Course Program

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

Turn into par saves, for a 17-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Northgate Country Club

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 17.39 drills85% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

1 to 45

Average HCP

17.3

Duration (single session)

3 hr 51 min

or

1 drill/day: 9 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Scoring27%
Aim20%
Accuracy16%
Distance Control15%
Precision10%
Dispersion7%
Trajectory3%
Visualization2%

Overview

Program Structure

Up-and-down contest: how many can you save in a row?. Save par clutch and up-and-down contest. Focus on Scoring, Aim, Accuracy. For a 17-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.

Skill

Scoring

Shot

Sand

What you will improve

  • Scoring
  • Aim
  • Accuracy
  • Distance Control

Program details

Sessions
9 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 51 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

Sand | Scattered Piles | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a sand 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 Sand | Scattered Piles | 9 Stop Zones
1

Place 36 golf balls in 9 piles, each with 4 balls, in a sand bunker 20–40 yards from the hole.

2

Make 9 stop zones on the green in a 3 by 3 grid using tees, string, or markers.

3

Hit 4 sand shots to each stop zone, for 36 shots total.

4

Start from any pile and aim for the first stop zone.

5

After 4 shots to one zone, move to the next zone and keep going until all 9 zones are done.

6

Count each shot that stops inside the correct stop zone as a success.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282623191511853
02

Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls in the sand (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 parallel lines 20 balls per line and stop sand shots inside Bullseye. Count the number of balls in the inner and outer Bullseye.

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

In a sand bunker, make two straight lines of golf balls. Put 18 balls in each line, spaced 1 foot apart. Lines should be 5 to 10 yards apart.

2

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

3

Stand in the bunker 20 to 40 yards from the hole.

4

Hit 9 shots from the first line, trying to land balls inside the 6-foot circle.

5

Hit 9 shots from the second line, trying to land balls inside the 15-foot circle but outside the 6-foot circle.

6

Do steps 4 and 5 two more times, switching lines and targets, until you hit 36 shots total.

7

Count how many balls stopped inside the 6-foot circle and the 15-foot circle. Enter the total number of successful shots out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612963
03

Sand | Parallel Piles | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) in the sand into 10 equal parallel piles of 4 balls and stop sand shots inside Bullseye. Count the number of balls in the inner and outer Bullseye.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Parallel Piles | Bullseye 2x
1

Put 40 balls into 2 straight lines. Each line has 5 piles of 4 balls.

2

Make the lines 6-10 yards apart. Piles in each line should be 2 yards apart.

3

On the green, mark 2 circles around the hole: one small (6 feet from the hole), one big (15 feet from the hole).

4

Make 36 sand shots in total. Split them into 3 groups of 12 shots.

5

In the first group, try to land balls in the small circle.

6

In the second group, try to land balls in the big circle but not in the small one.

7

In the third group, try to land balls anywhere in the big circle (small or big both count).

8

Switch to the next pile every shot, changing between the two lines.

9

Each time a ball stops in the right circle for that group, count it as a success.

0

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302824201512853
04

Sand | Scattered Ball Lines | Quadrants

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls in the sand (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal lines of 5 balls and stop sand shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.

23 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Scattered Ball Lines | Quadrants
1

Put 32 balls in 8 lines of 4 balls each, spaced about 2 feet apart, in the sand area 20–40 yards from the hole.

2

On the green, mark a circle with a 10-foot radius around the hole.

3

Divide the circle into 4 equal parts (quadrants) using two lines that cross at the hole.

4

For each line of 4 balls, choose one quadrant and try to hit all 4 balls so they stop inside that quadrant.

5

After finishing one line and quadrant, move to another line and aim at a new quadrant. Do this until all 8 lines and quadrants are done.

6

Count each ball that stops in the chosen quadrant.

7

Add up the number of successful shots out of 32 and enter score in the app, out of 32 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions32
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score2826242016131074
05

Sand Short

Short Game

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

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand  Short
1

Place 3 piles of 12 golf balls in the bunker, each pile in a different spot between 5 and 20 yards from the hole.

2

Mark 3 target zones on the green around the hole, each zone about 3 feet wide.

3

Hit balls from each pile and try to land them in each target zone, 12 shots per zone.

4

Count each ball that stops inside the right zone as a success.

5

After all shots, enter the number of successful balls out of 36 in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282623201612963
06

Sand | Scattered Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to land a sand 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 Sand | Scattered Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

Make 3 target zones on the green using sticks or clubs. Space them 6 feet apart in a line.

2

Make 6 piles of 6 balls each in the sand, 20 to 40 yards from the hole.

3

Hit 36 sand shots: 12 shots to each zone.

4

Hit from any pile to Zone 1, then move to another pile and hit to Zone 2, then to another pile for Zone

5

Try to land the ball in the correct zone. Each ball that stays in the correct zone is a success.

6

After all shots, count how many balls landed in the correct zones and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612853
07

Sand | Scattered Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls in the sand (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal lines of 5 balls and stop sand shots inside Bullseye. Count the number of balls in the inner and outer Bullseye.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Scattered Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x
1

Scatter 40 balls in the sand into 8 lines of 5 balls, with lines about 2 feet apart, anywhere 5 to 60 yards from the hole.

2

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

3

Hit 36 sand shots, divided into 3 groups of 12 shots.

4

For the first 12 shots, try to land the ball inside the 6-foot bullseye.

5

For the next 12 shots, try to land the ball between 6 and 15 feet from the hole.

6

For the last 12 shots, try to land the ball within 15 feet of the hole, including the 6-foot bullseye.

7

After all 36 shots, count how many balls stopped in each target area for each group, and enter your score in the app out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282624201612963
08

Sand | Scattered Piles | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a sand shot closest to the multiple target(s). The player with the most points wins the challenge. One bucket of balls per player is needed.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Scattered Piles | Multiple Targets
1

Set up 6 piles of 6 balls each around the sand, with each pile 20 to 40 yards from the hole.

2

Place 3 markers or flags on the green, each spaced 6 to 8 feet apart, to create Target 1, Target 2, and Target

3

There are 36 shots total: 12 shots aimed at each target.

4

Hit 12 shots from any pile aiming at Target

5

Hit 12 shots at Target 2, then 12 shots at Target

6

Count a shot as a success if the ball stops within 3 feet of the target marker.

7

Add up the number of successful shots after all 36 are hit, and enter the total score out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252117131074
09

Sand | Parallel Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) in the sand into 10 equal parallel piles of 4 balls and stop sand shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Parallel Piles | Quadrants
1

Make 9 piles with 4 balls each, for a total of 36 balls. Put the piles in two lines on the sand, lines are 5 to 10 yards/meters apart, and place the setup between 5 and 60 yards/meters from the hole.

2

On the green, mark out 4 equal areas inside a 10-foot (3-meter) circle using string or tees.

3

Hit 36 sand shots, dividing them so that 9 shots try to stop in each of the 4 marked areas.

4

Take shots from each pile, trying to land the ball in the current area.

5

After 9 shots for one area, change to the next area. Keep going until all 36 shots are done.

6

Count how many balls stop in the correct area.

7

Enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282623191511853

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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

Up-and-down contest: how many can you save in a row? | Northgate Country Club