Course Program

Stop Ball on Dime

Feel the green, for a 28-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Island Hills Gc

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 285 drills67% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

10 to 45

Average HCP

28

Duration (single session)

2 hr 10 min

or

1 drill/day: 5 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Distance Control31%
Alignment19%
Precision15%
Aim10%
Dispersion9%
Accuracy8%
Scoring4%
Trajectory4%

Overview

Program Structure

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

Skill

Distance Control

Shot

Chip

What you will improve

  • Distance Control
  • Alignment
  • Precision
  • Aim

Program details

Sessions
5 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
2 hr 10 min
or
1 drill per day
5 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 | Parallel Ball Lines | Quadrants

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 parallel lines 20 balls per line and stop chip shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Parallel Ball Lines | Quadrants
1

Arrange 36 balls in 2 lines of 18 balls each. Keep the lines 5 to 10 yards apart. Place balls 1 foot apart.

2

Mark a 6-foot circle around the hole. Divide the circle into 4 sections using markers.

3

Split the 36 chips into 4 sets of 9 shots.

4

From the first line, hit 9 chips at Quadrant

1

From the second line, hit 9 chips at Quadrant

5

From the first line, hit 9 chips at Quadrant

3

From the second line, hit 9 chips at Quadrant

6

Count each ball that stops in the correct quadrant.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612963
02

Chip | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 perpendicular lines 20 balls per line and stop chip shots close to multiple targets. Count the number of successes.

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

Make two crossing lines with 18 balls in each line.

2

Put the balls 1 foot (30 cm) apart on grass, 5 to 20 yards/meters from the hole.

3

Place 2 flags on the green. The flags should be 5 to 10 yards/meters apart.

4

Hit 18 balls from the first line. Try to land each ball within 10 feet (3 meters) of the first flag.

5

Move to the second line. Hit 18 balls trying to land each within 10 feet (3 meters) of the second flag.

6

Count how many balls stop inside the 10-foot (3-meter) circle near each flag. Enter the score in the app out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
03

Chip | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill

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 from the uphill slope and one bucket from the downhill slope.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill
1

Put 3 equal target zones on the green in a line, 3 to 5 feet apart.

2

From deep rough on the uphill slope, hit 18 chip shots, 6 to each zone.

3

Move to deep rough on the downhill slope and repeat: hit 18 chip shots, 6 to each zone.

4

Always chip from deep rough within 20 yards/meters of the hole. Don’t change setup.

5

Count shots that land and stop in the target zone as successes.

6

When you’re done with all 36 shots, count how many landed in a target zone and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
04

Chip | Perpendicular 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
Diagram for Chip | Perpendicular Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

Put 10 piles of balls in two straight lines that cross. Each pile has 3 or 4 balls. Keep each pile between 5 and 30 yards from the hole.

2

Mark 3 landing zones on the green in a row. Make them 6 feet apart using sticks or string.

3

Hit 36 chip shots total. Aim for each landing zone 12 times.

4

Pick any pile to start. Hit 12 chips to the first zone, then 12 to the second zone, then 12 to the third zone.

5

Count how many balls land and stop inside the target zone for each shot.

6

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score312926221713963
05

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
Diagram for Chip | Parallel Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones
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+151219273654
Score3129272318141074

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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