Course Program

Can you stop the ball close from 30 yards?

Stop on a dime, for a 17-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Dunstanburgh

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 17.29 drills64% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

4 to 45

Average HCP

17.2

Duration (single session)

3 hr 54 min

or

1 drill/day: 9 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Distance Control32%
Alignment22%
Accuracy13%
Precision11%
Dispersion11%
Aim7%
Trajectory3%
Scoring1%

Overview

Program Structure

Can you stop the ball close from 30 yards?. Feel the green and stop on a dime. Focus on Distance Control, Alignment, Accuracy, Precision, Dispersion, Aim, Trajectory, Scoring. For a 17-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.

Skill

Distance Control

Shot

Pitch

What you will improve

  • Distance Control
  • Alignment
  • Accuracy
  • Precision

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 | Perpendicular Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch 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 Pitch | Perpendicular Piles | Quadrants
1

Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines. Each line has 5 piles, and the piles are 3 yards apart. Piles are between 30 and 60 yards from the hole.

2

On the green, mark 4 circular target zones. Each is 9 feet in radius.

3

Make 36 pitch shots. For each target zone, make 9 shots.

4

For each shot, aim to land and stop the ball in the correct target zone.

5

After 9 shots in one zone, switch zones and repeat until all 4 are done.

6

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

7

Total successful shots out of 36 attempts and enter score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141064
02

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
Diagram for Pitch | Parallel Piles | 9 Stop Zones
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+151219273654
Score3028262218141063
03

Pitch | Fairway | Flat

Short Game

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

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

Make 3 piles with 12 golf balls in each pile.

2

Mark 3 target zones on the green, each about 6 feet apart and about 2 feet wide.

3

Pitch all shots from 30 to 40 yards away on flat grass.

4

Use the first pile and hit balls at the first target zone.

5

Use the second pile and hit balls at the second target zone.

6

Use the last pile and hit balls at the third target zone.

7

Count the balls that land and stop in the target zone.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612964
04

Pitch | Perpendicular Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch 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 Pitch | Perpendicular Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

Put 10 piles of balls in two lines that meet at a right angle, 5 to 10 yards apart, with each pile 3 yards apart.

2

Place the piles 30 to 60 yards from the hole on grass but not on the green.

3

Mark 3 landing zones on the green with sticks or string, each 6 feet apart in a line.

4

Hit 36 pitch shots in total, 12 at each landing zone.

5

For the first 12 shots aim at Landing Zone 1, for the next 12 aim at Zone 2, for the last 12 aim at Zone

6

Start from any pile and switch piles between shots.

7

Count a success if the ball lands and stops in the correct zone.

8

After all shots, add up your total successes and enter the score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score2927252218141174
05

Pitch | Perpendicular 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
Diagram for Pitch | Perpendicular Piles | 9 Stop Zones
1

Place 10 piles of balls in two lines that cross each other, with 5 piles in each line, spaced 3 yards apart.

2

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

3

On the green, mark 9 clear stop zones using buckets, string, or tees, spaced evenly.

4

Hit 36 pitch shots, aiming 4 shots at each of the 9 stop zones.

5

From any pile, hit 4 balls trying to stop them in the first zone.

6

After 4 shots, aim at the next zone and hit 4 more shots, repeating for each zone.

7

Keep hitting 4 shots per stop zone until all 9 zones are done (total 36 shots).

8

Count each ball that stops in the target zone as a success.

9

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129262218141074
06

Pitch | Perpendicular Piles | 9 Stop Zones

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 9 Stop Zones. Count the number of successful stops.

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

Arrange 36 balls into 9 piles with 4 balls in each pile. Put the piles in two straight lines, 5 to 10 yards/meters apart. Keep about 2 yards/meters between each pile. Place all piles about 30 to 40 yards/meters from the hole.

2

On the green, mark 9 separate stop zones using buckets, string, or tees. Make sure these zones are spread evenly around the hole.

3

Hit 4 pitch shots to each of the 9 stop zones. This makes 36 shots in total.

4

Hit shots by switching between piles and zones in order. For example, do 4 shots to zone 1, then 4 shots to zone 2, and continue until each zone has 4 shots.

5

Count each ball that stops inside the right stop zone as a success.

6

When finished, total the number of successful stops and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612964
07

Pitch | Scattered Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal lines of 5 balls and hit-and-land pitch shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.

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

Put 36 balls on the grass in 6 lines. Each line has 6 balls. Keep balls 1 yard apart.

2

Make 3 landing zones on the green using sticks, clubs, or string. Each zone should be 9 feet from the others in a straight line.

3

Split your shots into 3 groups of

2

Each group is for one landing zone.

4

Hit 6 balls from one line to the first zone. Move to another line and hit 6 balls to the same zone. Now you have 12 shots for the first zone.

5

Do the same for the second and third zones, using 2 lines for each (6 shots per line).

6

Count each ball that lands and stays in the zone as a success.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129272318141074
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 | 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
Diagram for Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet
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+151219273654
Score282624211713963

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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