Course Program

Pitch 20–35 Yds From Fairway Or Rough

Pitch from fairway, for a 16-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Fauquier & District

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 16.18 drills

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

6 to 25

Average HCP

16.1

Duration (single session)

3 hr 28 min

or

1 drill/day: 8 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Distance Control23%
Accuracy20%
Scoring19%
Aim15%
Precision10%
Alignment6%
Trajectory3%
Visualization3%
Dispersion2%

Overview

Program Structure

Pitch 20–35 Yds From Fairway Or Rough. Land 3-4 feet away and pitch from fairway. Focus on Distance Control, Accuracy, Scoring. For a 16-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.

Shot

Pitch

What you will improve

  • Distance Control
  • Accuracy
  • Scoring
  • Aim

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 | 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
Diagram for Pitch | Parallel Piles | 3 Landing Zones
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+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
02

Pitch | Scattered 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 wins the challenge. One bucket of balls per player is needed.

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

Pick 3 targets on the green at least 6 feet apart.

2

Put 36 balls into 6 piles of 6 balls, between 20 and 40 yards from the hole, on different slopes and grass types.

3

Split shots into 3 sets of

4

For the first 12 shots, aim to stop the ball close to target

5

For the next 12 shots, aim to stop close to target

6

For the last 12 shots, aim to stop close to target

7

A shot counts if the ball stops within 3 feet of the correct target.

8

Keep the ball setup the same for every shot.

9

Count how many balls ended close to the proper target, and enter your score out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825221713963
03

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
04

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
Diagram for Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Flat
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+151219273654
Score302825221713964
05

Pitch | Scattered Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal piles of 5 balls and stop pitch shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Scattered Piles | Quadrants
1

Make 4 piles of 9 balls each, with the piles 30–60 yards from the hole on different ground.

2

On the green, mark out a 15-foot circle around the hole and divide the circle into 4 equal parts.

3

Hit 9 shots from a pile to try and stop the ball in the first part of the circle.

4

Move to another pile and hit 9 shots for the second part.

5

Repeat for the third and fourth parts, from any pile.

6

Count each ball that stops in the right part as a success.

7

Enter number of successes in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141063
06

Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

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

Put 4 piles of 9 balls on a slope, 2 piles above feet, 2 piles below feet, 30 to 60 yards from the hole.

2

Mark 3 target zones on the green: left, center, right, each about 6 feet wide.

3

Hit 36 pitch shots, 18 from above feet piles, 18 from below feet piles.

4

For each area (above and below feet), hit 6 shots to each zone.

5

Switch between piles of the same area as you hit, aiming for the target zone.

6

A shot counts if the ball stops in the right zone.

7

Count how many shots went in the target zones and enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score292724201612964
07

Pitch | Parallel Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 parallel lines 20 balls per line and hit-and-land pitch shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.

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

Arrange 36 balls in 2 lines of 18 balls each. Keep the lines 5-10 yards apart. Each ball in a line should be about 1 foot apart.

2

On the green, use markers to make 3 landing zones in a straight line. Each zone should be about 9 feet apart.

3

Divide the 36 shots so there are 12 shots for each landing zone.

4

Hit 6 balls from the first line to the first landing zone, then hit 6 balls from the second line to the same zone.

5

Do the same for the second and third landing zones. Hit 6 balls from each line to each zone.

6

Count every ball that stops in the landing zone as a successful shot.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129262218141074
08

Pitch | Parallel 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 | Parallel Piles | Bullseye 2x
1

Set up 10 piles of balls in 2 rows of

5

Space rows 6 yards/meters apart. Space piles in each row 4 yards/meters apart.

2

Put all piles on grass, between 30 and 60 yards/meters from the hole, not on the green.

3

On the green, draw two circles around the hole: the inner one has a 6-foot/2-meter radius (birdie zone); the outer one has a 15-foot/5-meter radius (par zone). Shots outside the big circle count as misses (bogey).

4

Hit 36 pitch shots total: 18 aiming for the inner (birdie) circle, 18 aiming for the outer (par) ring but outside the inner circle. Split into two groups of 18; switch groups after every 6 shots.

5

Hit from any pile. Count a shot as successful if the ball stops inside the right circle (inner or outer).

6

Keep going until all 36 shots are done. Change piles for different lies.

7

At the end, add up how many successful shots out of 36 attempts and enter your score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score292724201511853

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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