Course Program

Pinpoint your sand shots: leave yourself a tap-in every time

Precision from tough lie, for a 14-handicap player, ~15 minutes at East Nine

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 13.79 drills

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

3 to 45

Average HCP

13.7

Duration (single session)

3 hr 54 min

or

1 drill/day: 9 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Distance Control29%
Precision27%
Dispersion15%
Aim9%
Trajectory9%
Alignment5%
Scoring4%
Accuracy3%

Overview

Program Structure

Pinpoint your sand shots: leave yourself a tap-in every time. Precision from tough lie and thread the gap. Focus on Distance Control, Precision, Dispersion. For a 14-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.

Skill

Precision

Shot

Sand

What you will improve

  • Distance Control
  • Precision
  • Dispersion
  • Aim

Program details

Sessions
9 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 54 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 | Parallel Piles | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a sand shot in the stop 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 Sand | Parallel Piles | 9 Stop Zones
1

Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines in a sand bunker. Lines are 3 yards/meters apart, piles in each line are 4 yards/meters apart.

2

Place the piles 20 to 40 yards/meters from the hole.

3

On the green, make 9 stop zones in a 3x3 grid using tees, buckets, or string. Space them evenly.

4

Hit 36 sand shots, with 4 shots aimed at each of the 9 zones.

5

From a pile, hit 4 balls aiming for the first zone. Repeat for each zone until all 9 are done.

6

Score 1 point for each ball that stops in the target zone.

7

Keep the ball setup and distance the same. Only change the target zone.

8

After 36 shots, count total successful balls in the zones and enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201512963
02

Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | Quadrants

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a sand shot inside the quadrant(s). The player with the most points at the end wins the challenge. 25 balls per player are needed.

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

Lay out 4 lines of 9 balls each, spaced 1 foot apart.

2

Put these lines on grass, 20 to 40 yards from the hole for sand shots.

3

On the green mark 4 equal quadrants, each a 6-foot circle around the hole.

4

Hit 36 sand shots, in 4 groups of

5

For each group of 9 shots, try to stop balls inside one specific quadrant.

6

Start with quadrant 1 and hit 9 shots, then do the same for quadrants 2, 3, and

7

Count how many balls stop inside the planned quadrant.

8

Add the number of successful stops.

9

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129272318141174
03

Sand | Perpendicular Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

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

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

Set up 10 piles of balls in 2 lines, each line has 5 piles, spaced 3 yards/meters apart. The 2 lines are 5 to 10 yards/meters apart.

2

Put the piles on grass, 20 to 40 yards/meters from the hole.

3

On the green, mark 4 equal circles (quadrants) around the hole with string or tees. Each circle is 6 feet (2 meters) from the hole.

4

Hit 36 sand shots total. Hit 9 balls into each circle.

5

Start at any pile. For each shot, try to land the ball inside the chosen circle.

6

After 9 shots at one circle, move to the next. Repeat until all 36 shots are done.

7

Count each ball that stops in the target circle as a success.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282622181410742
04

Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a sand shot in the stop zone(s). The player with the most points at the end wins the challenge. Up to 80 balls are needed.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones
1

Set up 4 lines of balls in the bunker. Each line has 9 balls. Balls are 1 foot apart.

2

Mark 9 stop zones on the green. Space them out so there is 1 zone for each shot.

3

Hit 36 sand shots: 4 balls for each zone.

4

For each shot, aim to stop the ball inside the zone on the green.

5

Hit 4 balls for the first zone, then 4 for the second, and keep going until all 9 zones are done.

6

Count balls that stop inside the right zone as successful.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
05

Sand | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Multiple Targets

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 close to multiple targets. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Multiple Targets
1

Place 40 balls in a sand bunker. Make 2 lines with 18 balls each, 1 foot apart, crossing each other.

2

Pick 4 targets 20-40 yards from the bunker.

3

Assign 9 shots to each target, switching between the 2 ball lines for each target.

4

For the first target, hit 9 balls from the first line. Try to get each ball within 10 feet of the target.

5

Switch to the second line. Hit 9 balls to the second target, aiming within 10 feet again.

6

Keep switching lines and targets until all 36 shots are done.

7

Count all successful shots that end up within 10 feet of the target.

8

Enter your total number of successful shots out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
06

Sand | Parallel Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a sand 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 Sand | Parallel Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines of 5 piles each. The lines are 3 yards apart. Piles in each line are 4 yards apart.

2

Place the piles on sand bunkers, 20 to 40 yards from the hole, not on the green.

3

On the green, mark 3 landing zones in a row, each 2 meters wide, spaced 2 meters apart.

4

Take 36 sand shots: 12 shots for each landing zone.

5

Start from any pile and hit 12 shots at Zone 1, then 12 shots at Zone 2, then 12 shots at Zone

6

Each ball that stops in the target zone counts as a success.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074
07

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
08

Sand | Parallel Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

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

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

Set up 10 piles of balls in two rows with 5 piles in each row. Leave 3 yards (2 meters) between the rows, and 4 yards (4 meters) between piles in each row.

2

Put these piles in the sand area, 20 to 40 yards from the hole.

3

On the green, mark 4 equal circles using string or tees. Each circle has a 6-foot (2 meter) radius.

4

Hit 36 sand shots. Hit 9 shots at each of the 4 circles.

5

Start from any pile. Hit one ball at a time, aiming for the first circle.

6

After 9 shots at the first circle, move to the next circle and repeat until all 4 circles are used.

7

Count how many balls stop inside the correct circle.

8

When done, add the number of balls inside the circles, out of 36 attempts, and enter the score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612963
09

Sand | Perpendicular Piles | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a sand shot in the stop 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 Sand | Perpendicular Piles | 9 Stop Zones
1

Set up 10 piles of 4 balls each in two crossing lines of 5 piles each, spaced 3 yards/meters apart, and 20-40 yards from the hole.

2

On the green, mark 9 target zones with buckets, tees, or string in a clear grid or pattern.

3

Split 36 shots into 9 groups of

4

Each group only aims for one target zone.

4

For each group, pick a pile and hit 4 sand shots, trying to stop each ball in the zone.

5

Move to the next zone and repeat until each of the 9 zones has had 4 shots (36 total shots).

6

Each ball that stops in the right zone counts as one success.

7

After all shots, count how many were successful and enter your score in the app out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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

Pinpoint your sand shots: leave yourself a tap-in every time | East Nine