Course Program

Feel the distance: bunker to different targets and control your rollout

Stop on a dime, for a 25-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Flagstaff Ranch Golf Club

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 24.66 drills72% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

5 to 45

Average HCP

24.6

Duration (single session)

2 hr 35 min

or

1 drill/day: 6 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Distance Control30%
Aim19%
Trajectory13%
Precision12%
Dispersion8%
Alignment7%
Scoring7%
Accuracy3%

Overview

Program Structure

Feel the distance: bunker to different targets and control your rollout. Feel the green and stop on a dime. Focus on Distance Control, Aim, Trajectory, Precision, Dispersion, Alignment, Scoring, Accuracy. For a 25-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.

Skill

Distance Control

Shot

Sand

What you will improve

  • Distance Control
  • Aim
  • Trajectory
  • 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

Sand | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Quadrants

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls in the sand (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 perpendicular lines 20 balls per line and stop sand shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Quadrants
1

Arrange two lines of 18 balls each in the sand. Keep balls 1 foot apart. Lines are 5 to 10 yards apart.

2

On the green, make a 10-foot circle and divide into 4 parts. Number the parts 1 to

3

Hit 36 sand shots, in 4 groups of

4

Hit 9 balls from the first line aiming for part

5

Hit 9 balls from the second line aiming for part

6

Hit 9 balls from the first line aiming for part

7

Hit 9 balls from the second line aiming for part

8

Count a success if a ball stops in the right part.

9

Keep balls in place, only switch lines when told.

0

Count total successful shots in the correct parts, and enter your score out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074
02

Sand | Scattered Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls in the sand (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal lines of 5 balls and stop sand shots inside Bullseye. Count the number of balls in the inner and outer Bullseye.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Scattered Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x
1

Scatter 40 balls in the sand into 8 lines of 5 balls, with lines about 2 feet apart, anywhere 5 to 60 yards from the hole.

2

On the green, make two bullseye circles around the hole: one with a 6-foot radius, one with a 15-foot radius.

3

Hit 36 sand shots, divided into 3 groups of 12 shots.

4

For the first 12 shots, try to land the ball inside the 6-foot bullseye.

5

For the next 12 shots, try to land the ball between 6 and 15 feet from the hole.

6

For the last 12 shots, try to land the ball within 15 feet of the hole, including the 6-foot bullseye.

7

After all 36 shots, count how many balls stopped in each target area for each group, and enter your score in the app out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282624201612963
03

Sand | Perpendicular Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls in the sand (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal perpendicular piles of 4 balls and hit-and-land sand shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Perpendicular Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

Put 36 balls into 10 piles near the sand, each pile with 3 or 4 balls, about 2 yards apart, in two lines between 20 and 40 yards from the hole.

2

On the green, set up three landing zones with sticks or string, each zone 6 feet apart in a straight line.

3

Hit 36 sand shots total: 12 shots for Zone 1, 12 shots for Zone 2, 12 shots for Zone

4

Start hitting balls from any pile, aiming at Zone

1

Do 12 shots, then aim for Zone 2 for 12 shots, then Zone 3 for 12 shots.

5

You can pick balls from any pile, but keep aiming for the same zone until you finish its 12 shots.

6

Count a shot as successful if it lands and stays in the right zone.

7

After all 36 shots, record how many successful shots out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612964
04

Sand | Scattered Ball Lines | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls in the sand (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal lines of 5 balls and stop sand shots close to multiple targets. Count the number of successes.

25 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Scattered Ball Lines | Multiple Targets
1

Put 35 balls in 7 straight lines, 5 balls per line, 2 feet apart, on grass or a slope, 20–40 yards from the hole, outside the green.

2

Put 7 flags or markers on the green, one for each line of balls.

3

For each line, hit the 5 balls from the sand, trying to make each ball stop within 10 feet of the flag for that line.

4

Do this for all 7 lines and hit a total of 35 shots.

5

Count each ball that ends up inside the 10-foot circle as a success.

6

Write down the number of successful shots out of 35 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions35
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252117131074
05

Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

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

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

In the sand bunker, make two straight lines of balls. Each line has 18 balls, with 1 foot (30 cm) between each ball. The two lines are 6 to 10 yards (5 to 10 meters) apart.

2

On the green, set up three landing zones. Mark them with sticks, clubs, or string. Space the zones 6 feet (2 meters) apart in a straight line.

3

Hit 36 sand shots. Split them into 3 groups of 12 shots.

4

For the first group, hit from one ball line and aim for the first landing zone.

5

For the second group, switch to the other ball line and aim for the second zone.

6

For the last group, go back to the first ball line and aim for the third zone.

7

Count each shot that lands and stays in the correct zone as a success. After all 36 shots, add up the successful shots and enter the score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302826221713953
06

Sand | Scattered Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to land a sand shot inside the landing zone(s). The player with the most points wins the challenge. One bucket of balls per player is needed.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Scattered Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

Make 3 target zones on the green using sticks or clubs. Space them 6 feet apart in a line.

2

Make 6 piles of 6 balls each in the sand, 20 to 40 yards from the hole.

3

Hit 36 sand shots: 12 shots to each zone.

4

Hit from any pile to Zone 1, then move to another pile and hit to Zone 2, then to another pile for Zone

5

Try to land the ball in the correct zone. Each ball that stays in the correct zone is a success.

6

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612853

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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