Course Program

Save Par On Every Approach

Land 3-4 feet away, for a 16-handicap player, ~15 minutes at El Bosque

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 16.39 drills

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

6 to 25

Average HCP

16.3

Duration (single session)

3 hr 54 min

or

1 drill/day: 9 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Accuracy24%
Distance Control22%
Scoring16%
Alignment10%
Visualization8%
Precision8%
Dispersion4%
Trajectory4%
Aim3%

Overview

Program Structure

Save Par On Every Approach. Pitch from fairway and save par on approaches. Focus on Accuracy, Distance Control, Scoring. For a 16-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.

Shot

Pitch

What you will improve

  • Accuracy
  • Distance Control
  • Scoring
  • Alignment

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

Pitch | Fairway | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped fairway; one bucket with balls above feet level, and one bucket with balls below feet level.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Fairway | Above/Below Feet
1

Choose two starting spots on a sloped fairway—one where the ball is above your feet, and one where it is below your feet.

2

Put 3 piles of 6 balls each above your feet, spaced between 30 and 60 yards from the hole.

3

Put 3 piles of 6 balls each below your feet, spaced between 30 and 60 yards from the hole.

4

Mark three target zones on the green: Left, Center, and Right, spaced about 6 feet apart.

5

Hit 6 shots from each above-feet pile, aiming at each target zone (18 shots total from above feet).

6

Hit 6 shots from each below-feet pile, aiming at each target zone (18 shots total from below feet).

7

Count a shot as successful if the ball stays in the target zone.

8

When all 36 shots are done, add up successful shots and enter score in the app out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score292724201512974
02

Pitch | Perpendicular Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal perpendicular piles of 4 balls and stop pitch shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.

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

Set up 2 lines of 5 piles, each with 4 balls. Lines should be 5 to 10 yards/meters apart, piles 2 yards/meters apart.

2

Place lines 30 to 60 yards/meters from the hole, on grass, any slope.

3

On the green, use string or tees to make a circle with a 15-foot (5 meter) radius around the hole. Divide this circle into 4 equal parts.

4

Hit 36 pitch shots from the piles to the green, 9 shots for each of the 4 parts.

5

Hit from different piles, aiming for the current part. Finish all 9 shots in one part before switching.

6

Count each shot that stops in the right part.

7

Add up total successful shots. Enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074
03

Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Hit 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 Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill
1

Make 2 piles of 18 balls each, one uphill and one downhill, 30–60 yards from the hole.

2

Mark 3 target zones on the green: close (within 3 feet), medium (3 to 6 feet), far (6 to 10 feet) from the hole.

3

Hit 36 pitches in total, using both piles and aiming at all zones.

4

From the uphill pile, hit 3 shots at each zone (close, medium, far), for 9 shots.

5

From the downhill pile, repeat: 3 shots at each zone, for 9 shots.

6

Do steps 4 and 5 again, using both piles, until each slope has 18 shots (6 at each zone).

7

Count a shot as a success if it stops in the correct target zone.

8

When finished, count successes and enter the number out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score292724201612853
04

Pitch | Rough | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Hit 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 Pitch | Rough | Uphill/Downhill
1

Make 4 piles of 9 balls each, with 2 piles uphill and 2 piles downhill, all 25–40 yards from the hole in the rough.

2

Mark 3 target zones on the green: Zone A (6 feet left), Zone B (6 feet behind), Zone C (6 feet right) of the hole.

3

Hit 36 total shots: 18 from uphill piles, 18 from downhill piles.

4

For each slope (uphill and downhill), split 18 shots into 3 groups of

5

Aim 6 shots at each zone (A, B, C) from the two piles on the same slope.

6

Alternate shots between the two piles on the same slope.

7

Count a shot as a success if it stops in the target zone.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201512853
05

Pitch | Rough | Flat

Short Game

Up to 5 players hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the flat rough grass.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Rough | Flat
1

Make 3 piles of 12 balls each (36 balls total) between 30 and 60 yards from the hole on flat rough grass.

2

On the green, set up 3 target areas at different distances around the hole.

3

Hit 12 balls toward each target area (36 shots total, 12 for each zone).

4

Hit the first 12 balls to Zone 1, the next 12 to Zone 2, and the last 12 to Zone

5

Leave the balls in the same position; only change which target zone you aim at.

6

Count each ball that lands and stops inside the target zone as a success.

7

When all 36 shots are finished, count the number of successes and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score312926221713963
06

Pitch | Scattered Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

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

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Scattered Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

Set up 3 target zones on the green in a straight line, 6 feet apart.

2

Make 6 piles of balls between 30 and 60 yards from the hole.

3

Split 36 balls into 3 groups of

4

Hit 12 shots to target zone 1 from any pile.

5

Hit 12 shots to target zone 2 from any pile.

6

Hit 12 shots to target zone 3 from any pile.

7

Count how many shots stop inside the correct zone.

8

Enter the number of successes out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302826221713963
07

Pitch | Parallel Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

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

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Parallel Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones
1

Arrange 36 balls in 2 lines of 18 balls each. Keep the lines 5-10 yards apart. Each ball in a line should be about 1 foot apart.

2

On the green, use markers to make 3 landing zones in a straight line. Each zone should be about 9 feet apart.

3

Divide the 36 shots so there are 12 shots for each landing zone.

4

Hit 6 balls from the first line to the first landing zone, then hit 6 balls from the second line to the same zone.

5

Do the same for the second and third landing zones. Hit 6 balls from each line to each zone.

6

Count every ball that stops in the landing zone as a successful shot.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129262218141074
08

Pitch | Rough | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Up to 5 players hit 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 Pitch | Rough | Uphill/Downhill
1

Set up two target zones on the green, one uphill and one downhill, each marked with flags or cones about 3–5 feet apart.

2

From the rough slope, 20 to 40 yards away, players hit pitch shots trying to land balls in the uphill or downhill target zone.

3

Take 36 shots total: 18 to the uphill zone and 18 to the downhill zone.

4

Hit all 18 shots to the uphill zone first, then to the downhill zone, or switch back and forth if preferred.

5

Count every ball that stays inside the target zone as a success.

6

Always set up the ball the same way from the rough slope at 20–40 yards.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
09

Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Up to 5 players hit 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 Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill
1

Prepare 36 balls in 6 groups of

2

Set up 2 target zones on the green: one uphill and one downhill, with markers 6 feet apart.

3

Hit 18 balls to the uphill zone and 18 to the downhill zone.

4

Hit 6 balls from the tough uphill spot to the uphill zone.

5

Hit 6 balls from the tough downhill spot to the downhill zone.

6

Do steps 4 and 5 two more times for all 36 shots.

7

Count each ball that stays in the right zone.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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