Course Program

Stop Ball on Dime

Vary landing spot, for a 28-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Hickory Grove Gc

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 28.48 drills55% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

10 to 45

Average HCP

28.4

Duration (single session)

3 hr 25 min

or

1 drill/day: 8 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Distance Control32%
Alignment21%
Accuracy14%
Scoring13%
Aim7%
Precision6%
Trajectory4%
Dispersion3%

Overview

Program Structure

Stop Ball on Dime. Vary landing spot and stop on a dime. Focus on Distance Control, Alignment, Accuracy, Scoring, Aim, Precision, Trajectory, Dispersion. For a 28-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.

Skill

Distance Control

Shot

Chip

What you will improve

  • Distance Control
  • Alignment
  • Accuracy
  • Scoring

Program details

Sessions
8 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 25 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 Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal lines of 5 balls and hit-and-land chip shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Scattered Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones
1

Put 40 balls into 8 lines. Each line has 5 balls. Lines should be about 1 yard or meter apart. Put these lines anywhere on the grass 5 to 30 yards/meters from the hole but not on the green.

2

On the green, use sticks, clubs, or string to mark 3 landing zones in a straight line about 6 feet (2 meters) apart.

3

Divide the 36 chip shots into 3 sets of 12 shots.

4

For each set, pick 3 lines of balls and aim every shot at one landing zone.

5

Hit 5 chips from each line to the chosen zone. After 3 lines (15 shots), change zones until all 36 shots are done.

6

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

7

Enter the total number of successful shots in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
02

Chip | Perpendicular 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 | Perpendicular Piles | Bullseye 2x
1

Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines that cross each other. Each line has 5 piles, spaced 3 yards apart, with the lines 5 to 10 yards apart. Place the piles on grass 5 to 30 yards from the hole.

2

On the green around the hole, make two circles using string or tees: one small circle with a 6 foot radius and one big circle with a 15 foot radius.

3

Hit 36 chip shots, in 3 sets of 12 shots. - Set 1 (12 shots): Try to stop the ball in the small circle. - Set 2 (12 shots): Try to stop the ball in the big circle but outside the small circle. - Set 3 (12 shots): Try to stop the ball just outside the big circle but close to the hole.

4

Start at any pile and hit the type of shot for that set. After finishing 12 shots for one set, move to the next set and repeat.

5

For each shot, if the ball lands in the target zone for that set, count it as a success.

6

Keep going until all 36 shots are done. At the end, add up your successful shots out of 36 attempts and enter your score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825221713964
03

Chip | Scattered Ball Lines | Quadrants

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal lines of 5 balls and stop chip shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.

23 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Scattered Ball Lines | Quadrants
1

Scatter 40 balls into 8 lines of 5 balls. Each ball should be 1 yard apart. Place lines 5–30 yards from the hole. Keep setup the same for all shots.

2

On the green, use markers to make 4 equal pieces inside a 6-foot circle around the hole.

3

Take 32 chip shots total. Aim 8 shots at each quadrant.

4

For each of the 8 lines, choose a quadrant to aim for. Hit all 5 balls in that line to that quadrant. Move to a new line for a new quadrant. Keep going until all 32 shots are done.

5

Count each shot that stops inside the target quadrant as a success.

6

Add up successful shots. Enter score in the app, out of 32 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions32
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282624201612964
04

Chip | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Up to 5 players hit 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 Chip | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet
1

Make two target zones on the green, Zone A on the left and Zone B on the right, 8 feet apart.

2

Put 18 balls in the deep rough above feet, at distances from 5 to 20 yards, in a straight line.

3

Chip the 18 balls to land and stop in Zone A from the uphill position.

4

Move to deep rough below feet, set up 18 balls the same way.

5

Chip these balls to land and stop in Zone B from the downhill position.

6

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

7

When finished, enter the total number of successes out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score2927252218141174
05

Chip | Deep Rough and Other | Flat

Short Game

Up to 5 players 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

Set up 3 target zones on the green at 6, 12, and 18 feet from the hole.

2

Place 36 golf balls between 5 and 30 yards from the hole in the flat deep rough.

3

Split the 36 balls into 3 groups of 12, with each group aimed at one zone.

4

Hit from the same rough spot, aiming at the same zone, until you finish 12 shots for that zone.

5

Count a ball as a success if it lands and stays in the right zone.

6

Add up all successful chips. Enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141174
06

Chip | Scattered Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal piles of 5 balls and hit-and-land chip shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Scattered Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

Put 40 balls into 8 piles, with 5 balls in each pile, between 5 and 30 yards from the hole.

2

On the green, mark 3 zones in a straight line, each zone 6 feet apart.

3

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

4

For the first 12 shots, aim to land the ball in Zone

5

For the next 12 shots, aim for Zone

6

For the last 12 shots, aim for Zone

7

Choose any pile to hit from, switch piles if wanted.

8

Count each shot that stops in the right zone as a success.

9

After all 36 shots, enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
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 | Quadrants

Short Game

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

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

Set up 2 lines with 5 piles of 4 balls each. There are 10 piles in total.

2

Space the 2 lines 5 to 10 yards apart. Space each pile 2 yards apart along each line.

3

On the green, use string or markers to make a circle 6 feet wide around the hole. Divide the circle into 4 equal parts.

4

Hit 36 chip shots, split into 4 groups of

5

For each group, try to stop the balls in one part of the circle. Move to the next part after each group.

6

Alternate where you chip from to practice different spots, but aim for the chosen part of the circle.

7

Count how many balls land in the right part of the circle.

8

Add all your successful chips out of 36 and enter the score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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