Thread the needle, for a 16-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Governors Club, The
Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 15.58 drills59% match to course practice profile
Program Snapshot
Handicap range
8 to 25
Average HCP
15.5
Duration (single session)
3 hr 28 min
or
1 drill/day: 8 days · 26 min/day
Ideal tee
All
Skill Distribution
Precision32%
Distance Control26%
Aim12%
Trajectory12%
Dispersion10%
Scoring6%
Alignment2%
Accuracy1%
Overview
Program Structure
Pinpoint Chips for Tap-Ins. Thread the needle and precision from tough lie. Focus on Precision, Distance Control, Aim, Trajectory, Dispersion, Scoring, Alignment, Accuracy. For a 16-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.
Skill
Precision
Shot
Chip
What you will improve
Precision
Distance Control
Aim
Trajectory
Program details
Sessions
8 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 28 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.
Up to 5 players compete to stop a chip 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
1
Put 36 balls into 9 piles. Each pile has 4 balls. Put piles 5 to 30 yards from the hole.
2
Mark 9 target zones on the green.
3
Try to hit 4 balls into each zone. Do this for all 9 zones.
4
Always use the same ball setup. Only change which zone is the target.
5
Count each ball that stops inside the correct zone.
6
Add up all the successful shots out of
6
Enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
31
29
27
23
18
14
10
7
4
02
Chip | Parallel Piles | 3 Landing Zones
Short Game
Up to 5 players compete to stop a chip shot inside the landing 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
1
Set up three landing zones on the green in a line, 6 feet apart.
2
Make three piles of 12 balls each at the edge of the green.
3
Use the first pile to chip balls into the first landing zone, 12 shots.
4
Use the second pile to chip balls into the second landing zone, 12 shots.
5
Use the third pile to chip balls into the third landing zone, 12 shots. Count how many balls land and stay in each zone.
6
After all 36 shots, enter the number of successes out of 36 in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
25
22
18
14
10
7
4
03
Chip | Parallel Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones
Short Game
Up to 5 players compete to stop a chip shot in the stop zone(s). The player with the most points at the end wins the challenge. Up to 80 balls are needed.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Make 9 stop zones on the green. Mark them with tees, string, or buckets. Line up or put them in a grid.
2
Put 36 balls in 4 rows. Each row has 9 balls, spaced 1 foot apart. Put the rows about 5 yards apart on the grass, between 5 and 20 yards from the green.
3
Plan to hit 4 balls at each of the 9 stop zones. That is 36 shots.
4
Start at any row of balls. Hit balls, trying to stop each one in the first stop zone.
5
After 4 tries at the first zone, go to the next zone and do the same. Keep going until you try all 9 zones.
6
Count a shot as a success if the ball stops completely inside the target zone.
7
When all shots are done, count the number of successful shots and enter the score in the app, out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
31
29
27
23
18
14
10
7
4
04
Chip | Parallel Piles | 9 Stop Zones
Short Game
Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal parallel piles of 4 balls and stop chip shots inside 9 Stop Zones. Count the number of successful stops.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Set up 10 piles of 4 balls each in two rows (5 piles per row), spaced 2 yards/meters apart. Put the rows 5 to 10 yards/meters apart and place the piles 5 to 30 yards/meters from the hole.
2
Mark 9 stop zones on the green using buckets, string, or tees. Space them out so each zone is different.
3
Prepare to hit 36 chip shots, divided into 9 groups of 4 shots. Each group targets a different stop zone.
4
From any pile, hit 4 shots at the first stop zone. Move to the next stop zone and hit 4 shots at it. Keep going until you’ve aimed 4 shots at each of the 9 zones.
5
Count every ball that stops inside the right zone as a success.
6
When done, count up all successful stops out of 36 attempts and enter the score in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
32
30
28
25
20
16
12
8
5
05
Chip | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Quadrants
Short Game
Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 perpendicular lines 20 balls per line and stop chip shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Place 36 balls in two lines that cross, with 18 balls in each line.
2
Keep the balls about 1 foot apart, with lines set up 5 to 30 yards from the hole.
3
On the green, divide a 6-foot circle around the hole into 4 equal parts.
4
Split the 36 chip shots into 4 groups of 9 balls.
5
Aim the first 9 shots at the first part of the circle.
6
Switch to the other line and aim the next 9 balls at the second part. Keep switching lines and aim at the next parts until all 36 balls are chipped.
7
Count how many balls land in the right part each time.
8
Enter the number of successful chips out of 36 attempts in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
31
29
26
22
18
14
11
7
4
06
Chip | Parallel Ball Lines | Quadrants
Short Game
Up to 5 players compete to stop a chip shot inside the quadrant(s). The player with the most points at the end wins the challenge. 25 balls per player are needed.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Set up 4 lines of 9 balls each, 1 foot apart.
2
Put the lines on grass 5-20 yards/meters from the hole, not on the green.
3
On the green, make 4 quadrants using string or tees, each about 6 feet in radius.
4
Hit 36 chip shots in total, 9 to each quadrant.
5
Start at any ball line and chip 9 balls, aiming for Quadrant
6
Move to the next line and chip 9 balls to Quadrant
7
Do the same for Quadrants 3 and 4, 9 balls each.
8
Count each ball that stops in the target quadrant.
9
Add up the number of successful shots and enter the total out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
28
26
24
20
16
12
8
5
3
07
Chip | Scattered Piles | 3 Landing Zones
Short Game
Up to 5 players compete to land a chip 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
1
Set up 3 landing zones on the green, 6 feet apart in a straight line.
2
Place 3 piles of balls around the chipping area, each pile randomly 5 to 30 yards from the hole. Keep this setup the same.
3
Divide 36 chip shots into 3 groups of
4
For the first 12 shots, aim for the first landing zone from any pile.
5
For the next 12 shots, aim for the second landing zone from any pile.
6
For the last 12 shots, aim for the third landing zone from any pile.
7
Count each shot that lands and stays in the correct zone as a success.
8
Total the successful shots out of 36 and enter the score in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
31
29
27
23
18
14
11
7
4
08
Chip | Parallel Piles | 3 Landing Zones
Short Game
Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal parallel piles of 4 balls and hit-and-land chip shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Place 36 balls into 9 piles of 4 balls each. Arrange piles in two lines, with 4 in one line and 5 in the other, 5-10 yards apart and 2 yards between piles.
2
On the green, set up 3 landing zones side by side, 6 feet apart, using sticks, clubs, or string.
3
Hit 36 chip shots, 12 shots at each landing zone.
4
Hit 12 chip shots at the first landing zone from any piles.
5
Hit 12 chip shots at the second landing zone. Change piles if wanted.
6
Hit 12 chip shots at the third landing zone. Change piles if wanted.
7
Count a success each time the ball stays in the correct landing zone.
8
Add up all successful shots and enter score in the app out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
26
22
18
14
10
7
4
Next Step
Ready to start this program?
Start the drills at your own pace or work with a resident professional on this course.