Thread the gap: pitch through a narrow landing zone
Thread the gap, for a 17-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Highland Park Golf Course
Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 16.99 drills72% match to course practice profile
Program Snapshot
Handicap range
4 to 45
Average HCP
16.9
Duration (single session)
3 hr 54 min
or
1 drill/day: 9 days · 26 min/day
Ideal tee
All
Skill Distribution
Precision30%
Distance Control24%
Scoring14%
Aim14%
Dispersion9%
Trajectory4%
Accuracy3%
Alignment2%
Overview
Program Structure
Thread the gap: pitch through a narrow landing zone. Pinpoint pitches and precision from tough lie. Focus on Precision, Distance Control, Scoring, Aim, Dispersion, Trajectory, Accuracy, Alignment. For a 17-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.
Skill
Precision
Shot
Pitch
What you will improve
Precision
Distance Control
Scoring
Aim
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.
Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch 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
Make 4 piles of 9 balls each, with piles placed randomly 30–60 yards from the hole.
2
Mark 4 quadrants on the green around the hole using string or tees, each about 9 feet wide.
3
Hit 36 pitch shots, 9 to each quadrant.
4
From any pile, hit 9 balls trying to stop them in the first quadrant.
5
Move to a new pile and hit 9 balls to the second quadrant. Repeat for all quadrants.
6
Count balls that stop inside the target quadrant.
7
Count total balls in the correct quadrant and enter the number out of 36 attempts in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
25
20
16
12
8
5
3
02
Pitch | Parallel Piles | Multiple Targets
Short Game
Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch 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
Make 10 piles of balls in two lines with 5 piles in each line. Lines should be 5 to 10 yards apart. Piles in each line are 4 yards apart.
2
Put the piles on grass between 30 and 60 yards from the hole.
3
Mark 3 targets with flags or markers on the green so they are spaced out and easy to see.
4
Hit 36 pitch shots total, in 3 sets of 12 shots.
5
For each set, hit all 12 shots at the same target. Use Target 1 for the first set, Target 2 for the next, Target 3 for the last set.
6
For each shot, pick any pile you want, but try to land the ball close to the target.
7
After each shot, check if your ball stops inside the scoring zone around the target.
8
Count how many balls land inside the target zone.
9
After all 36 shots, add up your successful shots out of 36 and enter your score in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
25
21
16
12
9
6
3
03
Pitch| Parallel Piles | Bullseye 2x
Short Game
Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal parallel piles of 4 balls and stop pitch shots inside the Bullseye. Count the number of balls in the inner and outer Bullseye.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Put 40 balls into 10 piles of 4 balls each. Make 2 rows with 5 piles in each row.
2
Place the 2 rows 5 to 10 yards apart. Each pile in a row is 2 yards from the next.
3
Put the piles on grass, 30 to 60 yards from the hole, anywhere except on the green.
4
On the green, make 2 circles around the hole: a small circle with a 6-foot radius, and a big circle with a 15-foot radius.
5
Hit 36 balls. Try to get 18 balls into the small circle and 18 balls into the big circle.
6
Take turns hitting from different piles, changing lines and piles as wanted. Focus on the correct target zone.
7
Balls stopping inside the small circle are better. Balls in the big circle are good too.
8
When all 36 balls are hit, count the balls in both circles and add them for your score. Enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
28
26
22
18
14
11
8
5
3
04
Pitch | Parallel Ball Lines | Quadrants
Short Game
Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch 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 balls on the grass, 30 to 60 yards from the hole, with 5 yards between each line.
2
Put 9 balls in each line, spaced 1 foot apart, for 36 balls total.
3
On the green, mark 4 circles (quadrants) with string or tees. Each circle should be about 9 feet wide and not overlap.
4
Start at the first line. Hit each ball, aiming to land about the same number (2 or 3) in each circle.
5
After one line, move to the next. Keep aiming to put about the same number of balls in each circle. Do this for all 4 lines.
6
Count how many balls end up fully inside the target circle after each shot.
7
At the end, enter the number of balls in the circles out of 36 attempts in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
28
26
23
19
15
12
9
6
3
05
Pitch| 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 pitch shots close to multiple targets. Count the number of successes.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Put 36 balls into 6 piles with 6 balls in each pile between 30 and 60 yards from the hole.
2
Place 3 flags on the green far apart and label them A, B, and C.
3
Hit 36 pitch shots, in 3 sets of 12 shots.
4
Hit 12 balls so they stop within 10 feet of flag A.
5
Hit 12 balls so they stop within 10 feet of flag B. Use any pile.
6
Hit 12 balls so they stop within 10 feet of flag C.
7
Hit from any pile and change piles or targets as needed.
8
Count each shot that stops within 10 feet of the target as a success.
9
Count the total 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
30
28
25
20
16
12
9
6
3
06
Pitch | 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 pitch shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Put 36 balls on the grass in 6 lines. Each line has 6 balls. Keep balls 1 yard apart.
2
Make 3 landing zones on the green using sticks, clubs, or string. Each zone should be 9 feet from the others in a straight line.
3
Split your shots into 3 groups of
2
Each group is for one landing zone.
4
Hit 6 balls from one line to the first zone. Move to another line and hit 6 balls to the same zone. Now you have 12 shots for the first zone.
5
Do the same for the second and third zones, using 2 lines for each (6 shots per line).
6
Count each ball that lands and stays in the zone as a success.
7
Add up your successful shots after all 36 tries and enter your 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
07
Pitch | Scattered Piles | 9 Stop Zones
Short Game
Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch 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 2 piles of balls in 2 different spots, between 30 and 60 yards from the hole.
2
On the green, mark 9 stop zones using buckets, string, or tees.
3
Hit 36 pitch shots. Make 9 groups of 4 shots.
4
Each group of 4 aims for a different stop zone, so you use all 9 zones.
5
Take shots from both piles, switching between them as you aim for different zones.
6
If a shot stops inside the zone you aimed for, count it as a success.
7
Add how many shots stopped in the zones out of 36 attempts and enter your 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
08
Pitch | Perpendicular Piles | Multiple Targets
Short Game
Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch 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 at a right angle. Each line has 5 piles, spaced about 3 meters apart.
2
Place the piles on grass, 30 to 60 meters from the hole.
3
Set 5 different targets around the green, spaced apart.
4
Make 36 pitch shots, in 6 rounds of 6 shots each.
5
For each round, pick one pile and one target. Hit 6 shots from that pile to that target.
6
After 6 shots, move to a different pile and a different target for the next round. Keep going until all 36 shots are done and each target has 6 shots.
7
Count each shot that lands closest to the target as a success.
8
Add up the number of successful shots from all 36 shots and enter this 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
21
17
13
9
6
3
09
Pitch | Parallel Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones
Short Game
Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 parallel lines 20 balls per line and hit-and-land pitch shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Arrange 36 balls in 2 lines of 18 balls each. Keep the lines 5-10 yards apart. Each ball in a line should be about 1 foot apart.
2
On the green, use markers to make 3 landing zones in a straight line. Each zone should be about 9 feet apart.
3
Divide the 36 shots so there are 12 shots for each landing zone.
4
Hit 6 balls from the first line to the first landing zone, then hit 6 balls from the second line to the same zone.
5
Do the same for the second and third landing zones. Hit 6 balls from each line to each zone.
6
Count every ball that stops in the landing zone as a successful shot.
7
Add up all successful shots and enter your score in the app out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
31
29
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.