and trust your swing—flop shot challenge

Pick landing spot, for a 29-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Cayuga Golf Club

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 28.79 drills49% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

8 to 45

Average HCP

28.7

Duration (single session)

3 hr 53 min

or

1 drill/day: 9 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Aim33%
Alignment19%
Scoring12%
Distance Control11%
Precision9%
Dispersion9%
Accuracy5%
Trajectory2%

Overview

Program Structure

Pick your landing spot and trust your swing—flop shot challenge. Aim for soft landing and fly over bunker. Focus on Aim, Alignment, Scoring. For a 29-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.

Skill

Aim

Shot

Flop

What you will improve

  • Aim
  • Alignment
  • Scoring
  • Distance Control

Program details

Sessions
9 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 53 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

Flop | Parallel Piles | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal parallel piles of 4 balls and stop flop shots close to multiple targets. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Parallel Piles | Multiple Targets
1

Set up 3 flags spaced about 6 feet apart.

2

Make 9 piles of 4 balls each, with two lines and space between them.

3

Put the piles 5 to 20 yards away from the flags, but keep the piles the same.

4

Hit 36 flop shots in 3 groups of

5

For each group, try to land balls within 10 feet of the right flag, first flag, second flag, then third.

6

Switch between piles as you want.

7

Each ball that stays within 10 feet of the right flag counts as a success.

8

Count the successful shots.

9

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score312926221713963
02

Flop | Rough | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Hit flop shot two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped rough grass; one bucket from the uphill slope and one bucket from the downhill slope.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Rough | Uphill/Downhill
1

Place two ball markers on the green, about 10 feet apart.

2

Choose a spot on the uphill slope, 5 to 20 yards from the hole. Use this spot every time for the test.

3

Hit 18 flop shots from this spot. Aim at the targets, switching every 3 shots between them until all 18 shots are done.

4

Move to a spot on the downhill slope, 5 to 20 yards from the hole. Use this spot every time for these shots.

5

Hit 18 flop shots from the downhill spot. Switch targets every 3 shots until all 18 are done.

6

Count shots that stop within 3 feet of the marker as successful.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282624201612853
03

Flop | Scattered Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal lines of 5 balls and stop flop shots inside Bullseye. Count the number of balls in the inner and outer Bullseye.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Scattered Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x
1

Put 36 balls in 6 straight lines. Each line has 6 balls. Each ball is 1 yard or meter apart. Place lines 5-20 yards or meters from the hole, not on the green.

2

On the green, make two circles around the hole with string or tees: one small circle with a 6 foot/2 meter radius, and one bigger circle with a 15 foot/5 meter radius.

3

Hit all 6 balls in a line toward the hole, trying to land them inside the circles.

4

For the first 18 hits, try to land balls in the small circle. For the next 18 hits, try to land balls in the big circle.

5

After hitting one line, go to another line and repeat until all 36 balls are hit.

6

Count how many balls stop inside the right circle for each try. Enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201512852
04

Flop | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Hit flop shot 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, one bucket with balls below feet level.

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

Put 18 balls in one bucket for shots above your feet, and 18 balls in another bucket for shots below your feet.

2

On the practice green, set up 3 target zones in a row, about 10 to 15 feet from the hole.

3

Split the 36 balls into 3 groups of 12 balls.

4

For the first 12 balls, hit from above feet and aim for Target Zone

5

For the next 12 balls, hit from below feet and aim for Target Zone

6

For the last 12 balls, switch between above and below feet every 2 balls and aim for Target Zone

7

Always keep the ball on the correct slope as needed, only change which target zone you aim at as above.

8

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

9

When done, count how many successes out of 36 and enter the score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282624201612853
05

Flop | Parallel Ball Lines | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 parallel lines 20 balls per line and stop flop shots close to multiple targets. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Parallel Ball Lines | Multiple Targets
1

Put down two lines of 18 balls each, spaced 1 foot apart. Place the lines 5 to 10 yards apart.

2

Set up three targets on the green, at least 6 feet apart.

3

Hit 12 flop shots to each target, for 36 shots total.

4

Hit 6 flop shots from the first ball line to the first target, then 6 from the second line to the same target.

5

Do the same for the second and third targets, always switching lines.

6

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

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201512964
06

Flop | Scattered Ball Lines | Multiple Targets

Short Game

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

25 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Scattered Ball Lines | Multiple Targets
1

Make 7 lines of 5 balls each (35 balls total), with balls 1 yard apart. Put the lines on grass 5 to 20 yards from the hole, not on the green.

2

Put 5 markers on the green, each 6 feet apart.

3

Match each line of balls to a marker on the green.

4

Hit all 5 balls in the line as flop shots at the marker. Move to the next line and repeat with the next marker.

5

Count how many balls land within 10 feet of the marker.

6

When done, count total balls inside 10 feet, and enter score in the app out of 35 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions35
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
07

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
08

Flop | Deep Rough and Other | Flat

Short Game

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

Put two target zones on the green, 6 feet apart. Call them Zone A and Zone B.

2

Set up in deep rough, 15 to 40 yards from the green.

3

Hit 36 flop shots: 18 at Zone A, 18 at Zone B.

4

Hit 3 shots at Zone A, then 3 shots at Zone B. Repeat until all shots are done.

5

Count a success if the ball stops inside the target zone.

6

Keep the ball in the same place for every shot. Only aim changes.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score312926221713963
09

Flop | Perpendicular Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a flop shot inside the landing zone(s). The player with the most points at the end wins the challenge. One bucket of balls per player is needed.

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

Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines, making a cross. Each line has 5 piles. Piles are 3 yards or meters apart and are between 5 and 40 yards or meters from the hole on grass.

2

On the green, use sticks, clubs, or string to mark 3 landing zones in a straight line, spaced 3 feet or 1 meter apart.

3

There are 36 flop shots in total. Divide them into 3 groups of 12 shots, aiming each group at a different landing zone.

4

Pick any pile to start. Hit each shot, trying to land the ball in the right zone.

5

After 12 shots to the first zone, do 12 shots to the next zone, then finish with 12 shots to the last zone.

6

Count the number of balls that land and stop in the correct zone.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612853

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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