Course Program

Up-and-down contest: how many can you save in a row?

Save par clutch, for a 24-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Maplegate Country Club

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 24.49 drills65% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

6 to 45

Average HCP

24.4

Duration (single session)

3 hr 54 min

or

1 drill/day: 9 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Scoring33%
Alignment17%
Aim14%
Accuracy13%
Distance Control10%
Visualization5%
Trajectory4%
Precision4%

Overview

Program Structure

Up-and-down contest: how many can you save in a row?. Turn into birdies and up-and-down contest. Focus on Scoring, Alignment, Aim, Accuracy, Distance Control, Visualization, Trajectory, Precision. For a 24-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.

Skill

Scoring

Shot

Pitch

What you will improve

  • Scoring
  • Alignment
  • Aim
  • Accuracy

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.

01

Pitch | Fairway | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped fairway; one bucket with balls above feet level, one bucket with balls below feet level.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Fairway | Above/Below Feet
1

Pick a place on the fairway where the ball is above your feet and about 30 to 40 yards from the hole.

2

Put 18 balls in a pile on your side at this spot.

3

Pick a target on the green and keep it the same for the first 6 shots.

4

Hit 6 pitch shots trying to get close to the target from the above-feet slope.

5

Change the target after every 6 shots. Do this 3 times for a total of 18 shots from this spot.

6

Move to a place where the ball is below your feet, again 30 to 40 yards from the hole.

7

Put 18 more balls in a pile at this new spot.

8

Do exactly the same as before: 6 shots per target, 3 targets, 18 shots total.

9

Count a shot as a success if the ball stops very close to the target.

0

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218131074
02

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
03

Pitch | Fairway | Flat

Short Game

Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the flat fairway.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Fairway | Flat
1

Pick two spots on the fairway that are 30 to 60 yards from the hole.

2

Put three targets on the green, spaced at least 6 feet apart.

3

Hit 18 pitch shots from the first spot and 18 pitch shots from the second spot.

4

From each spot, hit 6 shots to each target.

5

Line up and aim at each target before hitting.

6

Count every shot that lands close to the target and stops there as a success.

7

After all 36 shots, record how many were successful out of 36 in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
04

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
05

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
Diagram for Pitch | Fairway | Uphill/Downhill
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+151219273654
Score3129262318141074
06

Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

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, one bucket with balls below feet level.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet
1

Set up 3 targets on the green, each about 6 feet apart in a line or curve.

2

Stand in the deep rough, 30 to 40 yards away, where the ground is sloped above or below your feet.

3

Hit 36 pitch shots: 18 with the ball above your feet, 18 with the ball below your feet.

4

Divide each set of 18 shots into 3 groups of 6 shots.

5

For each group, aim all 6 shots at one target, then switch to the next target.

6

Start with shots when the ball is above your feet: hit 6 shots at Target 1, 6 at Target 2, 6 at Target

7

Then hit from where the ball is below your feet: 6 shots at Target 1, 6 at Target 2, 6 at Target

8

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

9

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282623181411853
07

Pitch | Rough | Flat

Short Game

Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the flat rough grass.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Rough | Flat
1

Set up 3 targets on the green, 6 feet apart in a straight line. These are Target A (closest), Target B (middle), and Target C (farthest).

2

From rough ground 30 to 60 yards away, place the ball and get ready to pitch at the targets.

3

Hit 36 pitch shots in total, split into 3 groups of 12 shots.

4

Aim the first 12 shots at Target A, trying to land and stop the ball inside that area.

5

Aim the next 12 shots at Target B, trying to land and stop the ball inside that area.

6

Aim the last 12 shots at Target C, trying to land and stop the ball inside that area.

7

Keep everything else the same each time, only change which target you aim at.

8

Count a shot as a success if the ball lands and stops inside the correct target area.

9

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612963
08

Pitch | Rough | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped rough grass; one bucket with balls above feet level, and one bucket with balls below feet level.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Rough | Above/Below Feet
1

Find a rough, sloped area near the green where golf balls can sit above or below foot level.

2

Place two piles of 18 balls each: one pile on a slope above foot level, one pile below foot level, both 30-40 yards from the hole.

3

Mark three zones on the green in a line, 6 feet apart. These show where to land and stop the ball.

4

Hit 18 shots from above your feet and 18 shots from below your feet.

5

From above your feet, hit 6 shots at each zone in order.

6

From below your feet, hit 6 shots at each zone in order.

7

Count the shots that land and stop in the correct zone.

8

Use the same stance and ball position each time.

9

After all 36 shots, count how many successes, and enter the score in the app out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302724201612963
09

Pitch | Scattered Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to land a pitch shot inside the landing zone(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 | Scattered Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

Set up 3 target zones on the green in a straight line, 6 feet apart.

2

Make 6 piles of balls between 30 and 60 yards from the hole.

3

Split 36 balls into 3 groups of

4

Hit 12 shots to target zone 1 from any pile.

5

Hit 12 shots to target zone 2 from any pile.

6

Hit 12 shots to target zone 3 from any pile.

7

Count how many shots stop inside the correct zone.

8

Enter the number of successes out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302826221713963

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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