Vary landing spot, for a 17-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Newport Beach Country Club
Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 17.49 drills71% match to course practice profile
Program Snapshot
Handicap range
9 to 25
Average HCP
17.4
Duration (single session)
3 hr 54 min
or
1 drill/day: 9 days · 26 min/day
Ideal tee
All
Skill Distribution
Distance Control25%
Accuracy17%
Scoring15%
Alignment12%
Dispersion11%
Precision10%
Aim7%
Visualization3%
Trajectory1%
Overview
Program Structure
Land 3–4 Feet From Hole. Vary landing spot and stop on a dime. Focus on Distance Control, Accuracy, Scoring, Alignment, Dispersion, Precision, Aim, Visualization, Trajectory. For a 17-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.
Shot
Pitch
What you will improve
Distance Control
Accuracy
Scoring
Alignment
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 flat fairway surface.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Make 3 piles with 12 golf balls in each pile.
2
Mark 3 target zones on the green, each about 6 feet apart and about 2 feet wide.
3
Pitch all shots from 30 to 40 yards away on flat grass.
4
Use the first pile and hit balls at the first target zone.
5
Use the second pile and hit balls at the second target zone.
6
Use the last pile and hit balls at the third target zone.
7
Count the balls that land and stop in the target zone.
8
After all shots, count how many landed in the zones 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
30
28
25
20
16
12
9
6
4
02
Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet
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 with balls above feet level, and one bucket with balls below feet level.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Get 36 golf balls. Divide into 3 groups of 12 balls.
2
Set up 3 target zones on the green. Make them easy to see and about the same size.
3
Go to the rough, 20-40 yards from the hole. Hit 12 balls at the first target zone.
4
Hit 12 balls at the second target zone from the same spot, same ball setup.
5
Hit 12 balls at the third target zone the same way.
6
Keep ball setup on the slope the same for all shots.
7
Count a shot as a success if it lands and stops in the target zone.
8
Add up successful shots and enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
28
26
24
21
17
13
9
6
3
03
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, and one bucket with balls below feet level.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Choose two starting spots on a sloped fairway—one where the ball is above your feet, and one where it is below your feet.
2
Put 3 piles of 6 balls each above your feet, spaced between 30 and 60 yards from the hole.
3
Put 3 piles of 6 balls each below your feet, spaced between 30 and 60 yards from the hole.
4
Mark three target zones on the green: Left, Center, and Right, spaced about 6 feet apart.
5
Hit 6 shots from each above-feet pile, aiming at each target zone (18 shots total from above feet).
6
Hit 6 shots from each below-feet pile, aiming at each target zone (18 shots total from below feet).
7
Count a shot as successful if the ball stays in the target zone.
8
When all 36 shots are done, add up successful shots and enter score in the app out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
29
27
24
20
15
12
9
7
4
04
Pitch | Scattered 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
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
05
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
06
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
07
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
08
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
09
Pitch | Perpendicular 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
Place 10 piles of balls in two lines that cross each other, with 5 piles in each line, spaced 3 yards apart.
2
Put these piles on grass, 30 to 60 yards from the hole.
3
On the green, mark 9 clear stop zones using buckets, string, or tees, spaced evenly.
4
Hit 36 pitch shots, aiming 4 shots at each of the 9 stop zones.
5
From any pile, hit 4 balls trying to stop them in the first zone.
6
After 4 shots, aim at the next zone and hit 4 more shots, repeating for each zone.
7
Keep hitting 4 shots per stop zone until all 9 zones are done (total 36 shots).
8
Count each ball that stops in the target zone as a success.
9
After all shots, add the number of successful shots and enter your score in the app out of 36.
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.