Feel the distance: pitch to different targets and control your rollout
Feel the distance, for a 19-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Cochecho Country Club
Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 19.29 drills65% match to course practice profile
Program Snapshot
Handicap range
4 to 45
Average HCP
19.2
Duration (single session)
3 hr 54 min
or
1 drill/day: 9 days · 26 min/day
Ideal tee
All
Skill Distribution
Distance Control36%
Precision18%
Dispersion11%
Aim10%
Scoring8%
Alignment7%
Trajectory5%
Accuracy4%
Overview
Program Structure
Feel the distance: pitch to different targets and control your rollout. Vary landing spot and stop close from 30 yards. Focus on Distance Control, Precision, Dispersion, Aim, Scoring, Alignment, Trajectory, Accuracy. For a 19-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.
Skill
Distance Control
Shot
Pitch
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.
Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal piles of 5 balls and hit-and-land pitch shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Make 3 piles of 12 golf balls each between 30 and 60 yards from the hole.
2
On the green, set up 3 landing zones in a straight line 9 feet (3 meters) apart.
3
Hit 36 pitch shots in total, grouped into 3 sets of
4
Try to land the first 12 shots in Landing Zone 1, the next 12 in Landing Zone 2, and the last 12 in Landing Zone
5
You can hit from any pile, but keep the ball position the same.
6
Count every ball that stays in the right landing zone as a success.
7
After 36 shots, enter the number of successes out of 36 attempts in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
32
30
28
25
20
16
12
8
5
02
Pitch | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Quadrants
Short Game
Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 perpendicular lines 20 balls per line and stop pitch shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Set up 2 lines of 18 balls each, making 36 balls total, spaced about 1 foot apart, 30 to 60 yards from the green.
2
On the green, make 4 areas using string or markers inside a circle about 15 feet wide.
3
Plan to hit 9 balls into each of the 4 areas.
4
From one ball line, hit 3 balls at the first area.
5
Switch to the other ball line and hit 3 balls at the second area.
6
Keep switching lines, hitting 3 balls at a time, until each area has 9 balls aimed at it.
7
Count how many balls stop in the right area.
8
After all 36 balls are hit, record the number that landed in the correct spot out of 36 in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
31
29
26
22
18
13
10
7
4
03
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
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
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
26
22
18
14
10
7
4
04
Pitch | Parallel Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones
Short Game
Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch 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
1
Set up 9 stop zones on the green using markers, buckets, tees, or string.
2
Place 4 lines of 9 balls off the green, with each ball 1 foot apart. Keep each line 5 yards apart and between 30 and 60 yards from the hole.
3
Hit 36 pitch shots total, 4 shots for each of the 9 stop zones.
4
Start at any ball line. Hit 4 balls toward the first stop zone. Repeat for each stop zone, hitting 4 balls per zone.
5
After each shot, see if the ball stopped in the right zone. Count balls that stopped inside the correct zone.
6
Keep ball positions and distance the same. Only change your target zone after every 4 shots.
7
After all 36 shots, count the number of successful shots out of 36 and enter your score in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
31
29
26
22
18
14
10
6
3
05
Pitch | Perpendicular Piles | Multiple Targets
Short Game
Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch shot closest to the multiple target(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
1
Arrange 10 piles of balls in two lines that cross each other at a right angle. Each line has 5 piles, spaced about 3 meters apart.
2
Place the piles on grass, 30 to 60 meters from the hole.
3
Set 5 different targets around the green, spaced apart.
4
Make 36 pitch shots, in 6 rounds of 6 shots each.
5
For each round, pick one pile and one target. Hit 6 shots from that pile to that target.
6
After 6 shots, move to a different pile and a different target for the next round. Keep going until all 36 shots are done and each target has 6 shots.
7
Count each shot that lands closest to the target as a success.
8
Add up the number of successful shots from all 36 shots and enter this score in the app, out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
25
21
17
13
9
6
3
06
Pitch | Parallel Piles | 9 Stop Zones
Short Game
Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch 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
1
Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines, each line has 5 piles, piles in a line are 4 yards/meters apart, and lines are 5 to 10 yards/meters apart.
2
Put these piles on grass between 30 and 60 yards/meters from the hole, not on the green.
3
Mark 9 stop zones on the green with buckets, string, or tees. Space the zones evenly.
4
Use 36 balls. Make 9 groups of 4 balls for each stop zone.
5
For each stop zone, hit 4 balls trying to stop them inside it. Do this for all 9 zones.
6
Count how many balls stop inside the right zone.
7
Add up your total successes and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
26
22
18
14
10
6
3
07
Pitch | Parallel Piles | 3 Landing Zones
Short Game
Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal parallel piles of 4 balls and hit-and-land pitch shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Arrange 36 balls into 9 piles of 4 balls each, 30 to 60 yards from the hole.
2
On the green, make 3 landing zones spaced 9 feet apart.
3
Hit 36 pitch shots, aiming for 12 shots in each zone.
4
Start from any pile, switch piles after every shot, and aim for Zone 1 for the first 12 shots.
5
After 12 shots in Zone 1, aim for Zone 2 for 12 shots, then Zone 3 for the last 12 shots.
6
Count each shot that stays inside the target zone.
7
At the end, add up the number of successful shots and enter the score in the app, out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
32
30
28
25
20
16
12
8
5
08
Pitch | Scattered Ball Lines | Quadrants
Short Game
Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal lines of 5 balls and stop pitch shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Scatter 40 balls in 8 lines of 5 balls each, spaced 1 yard/meter apart, between 30 and 60 yards/meters from the hole.
2
Divide a 15-foot (5-meter) circle around the hole into 4 equal quadrants using string or tees.
3
Hit 36 pitch shots, in 8 groups of 5 balls each, aiming at a specific quadrant for each group.
4
For each group of 5 shots, pick one quadrant as the target and try to stop all 5 balls inside it.
5
Change target quadrant after every group, using all 4 quadrants at least once. The last group can target any quadrant.
6
Count every ball that stops in the chosen quadrant as a success.
7
Add up successful shots out of 36 attempts and enter score in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
31
29
26
22
18
14
10
7
4
09
Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet
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 with balls above feet level, and one bucket with balls below feet level.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Get 36 golf balls. Divide into 3 groups of 12 balls.
2
Set up 3 target zones on the green. Make them easy to see and about the same size.
3
Go to the rough, 20-40 yards from the hole. Hit 12 balls at the first target zone.
4
Hit 12 balls at the second target zone from the same spot, same ball setup.
5
Hit 12 balls at the third target zone the same way.
6
Keep ball setup on the slope the same for all shots.
7
Count a shot as a success if it lands and stops in the target zone.
8
Add up successful shots and enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
28
26
24
21
17
13
9
6
3
Next Step
Ready to start this program?
Start the drills at your own pace or work with a resident professional on this course.