Course Program

Open up and let it fly: alignment for flop shots

Open up and fly, for a 22-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Jimmy Clay

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 21.79 drills60% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

7 to 45

Average HCP

21.7

Duration (single session)

3 hr 54 min

or

1 drill/day: 9 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Alignment30%
Distance Control17%
Aim13%
Scoring10%
Precision10%
Accuracy9%
Trajectory6%
Dispersion4%

Overview

Program Structure

Open up and let it fly: alignment for flop shots. Check clubface and set up for high shot. Focus on Alignment, Distance Control, Aim. For a 22-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.

Skill

Alignment

Shot

Flop

What you will improve

  • Alignment
  • Distance Control
  • Aim
  • Scoring

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

Flop | Fairway | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

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

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

Place 36 balls in two groups of 18 balls each for uphill and downhill shots.

2

Set up three targets on the green: right, center, and left of the hole, each 6 feet apart.

3

Hit 12 flop shots from uphill slope at the right target.

4

Hit 6 shots from uphill at the center target, then 6 at the left target (total 18 uphill shots).

5

From downhill slope, hit 12 shots at the right target, 6 at center, 6 at left (total 18 downhill shots).

6

Count shots that stop within 3 feet of the target as success.

7

Write down your number of successful shots out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302826221713963
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 | 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
04

Flop | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Up to 5 players hit flop shot two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped deep rough and other extreme grass types; one bucket from the uphill slope and one bucket from the downhill slope.

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

Split 36 balls into two groups of

2

Make two target zones on the green, each about 5 feet wide: Zone A (left), Zone B (right).

3

For the first 18 balls, hit from uphill rough and try to land in Zone A.

4

For the next 18 balls, hit from downhill rough and try to land in Zone B.

5

All shots should be from the same spot in deep rough, 10 to 15 yards from the green.

6

Count balls that land and stay in the correct zone.

7

After 36 shots, enter the number of successes (out of 36) in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074
05

Flop | Perpendicular Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 perpendicular lines 20 balls per line and hit-and-land flop shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.

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

Arrange 36 balls in two lines of 18 balls each. Lines cross each other and are 5 to 10 yards apart. Balls are 1 foot apart in each line.

2

Put three landing zones in a row on the green, 6 feet apart.

3

There are 36 shots. Aim 12 shots at each landing zone.

4

From one line, hit 6 shots at the first landing zone.

5

From the other line, hit 6 shots at the second landing zone.

6

Go back to the first line and hit 6 shots at the third landing zone.

7

Switch lines and keep repeating until all 36 shots are done, with 12 shots at each landing zone.

8

Count each shot that lands and stops in the right zone as successful.

9

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129262218141074
06

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
07

Flop | Perpendicular Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a flop 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 Flop | Perpendicular Piles | Quadrants
1

Arrange 10 piles of balls in two lines that cross each other. Each line has 5 piles, placed 3 yards apart. The lines are 6 yards apart.

2

Put all piles between 5 and 40 yards from the hole. Keep all piles on the same type of grass.

3

On the green, mark 4 equal quadrants. Each quadrant is a circle with a 3-meter radius around the hole.

4

Hit 36 flop shots: 9 shots to each quadrant.

5

Start at one pile. Hit 9 shots at Quadrant 1, move to another pile and hit 9 shots at Quadrant 2, then 9 shots at Quadrant 3, then 9 shots at Quadrant

6

A shot that stops inside the target quadrant counts as a success.

7

Count all successes for each quadrant and add them up.

8

After all 36 shots, write down your total number of successful shots in the app, out of 36.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129262218141063
08

Flop | Rough | Uphill/Downhill

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 from the uphill slope and one bucket from the downhill slope.

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

Set up 2 target zones on the green: one uphill, one downhill, about 10 feet apart.

2

Put 18 balls in the uphill rough, and 18 in the downhill rough.

3

Hit 18 flop shots from the uphill rough and try to land each ball in the uphill target zone.

4

Hit 18 flop shots from the downhill rough and try to land each ball in the downhill target zone.

5

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

6

Always keep the way you set up each ball the same; only the target zone changes.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612853
09

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

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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