Course Program

Vary your landing spot and see how soft you can land it

Stop on a dime, for a 17-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Old Union

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 17.47 drills59% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

4 to 45

Average HCP

17.4

Duration (single session)

3 hr 2 min

or

1 drill/day: 7 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Distance Control31%
Precision21%
Alignment15%
Dispersion11%
Scoring6%
Accuracy6%
Trajectory5%
Aim5%

Overview

Program Structure

Vary your landing spot and see how soft you can land it. Feel the green and stop on a dime. Focus on Distance Control, Precision, Alignment, Dispersion, Scoring, Accuracy, Trajectory, Aim. For a 17-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.

Skill

Distance Control

Shot

Sand

What you will improve

  • Distance Control
  • Precision
  • Alignment
  • Dispersion

Program details

Sessions
7 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 2 min
or
1 drill per day
7 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 | Parallel Ball Lines | 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. Up to 80 balls are needed.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones
1

Set up 4 lines of balls in the bunker. Each line has 9 balls. Balls are 1 foot apart.

2

Mark 9 stop zones on the green. Space them out so there is 1 zone for each shot.

3

Hit 36 sand shots: 4 balls for each zone.

4

For each shot, aim to stop the ball inside the zone on the green.

5

Hit 4 balls for the first zone, then 4 for the second, and keep going until all 9 zones are done.

6

Count balls that stop inside the right zone as successful.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
02

Sand | Parallel Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) in the sand into 10 equal parallel piles of 4 balls and hit-and-land sand shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Parallel Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

Put 36 golf balls into 9 piles of 4 balls each in the sand bunker. Make two lines, each pile 2 yards apart, lines 5 to 10 yards apart.

2

On the green, make three landing zones in a straight line, each zone 6 feet apart.

3

Hit 36 sand shots from the bunker to the green.

4

Divide the 36 shots into three groups of

2

Aim the first 12 at the first zone, next 12 at the second zone, last 12 at the third zone.

5

Hit shots from any pile, same setup for all shots.

6

Count successful shots that land and stop in the right zone.

7

After all 36 shots, write down how many went in the intended zones out of 36 in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612963
03

Sand | Perpendicular Piles | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls in the sand (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal perpendicular piles of 4 balls and stop sand shots inside 9 Stop Zones. Count the number of successful stops.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Perpendicular Piles | 9 Stop Zones
1

Place 36 balls into 9 piles of 4 balls each. Space the piles in two crossing lines about 5 to 10 yards apart. Keep piles in each line about 2 yards apart. Make sure the piles are 20 to 40 yards from the hole.

2

On the green, make 9 stop zones with buckets, tees, or string. Keep zones clear and not overlapping.

3

Hit 36 sand shots, trying to stop 4 balls in each stop zone.

4

Hit 4 shots from the first pile to the first stop zone. Move to the next pile and aim at the next zone.

5

Keep going until you finish 36 shots, 4 to each zone.

6

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

7

Add the total number of successes out of 36 attempts and enter the score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282521161285
04

Sand | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls in the sand (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 perpendicular 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 | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x
1

Arrange 36 balls in 2 straight lines in the sand, 18 balls in each line, balls 1 foot apart, lines 5 to 10 yards apart.

2

Mark two circle targets on the green: inner Bullseye 6-foot radius, outer Bullseye 15-foot radius around the hole.

3

Hit all 36 balls from the sand aiming for the target circles on the green.

4

Hit 3 balls from one line, then 3 from the other line, repeat until all 36 are hit.

5

Balls inside the inner Bullseye count as 'birdie', balls inside the outer (but outside inner) count as 'par'.

6

Count total balls in the Bullseye circles as your score, enter the number out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
05

Sand | Perpendicular Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls in the sand (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 perpendicular lines 20 balls per line and stop sand shots inside 9 Stop Zones. Count the number of successful stops.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Perpendicular Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones
1

Place two lines of 18 balls each in the sand bunker. Lines are 1 foot apart per ball, perpendicular to each other, and 5-10 yards apart.

2

On the green, mark 9 stop zones in groups of 3 per row (front, middle, back) using buckets or tees or string.

3

Hit 36 sand shots, divided into 9 groups of 4 shots.

4

For each group, try to land the ball in the correct stop zone, starting with the front 3, then middle 3, then back

3

Switch between the two lines of balls each time.

5

Count a success when the ball stops in the correct zone.

6

Add up successful shots and enter your total out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
06

Sand | Perpendicular Piles | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a sand 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 Sand | Perpendicular Piles | Bullseye 2x
1

Arrange 10 piles of balls in two lines that cross at a right angle, with 5 piles in each line. Each pile has 3 or 4 balls.

2

Place the piles 3 yards or meters apart, between 20 and 40 yards or meters from the hole, in sand bunkers and not on the green.

3

On the green, mark two target circles around the hole: an inner circle with a 6-foot or 2-meter radius (bullseye) and an outer circle with a 15-foot or 5-meter radius (outer bullseye).

4

Take 36 sand shots in total. Do 18 shots aiming for the inner bullseye, then 18 shots for the outer bullseye (including the inner).

5

Start at any pile and hit one sand shot at a time, trying to land the ball in the target area.

6

After 18 shots at the inner bullseye, switch to the outer bullseye for the next 18 shots.

7

Count each ball that stops inside the targeted circle as a success. Balls outside the outer circle are misses.

8

Add up the number of successes out of 36 attempts and enter the score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282418141063
07

Sand | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Quadrants

Short Game

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

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

Arrange two lines of 18 balls each in the sand. Keep balls 1 foot apart. Lines are 5 to 10 yards apart.

2

On the green, make a 10-foot circle and divide into 4 parts. Number the parts 1 to

3

Hit 36 sand shots, in 4 groups of

4

Hit 9 balls from the first line aiming for part

5

Hit 9 balls from the second line aiming for part

6

Hit 9 balls from the first line aiming for part

7

Hit 9 balls from the second line aiming for part

8

Count a success if a ball stops in the right part.

9

Keep balls in place, only switch lines when told.

0

Count total successful shots in the correct parts, and enter your score out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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