Feel the distance: pitch to different targets and control your rollout
Vary landing spot, for a 20-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Esmeralda Golf Course
Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 19.89 drills69% match to course practice profile
Program Snapshot
Handicap range
10 to 45
Average HCP
19.8
Duration (single session)
3 hr 54 min
or
1 drill/day: 9 days · 26 min/day
Ideal tee
All
Skill Distribution
Distance Control33%
Accuracy18%
Alignment16%
Scoring12%
Precision8%
Aim7%
Trajectory3%
Dispersion3%
Overview
Program Structure
Feel the distance: pitch to different targets and control your rollout. Feel the distance and vary landing spot. Focus on Distance Control, Accuracy, Alignment, Scoring, Precision, Aim, Trajectory, Dispersion. For a 20-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.
Skill
Distance Control
Shot
Pitch
What you will improve
Distance Control
Accuracy
Alignment
Scoring
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.
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. Up to 80 balls are needed.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Place 4 lines of 5 balls. Balls in each line are 1 foot apart. Lines are 5 yards apart and 20 to 40 yards from the hole.
2
Mark 3 landing zones on the green, each 6 feet apart.
3
Hit 36 pitch shots, 12 shots at each landing zone.
4
Use one line for 12 shots at the first zone, another line for 12 shots at the second zone, and the last line for 12 shots at the third zone.
5
Count a shot as a success if it lands and stops in the correct zone.
6
Add up successful shots and enter the number out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
31
29
26
22
17
13
9
6
3
02
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
03
Pitch | Scattered 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
1
Make 4 piles of 9 balls each, with piles placed randomly 30–60 yards from the hole.
2
Mark 4 quadrants on the green around the hole using string or tees, each about 9 feet wide.
3
Hit 36 pitch shots, 9 to each quadrant.
4
From any pile, hit 9 balls trying to stop them in the first quadrant.
5
Move to a new pile and hit 9 balls to the second quadrant. Repeat for all quadrants.
6
Count balls that stop inside the target quadrant.
7
Count total balls in the correct quadrant and enter the number out of 36 attempts in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
25
20
16
12
8
5
3
04
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
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
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
26
22
18
14
10
6
4
05
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
06
Pitch | Fairway | Uphill/Downhill
Short Game
Up to 5 players hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped fairway; one bucket from the uphill slope and one bucket from the downhill slope.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Set up two target zones on the green: one uphill, one downhill. Use cones, clubs, or string to mark each zone about 6 feet wide.
2
From the fairway slope, 30 to 60 yards away, hit 36 pitch shots.
3
Split the 36 shots: 18 shots to the uphill zone, 18 shots to the downhill zone.
4
Keep your stance and ball setup the same for all shots.
5
First, hit 18 shots to the uphill zone. Then, hit 18 shots to the downhill zone.
6
Count a success if the ball lands and stays in the target zone.
7
When finished, add up the number of successful shots, and enter that number out of 36 attempts in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
26
22
18
14
10
7
4
07
Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Flat
Short Game
Up to 5 players hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the flat deep rough and other extreme grass types.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Put 3 target zones on the green: left, center, right. Each 5 feet apart.
2
Put 12 balls in a pile, 30-60 yards from the hole, in deep rough.
3
Hit 12 shots trying to land in Zone A.
4
Hit 12 shots trying to land in Zone B.
5
Hit 12 shots trying to land in Zone C.
6
Keep balls in the same spot and rough for all shots.
7
Count each ball that lands and stays in the right zone.
8
After 36 shots, enter your number of successes into the app, out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
25
22
17
13
9
6
4
08
Pitch| Scattered Piles | Multiple Targets
Short Game
Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal piles of 5 balls and stop pitch shots close to multiple targets. Count the number of successes.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Put 36 balls into 6 piles with 6 balls in each pile between 30 and 60 yards from the hole.
2
Place 3 flags on the green far apart and label them A, B, and C.
3
Hit 36 pitch shots, in 3 sets of 12 shots.
4
Hit 12 balls so they stop within 10 feet of flag A.
5
Hit 12 balls so they stop within 10 feet of flag B. Use any pile.
6
Hit 12 balls so they stop within 10 feet of flag C.
7
Hit from any pile and change piles or targets as needed.
8
Count each shot that stops within 10 feet of the target as a success.
9
Count the total 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
30
28
25
20
16
12
9
6
3
09
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
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
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
31
29
26
22
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.