Course Program

Can you stop the ball close from 30 yards?

Vary landing spot, for a 17-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Hill

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 17.28 drills

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

4 to 45

Average HCP

17.2

Duration (single session)

3 hr 28 min

or

1 drill/day: 8 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Distance Control36%
Scoring15%
Accuracy14%
Alignment10%
Aim8%
Trajectory7%
Precision7%
Dispersion3%

Overview

Program Structure

Can you stop the ball close from 30 yards?. Feel the distance and stop close from 30 yards. Focus on Distance Control, Scoring, Accuracy. For a 17-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.

Skill

Distance Control

Shot

Pitch

What you will improve

  • Distance Control
  • Scoring
  • Accuracy
  • Alignment

Program details

Sessions
8 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 28 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

Pitch | Perpendicular Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch 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 Pitch | Perpendicular Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

Put 10 piles of balls in two lines that meet at a right angle, 5 to 10 yards apart, with each pile 3 yards apart.

2

Place the piles 30 to 60 yards from the hole on grass but not on the green.

3

Mark 3 landing zones on the green with sticks or string, each 6 feet apart in a line.

4

Hit 36 pitch shots in total, 12 at each landing zone.

5

For the first 12 shots aim at Landing Zone 1, for the next 12 aim at Zone 2, for the last 12 aim at Zone

6

Start from any pile and switch piles between shots.

7

Count a success if the ball lands and stops in the correct zone.

8

After all shots, add up your total successes and enter the score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score2927252218141174
02

Pitch | Perpendicular Piles | Quadrants

Short 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
Diagram for Pitch | Perpendicular Piles | Quadrants
1

Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines. Each line has 5 piles, and the piles are 3 yards apart. Piles are between 30 and 60 yards from the hole.

2

On the green, mark 4 circular target zones. Each is 9 feet in radius.

3

Make 36 pitch shots. For each target zone, make 9 shots.

4

For each shot, aim to land and stop the ball in the correct target zone.

5

After 9 shots in one zone, switch zones and repeat until all 4 are done.

6

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

7

Total successful shots out of 36 attempts and enter score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141064
03

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
Diagram for Pitch | Scattered Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x
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+151219273654
Score282623191512853
04

Pitch | 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 Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill
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+151219273654
Score3028262218141074
05

Pitch | Parallel Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch shot inside the landing 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 Pitch | Parallel Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones
1

Place 4 lines of 5 balls. Balls in each line are 1 foot apart. Lines are 5 yards apart and 20 to 40 yards from the hole.

2

Mark 3 landing zones on the green, each 6 feet apart.

3

Hit 36 pitch shots, 12 shots at each landing zone.

4

Use one line for 12 shots at the first zone, another line for 12 shots at the second zone, and the last line for 12 shots at the third zone.

5

Count a shot as a success if it lands and stops in the correct zone.

6

Add up successful shots and enter the number out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score312926221713963
06

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
Diagram for Pitch | Scattered Piles | 9 Stop Zones
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+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
07

Pitch | Scattered 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
Diagram for Pitch | Scattered Piles | Bullseye 2x
1

Make two circles on the green: a small one with a 6-foot (2-meter) radius, and a bigger one with a 15-foot (5-meter) radius.

2

Put 3 piles of 12 balls each on the short game area, in random spots 30 to 60 yards/meters from the hole.

3

Hit 36 pitch shots total: 12 from each pile.

4

From the first pile, hit 12 shots and try to stop the ball inside the circles.

5

Move to the next pile and repeat, until all 36 shots are done.

6

Count balls in the small circle as birdies, balls in the big circle as pars, balls outside as bogeys.

7

Count how many balls are in the circles after all 36 shots. Enter your total score out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129262218141063
08

Pitch | Parallel Ball Lines | 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. Up to 80 balls are needed.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Parallel Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x
1

Put 4 straight lines of 9 balls each on the ground. Space balls 1 foot apart. Space each line 5 yards apart.

2

Set up these lines between 30 and 60 yards from the hole, on grass but not on the green.

3

On the green, make two circles around the hole: one with a 6-foot radius and one with a 15-foot radius.

4

Hit all 36 balls (9 from each line).

5

Hit every ball in a line before going to the next line. Any order.

6

Try to land each shot in the small or big circle around the hole.

7

If the ball stops inside the small circle, count as birdie. If the ball stops in the big circle but not the small, count as par.

8

Count how many balls finished in the big circle (including the small circle).

9

Enter this number in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612853

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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