Course Program

Up-and-Down Contest

Up-and-down contest, for a 28-handicap player, ~20 minutes at B

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 27.67 drills

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

10 to 45

Average HCP

27.6

Duration (single session)

3 hr 2 min

or

1 drill/day: 7 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Scoring27%
Aim22%
Alignment18%
Accuracy9%
Distance Control9%
Dispersion7%
Precision4%
Visualization4%

Overview

Program Structure

Up-and-Down Contest. Save par clutch and up-and-down contest. Focus on Scoring, Aim, Alignment. For a 28-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.

Skill

Scoring

Shot

Chip

What you will improve

  • Scoring
  • Aim
  • Alignment
  • Accuracy

Program details

Sessions
7 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 2 min
or
1 drill per day
7 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

Chip | Parallel Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a chip 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 Chip | Parallel Piles | Quadrants
1

Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines. Each line has 5 piles. The lines are 5 to 10 yards apart. Each pile in a line is 4 yards apart.

2

Put the piles 5 to 30 yards from the hole on any type of grass.

3

On the green, make 4 quadrants with string or tees. Each quadrant is about 6 feet wide.

4

Hit 36 chip shots. Hit 9 shots to each of the 4 quadrants.

5

Choose a pile and chip 9 balls, aiming for one quadrant.

6

After 9 shots, switch to the next quadrant. Do this for all 4 quadrants.

7

A chip that stops inside the right quadrant counts as a success.

8

After 36 shots, count how many balls stopped in the target quadrants and enter your score in the app out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612963
02

Chip | Rough | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped rough grass; one bucket from the uphill slope and one bucket from the downhill slope.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Rough | Uphill/Downhill
1

Gather 36 golf balls. Make 3 piles of 6 balls on an uphill slope and 3 piles of 6 balls on a downhill slope, placing them 5 to 30 yards from the hole.

2

Mark 3 landing zones on the green in a line, each 6 feet apart; label them Zone 1, Zone 2, and Zone

3

From each uphill pile, hit 6 chip shots aiming for Zone 1, then Zone 2, then Zone

4

From each downhill pile, hit 6 chip shots aiming for Zone 1, then Zone 2, then Zone

5

Count a shot as a success if the ball lands and stops in the intended zone.

6

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211713964
03

Chip | Deep Rough and Other | Flat

Short Game

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 Chip | Deep Rough and Other | Flat
1

Find a flat spot in deep rough or thick grass, 5 to 30 yards from the hole.

2

Place three targets on the green in a line, about 4 feet apart.

3

Hit 36 chip shots in total, split into 3 groups of 12 shots.

4

For the first 12 shots, aim for Target

5

For the next 12 shots, aim for Target

6

For the last 12 shots, aim for Target

7

Use the same setup for every shot.

8

Count a success if the ball stops within 2 feet of the target.

9

Add up how many successes were made out of 36 and enter the score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129262218141063
04

Chip | Rough | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped rough grass; one bucket with balls above feet level, one bucket with balls below feet level.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Rough | Above/Below Feet
1

Gather 36 balls and split into 2 groups of 18 balls.

2

Pick one target (pin) on the green.

3

For the first 18 shots, place the ball above your feet in the rough 5–20 yards from the hole.

4

Chip all 18 balls, trying to get close to the target.

5

Move to the other slope so the ball is below your feet, same distance.

6

Chip the last 18 balls at the target.

7

Count each shot that stops within 3 feet of the hole as a success.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129262218141063
05

Chip | Perpendicular Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a chip 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 Chip | Perpendicular Piles | Quadrants
1

Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines: 5 piles in each line, 3 yards apart, and the lines 5 to 10 yards away from each other. Piles are 5 to 30 yards from the hole.

2

Use string or tees to mark 4 equal areas around the hole, each 6 feet from the hole.

3

Hit 36 chip shots, split into 4 groups of

9

Aim each group at a different area.

4

Start from a pile, chip 9 balls at the first area, then move to another pile for the next area. Do this until all 4 areas have 9 shots each.

5

Each shot that stops in the right area is a success.

6

Count the number of successful shots out of 36 and enter your score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
06

Chip | Rough | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped rough grass; one bucket from the uphill slope and one bucket from the downhill slope.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Rough | Uphill/Downhill
1

Pick a spot in the rough, on an uphill slope, 5–30 yards from the hole.

2

Put a target at the hole.

3

Hit 18 chip shots uphill, trying to stop the ball close to the hole.

4

Move to a downhill spot in the rough, also 5–30 yards from the hole.

5

Hit 18 chip shots downhill at the same target.

6

Every 4 shots, check the results and adjust if needed.

7

Count a success for every ball that finishes close to the hole (like within 3 feet).

8

Use the same setup for every shot.

9

After 36 shots, add up your total successes. Enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141174
07

Chip | Scattered Piles | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a chip 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 Chip | Scattered Piles | Bullseye 2x
1

Make two piles of balls for each player between 5 and 30 yards from the hole, anywhere in the chipping area, on any surface.

2

On the green, make two bullseye zones around the hole: inner circle with 6-foot radius and outer ring from 6 to 15 feet.

3

Each player hits 36 chips: 18 from each pile.

4

Try to stop the ball in the inner bullseye (best), then outer bullseye (good), or avoid missing both (bad).

5

Switch piles after 18 shots, finish all 36 shots.

6

Count how many balls stop in the bullseye zones.

7

After 36 shots, record the number of balls in the bullseyes as your score. Enter this total in the app out of 36 attempts.

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.