Course Program

Can you stop the ball close from the sand?

Practice at Gailes Golf Club

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 24.88 drills66% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

3 to 45

Average HCP

24.8

Duration (single session)

3 hr 27 min

or

1 drill/day: 8 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Distance Control35%
Aim15%
Dispersion12%
Precision12%
Trajectory10%
Scoring8%
Accuracy5%
Alignment4%

Overview

Program Structure

This short game helps you sharpen your distance control, executing sand shots, and make faster decisions that translate straight to scoring opportunities. Each drill mirrors on-course scenarios before you stitch everything together in finale sessions.

Skill

Distance Control

Shot

Sand

What you will improve

  • Distance Control
  • Aim
  • Dispersion
  • Precision

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

Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | Multiple Targets

Short Game

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

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

Put 18 balls in a straight line in the sand. Make a second line of 18 balls. Lines should be 5 to 10 yards apart, balls in each line 1 foot apart.

2

Pick two flags on the green, 20 to 40 yards away. Each line aims for its own flag.

3

From the first line, hit 18 balls trying to land each one within 10 feet of the first flag.

4

Move to the second line, hit 18 balls trying to land each one within 10 feet of the second flag.

5

Count how many balls from each line stay inside the 10-foot circle.

6

Add up total successful balls out of 36 attempts and enter score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612853
02

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
03

Sand | Scattered Piles | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) in the sand. Scatter into 8 equal piles of 5 balls and stop sand shots inside 9 Stop Zones. Count the number of successful stops.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Scattered Piles | 9 Stop Zones
1

Scatter 36 balls into 9 piles of 4 balls each in the sand, 20 to 40 yards from the hole.

2

Mark 9 target zones on the green, spaced out evenly.

3

Hit 4 sand shots at each target zone, for a total of 36 shots.

4

After 4 shots at the first zone, move to the next and repeat for all 9 zones.

5

Count each ball that stops in the right zone as one success.

6

When finished, add up the number of balls that stopped in the right places and enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3330272318141074
04

Sand | Perpendicular Piles | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a sand 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 Sand | Perpendicular Piles | 9 Stop Zones
1

Set up 10 piles of 4 balls each in two crossing lines of 5 piles each, spaced 3 yards/meters apart, and 20-40 yards from the hole.

2

On the green, mark 9 target zones with buckets, tees, or string in a clear grid or pattern.

3

Split 36 shots into 9 groups of

4

Each group only aims for one target zone.

4

For each group, pick a pile and hit 4 sand shots, trying to stop each ball in the zone.

5

Move to the next zone and repeat until each of the 9 zones has had 4 shots (36 total shots).

6

Each ball that stops in the right zone counts as one success.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
05

Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a sand shot in the bullseye. The best final score relative to PAR wins the challenge. Up to 80 balls are needed.

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

Make 4 straight lines of 9 balls each in the sand bunker, with 1 foot between each ball.

2

Place the lines 3 yards apart from each other, and make sure all balls are between 20 and 40 yards from the hole.

3

On the green, make two circles: a small circle around the hole (6-foot radius) and a bigger circle (15-foot radius).

4

Hit 36 balls in total: 12 try for the small circle, 12 try for the big circle but outside the small, 12 can land anywhere on the green.

5

Hit the first 12 balls aiming for the small circle.

6

Hit the next 12 balls aiming for the big circle but outside the small one.

7

Hit the last 12 balls onto the green without worrying where they end up.

8

Count each ball that stops where it is supposed to for that round.

9

Add up how many balls landed in the right spots out of 36 tries and enter your score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3331282419151174
06

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
07

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
08

Sand | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Multiple Targets

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 close to multiple targets. Count the number of successes.

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

Place 40 balls in a sand bunker. Make 2 lines with 18 balls each, 1 foot apart, crossing each other.

2

Pick 4 targets 20-40 yards from the bunker.

3

Assign 9 shots to each target, switching between the 2 ball lines for each target.

4

For the first target, hit 9 balls from the first line. Try to get each ball within 10 feet of the target.

5

Switch to the second line. Hit 9 balls to the second target, aiming within 10 feet again.

6

Keep switching lines and targets until all 36 shots are done.

7

Count all successful shots that end up within 10 feet of the target.

8

Enter your total number of successful shots out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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