Course Program

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

Pick landing spot, for a 24-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Cypress Point Club

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 246 drills56% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

25 to 45

Average HCP

24

Duration (single session)

2 hr 35 min

or

1 drill/day: 6 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Aim36%
Alignment17%
Scoring15%
Precision14%
Dispersion12%
Distance Control7%

Overview

Program Structure

Pick your landing spot and trust your swing—flop shot challenge. Fly over bunker and pick landing spot. Focus on Aim, Alignment, Scoring. For a 24-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.

Skill

Aim

Shot

Flop

What you will improve

  • Aim
  • Alignment
  • Scoring
  • Precision

Program details

Sessions
6 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
2 hr 35 min
or
1 drill per day
6 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 | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a flop 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 Flop | Parallel Piles | 9 Stop Zones
1

Set up two lines of 5 piles of balls (10 piles total), each pile with 3 or 4 balls. Lines should be 5 to 10 yards/meters apart and piles in each line 4 yards/meters apart.

2

Place piles between 5 and 40 yards/meters from the hole, on grass around the green, not on the green.

3

On the green, mark 9 stop zones in a 3x3 grid using buckets, string lines, or tees.

4

Hit 36 flop shots total, 4 shots for each stop zone.

5

For each shot, choose any pile and hit to the assigned stop zone. After 4 shots to one zone, move to the next zone.

6

A successful shot is when the ball stops inside the intended stop zone.

7

Use the same setup for every shot.

8

Finish all 36 shots, 4 to each stop zone.

9

Count how many balls stopped in each zone and add them up. Enter the total number of successful shots out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612853
02

Flop | Parallel Piles | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal parallel piles of 4 balls and stop flop shots inside 9 Stop Zones. Count the number of successful stops.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Parallel Piles | 9 Stop Zones
1

Set up 9 target zones on the green using buckets, strings, or tees. Space them in a 3x3 grid, with about 3 feet between each.

2

Divide 36 balls into 9 groups of

3

Make 10 piles of 4 balls each, set 5 to 40 yards from the hole. Space the piles 5 to 10 yards apart in two lines, with 2 yards between piles in each line.

4

Hit 4 shots to try to stop balls inside each of the 9 zones. Finish all 4 shots in one zone before moving to the next zone in order.

5

Switch between different ball piles while practicing each zone to get different lies and angles.

6

Count each shot that stops in the right zone as a success.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074
03

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
04

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
05

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
06

Flop | Rough | Flat

Short Game

Hit flop shot two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the flat rough grass.

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

Find a flat spot in the rough, 5 to 20 yards from the hole.

2

Set up three targets on the green, spaced apart for three landing zones.

3

Hit 36 flop shots; 12 shots at each target.

4

Keep ball position the same for all shots, only aim at the next target after 12 shots.

5

Try to land the ball softly in the target zone.

6

Count each shot that lands and stops in the correct zone as a success.

7

After 36 shots (12 per target), add up your total successful shots and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612853

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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