Thread the needle, for a 23-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Herndon Centennial Golf Course
Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 23.46 drills80% match to course practice profile
Program Snapshot
Handicap range
10 to 45
Average HCP
23.4
Duration (single session)
2 hr 36 min
or
1 drill/day: 6 days · 26 min/day
Ideal tee
All
Skill Distribution
Precision26%
Aim17%
Distance Control16%
Alignment15%
Scoring14%
Dispersion10%
Accuracy2%
Overview
Program Structure
Pinpoint Chips for Tap-Ins. Pinpoint chips and precision from tough lie. Focus on Precision, Aim, Distance Control, Alignment, Scoring, Dispersion, Accuracy. For a 23-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.
Skill
Precision
Shot
Chip
What you will improve
Precision
Aim
Distance Control
Alignment
Program details
Sessions
6 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
2 hr 36 min
or
1 drill per day
6 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 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
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
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
26
22
18
14
11
7
4
02
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
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
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
25
20
16
12
9
6
3
03
Chip | Parallel Piles | Quadrants
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 quadrants. Count the number of successes.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Put 40 balls into 10 piles with 4 balls in each pile. Arrange in two lines, 5 piles per line.
2
Space piles 2 yards or meters apart side to side. Space the two lines 5 to 10 yards or meters apart front to back.
3
Mark 4 sections (quadrants) in a circle of 6 feet or 2 meters radius around the hole on the green using string or tees.
4
Hit 36 chip shots total, 9 shots into each quadrant.
5
Start at any pile and chip balls to land in the first quadrant. After 9 shots, switch to the next quadrant.
6
Switch piles after each shot for variety, but always keep the same chipping setup and distance.
7
Count each ball that stops inside the correct quadrant as a success.
8
After all 36 shots, enter number of successful shots made out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
28
26
23
19
15
12
9
6
3
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 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
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
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
25
22
17
14
11
7
4
06
Chip | Parallel 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
1
Make 10 piles of balls, in 2 lines with 5 piles in each line. Space the lines 5 to 10 yards or meters apart, and piles in each line about 4 yards or meters apart.
2
Place piles between 5 and 30 yards or meters from the hole, but not on the green.
3
On the green, mark 9 stop zones using buckets, string, or tees. Put them in a clear 3 by 3 layout.
4
Hit 36 chip shots, in 9 groups of 4 shots each.
5
For each group of 4 shots, pick one stop zone to aim at and chip 4 balls towards it from any pile.
6
Repeat until 4 shots have been aimed at each of the 9 stop zones, making 36 shots in all.
7
Count only shots that stop inside their chosen stop zone.
8
Enter the number of successful shots out of 36 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
Next Step
Ready to start this program?
Start the drills at your own pace or work with a resident professional on this course.