Course Program

Pick your landing spot and trust your swing—flop shot challenge

Aim for soft landing, for a 17-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Ft. Ritchie Gc

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 17.18 drills

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

8 to 45

Average HCP

17.1

Duration (single session)

3 hr 27 min

or

1 drill/day: 8 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Aim31%
Distance Control21%
Precision10%
Scoring10%
Dispersion10%
Trajectory8%
Accuracy6%
Alignment5%

Overview

Program Structure

Pick your landing spot and trust your swing—flop shot challenge. Pick landing spot and fly over bunker. Focus on Aim, Distance Control, Precision. For a 17-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.

Skill

Aim

Shot

Flop

What you will improve

  • Aim
  • Distance Control
  • Precision
  • Scoring

Program details

Sessions
8 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 27 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

Flop | Parallel Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a flop 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 Flop | Parallel Piles | Quadrants
1

Set up 10 piles of balls in 2 lines with 5 piles in each line. Keep lines 6 yards apart and piles 4 yards apart.

2

Place the piles on grass, 5 to 40 yards from the hole.

3

On the green, mark 4 equal sections inside a 9-foot circle using string or tees.

4

Hit 36 flop shots, with 9 shots to each section.

5

For each shot, pick a pile and try to stop the ball inside the target section.

6

Count balls that stop fully inside the section as a success.

7

Make sure to aim 9 shots at each section, either in order or randomly.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825221713963
02

Flop | Parallel Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a flop 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
Diagram for Flop | Parallel Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones
1

Set up 4 lines of 9 balls each, spaced 1 foot apart. Place the lines between 5 and 20 yards from the hole on grass.

2

Mark 3 landing zones on the green, 3 feet apart in a straight line. Each zone is 3 feet wide.

3

Hit 12 flop shots to each zone for a total of 36 shots.

4

Start at any line of balls and hit 12 shots to Zone

1

Change lines and hit 12 shots to Zone

2

Change lines again and hit 12 shots to Zone

5

Count a success when the ball lands and stops in the right zone.

6

Add the total number of successful shots and enter your score in the app out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282623191511853
03

Flop | Scattered Ball Lines | Multiple Targets

Short Game

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

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

Make 7 lines of 5 balls each (35 balls total), with balls 1 yard apart. Put the lines on grass 5 to 20 yards from the hole, not on the green.

2

Put 5 markers on the green, each 6 feet apart.

3

Match each line of balls to a marker on the green.

4

Hit all 5 balls in the line as flop shots at the marker. Move to the next line and repeat with the next marker.

5

Count how many balls land within 10 feet of the marker.

6

When done, count total balls inside 10 feet, and enter score in the app out of 35 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions35
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
04

Flop | Parallel Ball Lines | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 parallel lines 20 balls per line and stop flop shots close to multiple targets. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Parallel Ball Lines | Multiple Targets
1

Put down two lines of 18 balls each, spaced 1 foot apart. Place the lines 5 to 10 yards apart.

2

Set up three targets on the green, at least 6 feet apart.

3

Hit 12 flop shots to each target, for 36 shots total.

4

Hit 6 flop shots from the first ball line to the first target, then 6 from the second line to the same target.

5

Do the same for the second and third targets, always switching lines.

6

Count each shot that stops within 10 feet of the target as a success.

7

After all 36 shots, record the number of successful shots out of 36 in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201512964
05

Flop | Scattered Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

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

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

Put 36 balls in 6 straight lines. Each line has 6 balls. Each ball is 1 yard or meter apart. Place lines 5-20 yards or meters from the hole, not on the green.

2

On the green, make two circles around the hole with string or tees: one small circle with a 6 foot/2 meter radius, and one bigger circle with a 15 foot/5 meter radius.

3

Hit all 6 balls in a line toward the hole, trying to land them inside the circles.

4

For the first 18 hits, try to land balls in the small circle. For the next 18 hits, try to land balls in the big circle.

5

After hitting one line, go to another line and repeat until all 36 balls are hit.

6

Count how many balls stop inside the right circle for each try. Enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201512852
06

Flop | 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 flop shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.

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

Place 40 balls in two lines of 20 balls. The balls in each line are 1 foot apart. The two lines are 5 to 10 yards apart.

2

On the green use sticks or string to make 3 landing zones in a straight line. Each zone is 6 feet apart.

3

Hit 36 flop shots from the ball lines to the landing zones.

4

Make 3 groups of 12 shots.

5

For each group aim for only one landing zone.

6

After each group of 12 shots, switch to the other ball line.

7

Count every shot that stops in the right landing zone.

8

When all 36 shots are done, add up your successful shots out of 36 attempts and enter your score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
07

Flop | 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 flop shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Scattered Ball Lines | Quadrants
1

Scatter 40 balls in 8 lines, with 5 balls in each line, spaced about 1 yard or meter apart between 5 and 40 yards or meters from the hole.

2

Divide a 10-foot or 3-meter circle around the hole into 4 equal parts using string or tees.

3

Hit a total of 36 flop shots.

4

Assign 9 shots to each of the 4 parts.

5

Pick 5 balls from the scattered lines and try to land and stop the ball in the assigned part, then move to a different line and part.

6

Always hit each shot from where the ball was placed, aiming at the assigned part.

7

Count a shot as successful if the ball stops inside the intended part.

8

Do all 36 shots (9 in each part) and then count all successful shots and enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612853
08

Flop | Fairway | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Hit flop shot 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
Diagram for Flop | Fairway | Uphill/Downhill
1

Place 36 balls in two groups of 18 balls each for uphill and downhill shots.

2

Set up three targets on the green: right, center, and left of the hole, each 6 feet apart.

3

Hit 12 flop shots from uphill slope at the right target.

4

Hit 6 shots from uphill at the center target, then 6 at the left target (total 18 uphill shots).

5

From downhill slope, hit 12 shots at the right target, 6 at center, 6 at left (total 18 downhill shots).

6

Count shots that stop within 3 feet of the target as success.

7

Write down your number of successful shots out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302826221713963

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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