Course Program

How many can you leave inside 5 feet?

Leave inside 5 feet, for a 17-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Desert Highlands Gc

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 16.58 drills58% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

6 to 44

Average HCP

16.5

Duration (single session)

3 hr 28 min

or

1 drill/day: 8 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Accuracy35%
Alignment17%
Distance Control16%
Scoring15%
Aim11%
Dispersion7%

Overview

Program Structure

How many can you leave inside 5 feet?. Pick landing spot and pitch close. Focus on Accuracy, Alignment, Distance Control. For a 17-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.

Skill

Accuracy

Shot

Pitch

What you will improve

  • Accuracy
  • Alignment
  • Distance Control
  • Scoring

Program details

Sessions
8 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 28 min
or
1 drill per day
8 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| 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 pitch shots inside 9 Stop Zones. Count the number of successful stops.

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

Arrange 40 balls into 10 piles. Put them in 2 lines, 5 piles in each line. Each pile is 2 yards apart. The lines are 5 to 10 yards apart.

2

Place the piles on grass, 30 to 60 yards from the hole.

3

On the green, mark 9 stop zones. Use buckets, tees, or string lines. Keep the zones separate.

4

Hit 36 pitch shots from the piles to the green.

5

Split the 36 shots into 9 groups of

6

For each stop zone, try to stop 4 balls inside the zone.

7

Change piles for every shot. Hit one ball from pile 1 to stop zone 1, then another from pile 2 to zone 1, and keep switching until there are 4 shots for each zone.

8

When finished, count how many balls stopped inside their zones and enter your total score out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
02

Pitch | Rough | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Up to 5 players hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped rough grass; one bucket with balls above feet level, and one bucket with balls below feet level.

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

Make 3 piles of 6 balls each on sloped ground above your feet, 20 to 40 yards from the hole.

2

Make 3 piles of 6 balls each on sloped ground below your feet, same distance, opposite slope.

3

Hit 18 shots from above your feet and 18 shots from below your feet.

4

Mark 3 target zones on the green (left, center, right).

5

Hit 6 shots from above your feet at each zone.

6

Hit 6 shots from below your feet at each zone.

7

Score one point for each ball that lands and stops in the right zone.

8

Count successes and enter the total out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score312926221713963
03

Pitch | Scattered Piles | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch shot in the bullseye. The best final score relative to PAR wins the challenge. One bucket of balls per player is needed.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Scattered Piles | Bullseye 2x
1

Make two circles on the green: a small one with a 6-foot (2-meter) radius, and a bigger one with a 15-foot (5-meter) radius.

2

Put 3 piles of 12 balls each on the short game area, in random spots 30 to 60 yards/meters from the hole.

3

Hit 36 pitch shots total: 12 from each pile.

4

From the first pile, hit 12 shots and try to stop the ball inside the circles.

5

Move to the next pile and repeat, until all 36 shots are done.

6

Count balls in the small circle as birdies, balls in the big circle as pars, balls outside as bogeys.

7

Count how many balls are in the circles after all 36 shots. Enter your total score out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129262218141063
04

Pitch | Rough | Flat

Short Game

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

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

Make 3 piles of 12 golf balls each, spaced between 30 and 60 yards from the hole in the rough.

2

On the green, mark 3 zones at different distances from the hole: Zone A at 5 feet, Zone B at 10 feet, Zone C at 15 feet.

3

Hit 36 pitch shots in total, 12 shots for each zone.

4

From the first pile, try to land and stop 12 balls in Zone A.

5

From the second pile, try to land and stop 12 balls in Zone B.

6

From the third pile, try to land and stop 12 balls in Zone C.

7

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

8

Set up the ball the same way every time.

9

When done, enter your number of successful shots into the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282623191511853
05

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
06

Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Flat

Short Game

Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the flat deep rough and other extreme grass types.

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

Set up 3 targets on the green or fringe, in a straight line, 6 feet apart.

2

Place 3 piles of 12 golf balls each, 30 to 60 yards away in deep rough.

3

From the first pile, hit 12 shots at the first target.

4

From the second pile, hit 12 shots at the second target.

5

From the third pile, hit 12 shots at the third target.

6

Use the same setup for all shots.

7

Count each ball that lands in the target as a success.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282623191512853
07

Pitch | Parallel Piles | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal parallel piles of 4 balls and stop pitch shots close to multiple targets. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Parallel Piles | Multiple Targets
1

Make 10 piles of balls in two lines, 5 piles in each line. Each pile has 4 balls.

2

The lines should be 7 yards apart. Each pile in a line is 3 yards apart from the next.

3

Put 3 flags on the green, at different spots, 20 to 40 yards away.

4

Hit 36 pitch shots in total, 12 shots at each flag.

5

Pick any pile to start. Hit shots from any pile to the first flag until you finish 12 shots.

6

Do the same thing for the second flag and then the third flag, 12 shots at each.

7

Count how many balls end within 10 feet (3 meters) from the flag.

8

After all 36 shots, add up the number of shots that were successful and enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score312926221713963
08

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.

How many can you leave inside 5 feet? | Desert Highlands Gc