Course Program

Stop Ball on Dime

Vary landing spot, for a 26-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Pittsburgh National Golf Club

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 26.38 drills65% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

10 to 45

Average HCP

26.3

Duration (single session)

3 hr 28 min

or

1 drill/day: 8 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Distance Control33%
Alignment16%
Precision14%
Scoring9%
Dispersion9%
Accuracy9%
Aim6%
Trajectory5%

Overview

Program Structure

Stop Ball on Dime. Vary landing spot and stop on a dime. Focus on Distance Control, Alignment, Precision, Scoring, Dispersion, Accuracy, Aim, Trajectory. For a 26-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.

Skill

Distance Control

Shot

Chip

What you will improve

  • Distance Control
  • Alignment
  • Precision
  • Scoring

Program details

Sessions
8 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 28 min
or
1 drill per day
8 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

Chip | Perpendicular Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

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

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Perpendicular Piles | Quadrants
1

Set up 2 lines with 5 piles of 4 balls each. There are 10 piles in total.

2

Space the 2 lines 5 to 10 yards apart. Space each pile 2 yards apart along each line.

3

On the green, use string or markers to make a circle 6 feet wide around the hole. Divide the circle into 4 equal parts.

4

Hit 36 chip shots, split into 4 groups of

5

For each group, try to stop the balls in one part of the circle. Move to the next part after each group.

6

Alternate where you chip from to practice different spots, but aim for the chosen part of the circle.

7

Count how many balls land in the right part of the circle.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074
02

Chip | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 perpendicular lines 20 balls per line and stop chip shots close to multiple targets. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Multiple Targets
1

Make two crossing lines with 18 balls in each line.

2

Put the balls 1 foot (30 cm) apart on grass, 5 to 20 yards/meters from the hole.

3

Place 2 flags on the green. The flags should be 5 to 10 yards/meters apart.

4

Hit 18 balls from the first line. Try to land each ball within 10 feet (3 meters) of the first flag.

5

Move to the second line. Hit 18 balls trying to land each within 10 feet (3 meters) of the second flag.

6

Count how many balls stop inside the 10-foot (3-meter) circle near each flag. Enter the score in the app out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
03

Chip | Scattered Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to land a chip 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 Chip | Scattered Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

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

2

Place 3 piles of balls around the chipping area, each pile randomly 5 to 30 yards from the hole. Keep this setup the same.

3

Divide 36 chip shots into 3 groups of

4

For the first 12 shots, aim for the first landing zone from any pile.

5

For the next 12 shots, aim for the second landing zone from any pile.

6

For the last 12 shots, aim for the third landing zone from any pile.

7

Count each shot that lands and stays in the correct zone as a success.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129272318141174
04

Chip | 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
Diagram for Chip | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet
1

Make two target zones on the green, Zone A on the left and Zone B on the right, 8 feet apart.

2

Put 18 balls in the deep rough above feet, at distances from 5 to 20 yards, in a straight line.

3

Chip the 18 balls to land and stop in Zone A from the uphill position.

4

Move to deep rough below feet, set up 18 balls the same way.

5

Chip these balls to land and stop in Zone B from the downhill position.

6

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

7

When finished, enter the total number of successes out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score2927252218141174
05

Chip | Scattered Piles | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a chip 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 Chip | Scattered Piles | Bullseye 2x
1

Make two piles of balls for each player between 5 and 30 yards from the hole, anywhere in the chipping area, on any surface.

2

On the green, make two bullseye zones around the hole: inner circle with 6-foot radius and outer ring from 6 to 15 feet.

3

Each player hits 36 chips: 18 from each pile.

4

Try to stop the ball in the inner bullseye (best), then outer bullseye (good), or avoid missing both (bad).

5

Switch piles after 18 shots, finish all 36 shots.

6

Count how many balls stop in the bullseye zones.

7

After 36 shots, record the number of balls in the bullseyes as your score. Enter this total in the app out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302826221713963
06

Chip | Perpendicular Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a chip shot inside the landing 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 Chip | Perpendicular Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

Put 10 piles of balls in two straight lines that cross. Each pile has 3 or 4 balls. Keep each pile between 5 and 30 yards from the hole.

2

Mark 3 landing zones on the green in a row. Make them 6 feet apart using sticks or string.

3

Hit 36 chip shots total. Aim for each landing zone 12 times.

4

Pick any pile to start. Hit 12 chips to the first zone, then 12 to the second zone, then 12 to the third zone.

5

Count how many balls land and stop inside the target zone for each shot.

6

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score312926221713963
07

Chip | Parallel Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a chip 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 Chip | Parallel Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones
1

Make 9 stop zones on the green. Mark them with tees, string, or buckets. Line up or put them in a grid.

2

Put 36 balls in 4 rows. Each row has 9 balls, spaced 1 foot apart. Put the rows about 5 yards apart on the grass, between 5 and 20 yards from the green.

3

Plan to hit 4 balls at each of the 9 stop zones. That is 36 shots.

4

Start at any row of balls. Hit balls, trying to stop each one in the first stop zone.

5

After 4 tries at the first zone, go to the next zone and do the same. Keep going until you try all 9 zones.

6

Count a shot as a success if the ball stops completely inside the target zone.

7

When all shots are done, count the number of successful shots and enter the score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129272318141074
08

Chip | Scattered Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal lines of 5 balls and stop chip shots inside 9 Stop Zones. Count the number of successful stops.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Scattered Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones
1

Place 40 balls in 8 lines of 5 balls each on grass or slope between 5 and 30 yards from the hole.

2

On the green, make 9 stop zones using buckets, string, or tees. Spread them out where chip shots can stop.

3

Set up 36 chip shots in 9 groups of 4 shots.

4

For each group, aim to stop balls in one of the 9 stop zones.

5

Hit 4 balls from one line toward the first zone.

6

Move to another line and aim for the next zone. Keep going until all 9 zones have 4 shots each.

7

Count each shot stopping inside the target zone as a success.

8

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

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.