Course Program

Can you stop the ball close from a tight lie?

Feel the distance, for a 19-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Oak Park Country Club

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 18.76 drills58% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

10 to 45

Average HCP

18.7

Duration (single session)

2 hr 35 min

or

1 drill/day: 6 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Distance Control34%
Alignment16%
Dispersion11%
Precision11%
Aim11%
Trajectory8%
Accuracy7%
Scoring2%

Overview

Program Structure

Can you stop the ball close from a tight lie?. Vary landing spot soft and feel the distance. Focus on Distance Control, Alignment, Dispersion. For a 19-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.

Skill

Distance Control

Shot

Flop

What you will improve

  • Distance Control
  • Alignment
  • Dispersion
  • Precision

Program details

Sessions
6 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
2 hr 35 min
or
1 drill per day
6 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

Flop | Parallel Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a flop shot in the stop 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 Flop | Parallel Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones
1

Set up 9 stop zones on the green in a grid, spaced evenly.

2

Off the green, place 4 lines of 9 balls each, balls spaced 1 foot apart, and lines 5 yards/meters apart.

3

Hit 36 flop shots total—4 shots to each of the 9 stop zones.

4

Keep the ball setup the same for all shots.

5

From any ball line, hit 4 shots to the first stop zone, then repeat for all 9 zones.

6

Count shots that stop in the zone as a success.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612853
02

Flop | Fairway | Flat

Short Game

Up to 5 players hit flop shot two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the flat fairway.

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

Set up 3 target zones on the green at 5, 12, and 20 yards from where the balls will be hit. Mark each zone with cones.

2

Place 36 balls in 3 groups of 12 balls each.

3

Hit 12 balls to try to land them in the 5 yard zone.

4

Hit 12 balls to try to land them in the 12 yard zone.

5

Hit 12 balls to try to land them in the 20 yard zone. Enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

6

Do not change your ball position or stance during the test.

7

Count each ball that lands and stays inside the right target zone as a success.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302824201612964
03

Flop | Parallel Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a flop 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 Flop | Parallel Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones
1

Set up 4 lines of 9 balls each, spaced 1 foot apart. Place the lines between 5 and 20 yards from the hole on grass.

2

Mark 3 landing zones on the green, 3 feet apart in a straight line. Each zone is 3 feet wide.

3

Hit 12 flop shots to each zone for a total of 36 shots.

4

Start at any line of balls and hit 12 shots to Zone

1

Change lines and hit 12 shots to Zone

2

Change lines again and hit 12 shots to Zone

5

Count a success when the ball lands and stops in the right zone.

6

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282623191511853
04

Flop | Perpendicular Piles | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a flop 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 Flop | Perpendicular Piles | 9 Stop Zones
1

Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines that cross each other, 5 piles in each line. The piles are 3 yards/meters apart. The two lines are 5 to 10 yards/meters apart.

2

Put the piles 5 to 40 yards/meters away from the hole, not on the green.

3

Mark 9 target zones on the green using tees, string, or small buckets. Make them easy to see.

4

Hit 36 flop shots total, 9 to each target zone.

5

Pick a pile and hit 9 flop shots to target zone

6

Then hit 9 shots to target zone 2, using any pile.

7

Do the same for zones 3 through 9, hitting 9 shots at each for 36 total tries. Enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612853
05

Flop | Scattered Ball Lines | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal lines of 5 balls and stop flop shots close to multiple targets. Count the number of successes.

25 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Scattered Ball Lines | Multiple Targets
1

Make 7 lines of 5 balls each (35 balls total), with balls 1 yard apart. Put the lines on grass 5 to 20 yards from the hole, not on the green.

2

Put 5 markers on the green, each 6 feet apart.

3

Match each line of balls to a marker on the green.

4

Hit all 5 balls in the line as flop shots at the marker. Move to the next line and repeat with the next marker.

5

Count how many balls land within 10 feet of the marker.

6

When done, count total balls inside 10 feet, and enter score in the app out of 35 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions35
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
06

Flop | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Quadrants

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 perpendicular lines 20 balls per line and stop flop shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Quadrants
1

Pick a spot 5 to 20 yards from the hole near the green to practice flop shots.

2

Place 36 balls in two lines so they cross in the middle. Each line has 18 balls, 1 foot apart.

3

Use string or tees to mark 4 equal zones inside a 10-foot circle around the hole.

4

Split the 36 balls into 4 groups of 9 balls. Each group aims for a different zone.

5

From the first line, hit 9 balls to the first zone.

6

From the second line, hit 9 balls to the second zone.

7

Go back to the first line and hit 9 balls to the third zone.

8

From the second line, hit 9 balls to the fourth zone. Count the number of balls that land in the right zone each time. After all shots, enter your total number of successes out of 36 in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score312926221813964

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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

Can you stop the ball close from a tight lie? | Oak Park Country Club