Course Program

Open up and let it fly: alignment for flop shots

Check clubface, for a 22-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Goshen Plantation Golf Club

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 21.89 drills64% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

7 to 45

Average HCP

21.8

Duration (single session)

3 hr 54 min

or

1 drill/day: 9 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Alignment30%
Distance Control19%
Accuracy17%
Scoring10%
Precision8%
Aim8%
Dispersion4%
Trajectory4%

Overview

Program Structure

Open up and let it fly: alignment for flop shots. Open up and fly and set up for high shot. Focus on Alignment, Distance Control, Accuracy. For a 22-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.

Skill

Alignment

Shot

Flop

What you will improve

  • Alignment
  • Distance Control
  • Accuracy
  • Scoring

Program details

Sessions
9 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 54 min
or
1 drill per day
9 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 | Perpendicular Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 perpendicular lines 20 balls per line and stop flop shots inside 9 Stop Zones. Count the number of successful stops.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Perpendicular Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones
1

Put 36 balls in two crossing lines with 18 balls in each line. Balls are 1 foot apart.

2

Make 9 stop zones on the green using tees, strings, or markers. Keep them spaced out and easy to see.

3

Hit 4 flop shots to each stop zone. This makes 36 shots total (4 shots for each of the 9 zones).

4

From the first line of balls, hit 4 shots, one to each of the first 4 stop zones.

5

From the second line, hit 4 shots, one to each of the next 4 stop zones.

6

Use the rest of the balls to hit 4 shots to the 9th stop zone, then enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

7

Count a shot a success only if the ball stops inside the right stop zone.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
02

Flop | Rough | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Up to 5 players hit flop shot 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 Flop | Rough | Uphill/Downhill
1

Set up 2 target zones on the green: one uphill, one downhill, about 10 feet apart.

2

Put 18 balls in the uphill rough, and 18 in the downhill rough.

3

Hit 18 flop shots from the uphill rough and try to land each ball in the uphill target zone.

4

Hit 18 flop shots from the downhill rough and try to land each ball in the downhill target zone.

5

If the ball lands and stays in the target zone, it counts as a success.

6

Always keep the way you set up each ball the same; only the target zone changes.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612853
03

Flop | Perpendicular Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

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

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

Set 36 balls into 9 piles of 4 balls each, arranged in two lines, 2 meters apart.

2

Make 3 landing zones on the green using sticks or string, each 2 meters apart in a straight line.

3

Hit 36 flop shots total, 12 shots at each landing zone.

4

Start from any pile and aim for the first zone. Hit 12 shots at this zone.

5

Then hit 12 shots at the second zone, then 12 shots at the third zone.

6

Change piles between shots if wanted, but always use the same type of shot.

7

Any ball landing and stopping inside the target zone is a success.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074
04

Flop | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Up to 5 players hit flop shot 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 Flop | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet
1

Prepare two sets of 18 balls: one set for above-feet shots, one set for below-feet shots.

2

Mark three target zones on the green: left, center, and right.

3

Divide 36 shots into three groups of 12: each group has 6 above-feet and 6 below-feet shots. Each group aims 2 shots at each zone.

4

From deep rough and sloped lies, hit two flop shots at each target zone: first above-feet, then below-feet, for all zones.

5

Keep the ball setup the same for all shots. Only change the target zone.

6

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

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
05

Flop | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Up to 5 players hit flop shot two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped deep rough and other extreme grass types; one bucket from the uphill slope and one bucket from the downhill slope.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill
1

Split 36 balls into two groups of

2

Make two target zones on the green, each about 5 feet wide: Zone A (left), Zone B (right).

3

For the first 18 balls, hit from uphill rough and try to land in Zone A.

4

For the next 18 balls, hit from downhill rough and try to land in Zone B.

5

All shots should be from the same spot in deep rough, 10 to 15 yards from the green.

6

Count balls that land and stay in the correct zone.

7

After 36 shots, enter the number of successes (out of 36) in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074
06

Flop | Fairway | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

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

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Fairway | Above/Below Feet
1

Set up two targets on the green about 10 to 15 yards apart.

2

Get 36 balls and split them into 2 groups of

3

Hit 18 flop shots from a slope with the ball above your feet, aiming at the first target.

4

Hit 18 flop shots from a slope with the ball below your feet, aiming at the second target.

5

Count how many balls land and stop within 3 feet of each target. These are successes.

6

Keep your ball setup the same for all shots.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141174
07

Flop | Perpendicular 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 | Perpendicular Piles | Quadrants
1

Arrange 10 piles of balls in two lines that cross each other. Each line has 5 piles, placed 3 yards apart. The lines are 6 yards apart.

2

Put all piles between 5 and 40 yards from the hole. Keep all piles on the same type of grass.

3

On the green, mark 4 equal quadrants. Each quadrant is a circle with a 3-meter radius around the hole.

4

Hit 36 flop shots: 9 shots to each quadrant.

5

Start at one pile. Hit 9 shots at Quadrant 1, move to another pile and hit 9 shots at Quadrant 2, then 9 shots at Quadrant 3, then 9 shots at Quadrant

6

A shot that stops inside the target quadrant counts as a success.

7

Count all successes for each quadrant and add them up.

8

After all 36 shots, write down your total number of successful shots in the app, out of 36.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129262218141063
08

Flop | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Hit flop shot 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, one bucket with balls below feet level.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet
1

Put 18 balls in one bucket for shots above your feet, and 18 balls in another bucket for shots below your feet.

2

On the practice green, set up 3 target zones in a row, about 10 to 15 feet from the hole.

3

Split the 36 balls into 3 groups of 12 balls.

4

For the first 12 balls, hit from above feet and aim for Target Zone

5

For the next 12 balls, hit from below feet and aim for Target Zone

6

For the last 12 balls, switch between above and below feet every 2 balls and aim for Target Zone

7

Always keep the ball on the correct slope as needed, only change which target zone you aim at as above.

8

Count each ball that lands and stays in the correct target zone as a success.

9

When done, count how many successes out of 36 and enter the score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282624201612853
09

Flop | Deep Rough and Other | Flat

Short Game

Hit flop shot 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 Flop | Deep Rough and Other | Flat
1

Set up 3 landing zones on the green, about 6 feet apart in a line. Name them Zone 1 (close), Zone 2 (middle), Zone 3 (far).

2

Put 2 piles of 18 balls each, 5–20 yards away from the green, in deep or thick grass.

3

Hit 36 flop shots from these piles, trying to land the ball in the zones.

4

Hit 12 shots to Zone

1

Alternate piles if wanted.

5

Hit 12 shots to Zone

6

Hit 12 shots to Zone

3

Enter how many shots stayed in the right zones, out of 36 attempts, in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282623191511853

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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