Course Program

Thread Needle: Narrow Landing Zone

Feel the green, for a 26-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Hawk Valley Golf Club

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 26.38 drills72% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

10 to 45

Average HCP

26.3

Duration (single session)

3 hr 28 min

or

1 drill/day: 8 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Distance Control31%
Precision23%
Alignment18%
Scoring15%
Dispersion11%
Trajectory2%

Overview

Program Structure

Thread Needle: Narrow Landing Zone. Vary landing spot and feel the green. Focus on Distance Control, Precision, Alignment, Scoring, Dispersion, Trajectory. For a 26-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.

Skill

Precision

Shot

Chip

What you will improve

  • Distance Control
  • Precision
  • Alignment
  • Scoring

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.

01

Chip | Scattered Piles | 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. One bucket of balls per player is needed.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Scattered Piles | 9 Stop Zones
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+151219273654
Score3129272318141074
02

Chip | Perpendicular Piles | 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. One bucket of balls per player is needed.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Perpendicular Piles | 9 Stop Zones
1

Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines. Each line has 5 piles. Lines are 8 yards apart. Piles in each line are 3 yards apart.

2

Place the piles on grass between 5 and 30 yards from the hole. Keep the same setup.

3

On the green, mark 9 stop zones using buckets, string, or tees. Zones cover different short chip targets.

4

Take 36 chip shots in total. Chip 4 balls to each of the 9 zones.

5

For each shot, chip from any pile. Try to stop the ball in the assigned zone. Chip 4 balls to one zone before moving to the next.

6

Count each ball that stops in the correct zone as a success.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score312926221713964
03

Chip | Scattered 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 | Scattered Piles | Quadrants
1

Mark 4 areas on the green with string or tees. Each area should be a circle about 6 feet wide.

2

Put 36 balls into 4 piles of 9 balls. Place the piles between 5 and 30 yards from the hole.

3

Hit 9 balls from each pile. Aim every group of 9 at a different circle.

4

Try to land each ball into the correct circle. Move to the next pile and repeat until all 36 balls are hit.

5

Count the balls that stop inside the correct circle.

6

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141174
04

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
Diagram for Chip | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Quadrants
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+151219273654
Score3129262218141174
05

Chip | Scattered Piles | Multiple Targets

Short Game

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

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Scattered Piles | Multiple Targets
1

Put 36 balls into 6 piles of 6 balls on the grass, between 5 and 30 yards from the hole.

2

Place 3 flags or targets on the green, 6 feet apart in a line.

3

Split the 36 balls into 3 groups of 12 shots.

4

Hit the first 12 balls to the first flag and try to stop each ball within 10 feet of it.

5

Hit the next 12 balls to the second flag, trying to stop them within 10 feet.

6

Hit the last 12 balls to the third flag, again aiming to stop within 10 feet.

7

Switch which pile you use each time to practice different distances and grass.

8

Count every ball that stops within 10 feet of its flag as a successful shot.

9

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302824201612964
06

Chip | Parallel Ball Lines | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a chip shot closest to the multiple target(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 Chip | Parallel Ball Lines | Multiple Targets
1

Set up 4 rows of balls. Each row has 9 balls, 1 foot apart.

2

Space the rows 5 yards apart on grass, between 5 and 30 yards from the hole.

3

Put 3 targets by the hole: A at 12 o'clock, B at 4 o'clock, C at 8 o'clock, each 3 feet from the hole.

4

Split the 36 shots into 3 groups of

2

First 12 shots go to Target A, next 12 to Target B, last 12 to Target C.

5

From each row, chip the ball to try to stop it close to the chosen target. Ball setup does not change.

6

After 12 shots at one target, switch to the next target. Repeat until all 36 shots are finished.

7

Each ball that stops within 2 feet of the target is a success.

8

Count how many successes you had and enter your score in the app out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129262318141074
07

Chip | Perpendicular Piles | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a chip shot closest to the multiple target(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 Chip | Perpendicular Piles | Multiple Targets
1

Arrange 10 piles of balls in two lines that cross each other. Each line has 5 piles. Each pile has the same number of balls.

2

Put the piles 5 to 30 yards from the hole. Leave 3 yards between piles in a line. Make lines 5 to 10 yards apart.

3

Set up 3 targets around the green. Each target is about 6 feet apart from the others.

4

There are 36 chip shots total, with 12 shots for each target.

5

Always use the same stance and ball position for every shot.

6

For each set of 12 shots, chip to the target from any pile. Try to get close to the target.

7

A shot is a success if the ball stops within 3 feet of the target.

8

After all 36 shots, add up how many balls stopped within 3 feet of the target and enter the score out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252217141174
08

Chip | Perpendicular Piles | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal perpendicular piles of 4 balls and stop chip shots close to multiple targets. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Perpendicular Piles | Multiple Targets
1

Make 10 piles of 4 balls each from 40 balls. Arrange the piles in 2 lines with 5 piles in each line. Lines cross each other.

2

Put the piles on grass 5 to 30 yards/meters from the hole. Space lines 5 to 10 yards/meters apart and piles 2 yards/meters apart.

3

On the green, put 3 targets in a line, about 8 feet apart. Call them Target A, Target B, and Target C.

4

Hit 36 chip shots, 12 to each target.

5

Hit 12 shots at Target A, then 12 at Target B, then 12 at Target C. Use any pile for any shot.

6

Count a shot as a success if it stops within 10 feet of the target.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612963

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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