Leave inside 5 feet, for a 17-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Knickerbocker Country Club
Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 16.59 drills64% match to course practice profile
Program Snapshot
Handicap range
6 to 25
Average HCP
16.5
Duration (single session)
3 hr 54 min
or
1 drill/day: 9 days · 26 min/day
Ideal tee
All
Skill Distribution
Accuracy31%
Distance Control27%
Alignment19%
Scoring16%
Aim3%
Visualization3%
Dispersion2%
Overview
Program Structure
Pitch it close: accuracy from 20 yards and in. Pitch close and pick landing spot. Focus on Accuracy, Distance Control, Alignment, Scoring, Aim, Visualization, Dispersion. For a 17-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.
Skill
Accuracy
Shot
Pitch
What you will improve
Accuracy
Distance Control
Alignment
Scoring
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 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
1
Prepare 36 balls in 6 groups of
2
Set up 2 target zones on the green: one uphill and one downhill, with markers 6 feet apart.
3
Hit 18 balls to the uphill zone and 18 to the downhill zone.
4
Hit 6 balls from the tough uphill spot to the uphill zone.
5
Hit 6 balls from the tough downhill spot to the downhill zone.
6
Do steps 4 and 5 two more times for all 36 shots.
7
Count each ball that stays in the right zone.
8
After 36 shots, enter your number of successes out of 36 in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
26
22
18
14
10
7
4
02
Pitch | 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
1
Put 3 target zones on the green: left, center, right. Each 5 feet apart.
2
Put 12 balls in a pile, 30-60 yards from the hole, in deep rough.
3
Hit 12 shots trying to land in Zone A.
4
Hit 12 shots trying to land in Zone B.
5
Hit 12 shots trying to land in Zone C.
6
Keep balls in the same spot and rough for all shots.
7
Count each ball that lands and stays in the right zone.
8
After 36 shots, enter your number of successes into the app, out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
25
22
17
13
9
6
4
03
Pitch | Scattered Piles | Quadrants
Short Game
Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal piles of 5 balls and stop pitch shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Make 4 piles of 9 balls each, with the piles 30–60 yards from the hole on different ground.
2
On the green, mark out a 15-foot circle around the hole and divide the circle into 4 equal parts.
3
Hit 9 shots from a pile to try and stop the ball in the first part of the circle.
4
Move to another pile and hit 9 shots for the second part.
5
Repeat for the third and fourth parts, from any pile.
6
Count each ball that stops in the right part as a success.
7
Enter number of successes in the app, out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
25
22
18
14
10
6
3
04
Pitch | Scattered Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x
Short Game
Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal lines of 5 balls and stop pitch shots inside the Bullseye. Count the number of balls in the inner and outer Bullseye.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Set out 40 balls in 8 lines of 5 balls each on the grass, with each ball 1 yard/meter apart. Place the lines anywhere from 30 to 60 yards/meters from the hole.
2
Mark two circles on the green around the hole: one with a 6-foot (2-meter) radius and another with a 15-foot (5-meter) radius.
3
Hit 36 pitch shots, divided into 3 groups of 12 shots.
4
In each group, hit 6 balls aiming for the smaller circle and 6 balls aiming for the larger circle.
5
Pick any ball to hit, but finish the required shots to each target zone in each group before moving on.
6
Score 1 point for each ball inside the small circle, 0.5 points for each ball in the bigger circle but outside the small one, and 0 for any ball outside both circles.
7
Add the points from all 36 shots and enter your score, out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
28
26
23
19
15
12
8
5
3
05
Pitch | Perpendicular Piles | Bullseye 2x
Short Game
Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch 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
1
Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines that cross each other, with each pile about 3 yards/meters apart.
2
Place the piles 30 to 60 yards/meters from the hole on similar grass.
3
Mark two circles on the green: a small 6-foot (2-meter) circle and a bigger 15-foot (5-meter) circle around the hole.
4
Take 36 shots: 18 try to land in the small circle, 18 try to land in the outer circle but not in the small circle.
5
Start with any pile and hit 18 shots for the small circle.
6
For the next 18 shots, try to land in the outer circle but not in the small circle.
7
Count a shot as a success if it lands in the circle you are aiming for.
8
After each shot, pick a different pile at random to hit from.
9
Count how many successful shots you made for each circle 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
30
28
25
22
18
14
10
7
5
06
Pitch | Fairway | Uphill/Downhill
Short Game
Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped fairway; one bucket from the uphill slope and one bucket from the downhill slope.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Split 36 shots into two groups of 18 shots: one group for uphill, one group for downhill, both on the fairway.
2
Mark three target zones on the green at 30, 45, and 60 yards from the hole.
3
For each slope, hit 6 shots at each zone (6 at 30 yards, 6 at 45 yards, 6 at 60 yards).
4
Do not change the ball setup during the drill.
5
Finish all 18 shots on the uphill slope first, then do all 18 shots on the downhill slope.
6
A shot counts only if it lands and stops inside the zone you aimed for.
7
After 36 shots, count 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
23
18
14
10
7
4
07
Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Flat
Short Game
Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the flat deep rough and other extreme grass types.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Set up 3 targets on the green or fringe, in a straight line, 6 feet apart.
2
Place 3 piles of 12 golf balls each, 30 to 60 yards away in deep rough.
3
From the first pile, hit 12 shots at the first target.
4
From the second pile, hit 12 shots at the second target.
5
From the third pile, hit 12 shots at the third target.
6
Use the same setup for all shots.
7
Count each ball that lands in the target as a success.
8
After 36 shots, enter your number of successes in the app, out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
28
26
23
19
15
12
8
5
3
08
Pitch | Fairway | Uphill/Downhill
Short Game
Up to 5 players hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped fairway; one bucket from the uphill slope and one bucket from the downhill slope.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Set up two target zones on the green: one uphill, one downhill. Use cones, clubs, or string to mark each zone about 6 feet wide.
2
From the fairway slope, 30 to 60 yards away, hit 36 pitch shots.
3
Split the 36 shots: 18 shots to the uphill zone, 18 shots to the downhill zone.
4
Keep your stance and ball setup the same for all shots.
5
First, hit 18 shots to the uphill zone. Then, hit 18 shots to the downhill zone.
6
Count a success if the ball lands and stays in the target zone.
7
When finished, add up the number of successful shots, and enter that number out of 36 attempts in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
26
22
18
14
10
7
4
09
Pitch | Perpendicular Piles | Bullseye 2x
Short Game
Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal perpendicular 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
Place two string circles on the green: an inner Bullseye circle with a 6-foot (2-meter) radius and an outer Bullseye circle with a 15-foot (5-meter) radius around the hole.
2
Set up 10 piles of 4 balls each (total 40 balls) at 30 to 60 yards from the hole in two lines. Each line has 5 piles spaced about 5 to 10 yards apart. Piles in each line are 2 yards apart.
3
Hit a total of 36 pitch shots, divided into two groups of 18 shots each, alternating between the two lines of piles.
4
From each pile, hit 2 pitch shots trying to land the ball inside the inner or outer Bullseye on the green.
5
Each ball that stops inside the inner Bullseye counts as a birdie. Each ball inside the outer Bullseye but outside the inner circle counts as a par. Balls outside the outer circle are misses.
6
Keep hitting until you finish 36 shots, switching piles for variety. Enter your 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
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.