Course Program

Up-and-Down Contest

Save par clutch, for a 21-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Rathfarnham Golf Club

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 21.29 drills73% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

9 to 45

Average HCP

21.2

Duration (single session)

3 hr 54 min

or

1 drill/day: 9 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Scoring27%
Aim18%
Accuracy18%
Alignment11%
Distance Control11%
Dispersion5%
Precision4%
Visualization3%
Trajectory2%

Overview

Program Structure

Up-and-Down Contest. Turn into birdies and up-and-down contest. Focus on Scoring, Aim, Accuracy, Alignment, Distance Control, Dispersion, Precision, Visualization, Trajectory. For a 21-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.

Skill

Scoring

Shot

Chip

What you will improve

  • Scoring
  • Aim
  • Accuracy
  • 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.

01

Chip | Parallel 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 | Parallel Piles | Bullseye 2x
1

Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines of 5 piles each, about 5 to 10 yards apart, and space piles 4 yards apart.

2

Put the piles 5 to 30 yards from the hole on grass, but not the green.

3

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

4

Hit 36 chip shots from the piles: 4 shots from 6 piles, and 3 shots from 4 piles.

5

Try to land the ball in the circles. Inside the small circle counts as 'birdie', in the big circle as 'par', and outside as 'bogey'.

6

Count how many balls stop inside the big (15-foot) circle.

7

When finished, enter how many were successful out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282420151174
02

Chip | Fairway | Flat

Short Game

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

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

Divide balls into 3 groups of

2

Set up 3 target zones on the green: Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone

3

Start each shot from the flat fairway 5–20 yards from the hole, same ball setup every time.

4

Hit 12 shots trying to land in Zone

5

Hit 12 shots trying to land in Zone

6

Hit 12 shots trying to land in Zone

3

Enter score in app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129262218141074
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 | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped deep rough and other extreme grass types; one bucket from the uphill slope and one bucket from the downhill slope.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill
1

Find a spot in deep rough on an uphill slope 5 to 30 yards from the hole. Set up the ball the same way each time.

2

Place three targets around the green in a straight line, 4 feet apart.

3

Hit 18 chip shots from the uphill slope. Land 6 balls in each target zone.

4

Move to a deep rough spot on a downhill slope 5 to 30 yards from the hole. Keep the same setup.

5

Hit 18 chip shots from the downhill slope. Land 6 balls in each target zone.

6

Count each ball that ends inside the target as a success.

7

Add up all the successful shots out of 36 in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302824201612853
05

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
06

Chip | Rough | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped rough grass; one bucket with balls above feet level, and one bucket with balls below feet level.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Rough | Above/Below Feet
1

Get 36 balls. Make 6 piles with 6 balls in each pile. Use 3 piles for above feet lies and 3 piles for below feet lies.

2

Put the piles in the rough on a slope, between 5 and 20 yards from the hole. Keep the same type of slope for each group (above or below feet).

3

Mark 2 zones on the green. Zone A is the front half near the hole. Zone B is the back half, farther from the hole.

4

From each pile, hit 6 chip shots. Aim 3 shots at Zone A and 3 shots at Zone B.

5

First, chip from the piles with above feet lies, 6 shots each pile, 3 to each zone. Then do the same with below feet piles.

6

A shot counts as good if it lands and stays in the zone you aimed for.

7

When done with all 36 shots, count the good shots and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
07

Chip | Scattered Piles | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal piles 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 Piles | 9 Stop Zones
1

Make 8 piles with 5 balls in each pile. Put them on grass, 5 to 30 yards from the hole.

2

Use tees, string, or markers to make 9 zones on the green in a simple pattern.

3

Take 36 chip shots in total.

4

Aim 4 balls at each of the 9 zones.

5

Hit each shot from a different pile and aim at the next zone.

6

Try to stop each ball in the right zone.

7

Count one success for each ball that stops in the correct zone.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
08

Chip | Scattered Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

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

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

Scatter 40 balls into 8 lines of 5 balls each, spaced 1 yard or meter apart, placed anywhere from 5 to 30 yards from the hole.

2

On the green, make two circles around the hole: one with a 6-foot (2-meter) radius, and one with a 15-foot (5-meter) radius, using string or tees.

3

Chip 36 balls during the test, divided into 3 sets of 12 balls.

4

Chip the first 12 balls, trying to make them land inside the small circle.

5

Chip the next 12 balls, trying to make them land inside the big circle but outside the small circle.

6

Chip the last 12 balls, trying to make them land anywhere inside the big circle.

7

Start from any line and move around as needed, but use only 36 balls.

8

Count each ball that stops where it is supposed to for each set.

9

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score312926221713963
09

Chip | Parallel Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

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

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

Place 36 balls in two lines of 18 each. Put lines 5 to 10 meters apart. Balls in each line are 30 cm apart.

2

Mark two circles on the green: a small circle with 2 meter radius and a big circle with 5 meter radius around the hole.

3

Divide the 36 balls into 2 sets of

8

First set: chip from first line aiming for the small circle.

4

Second set: chip from second line aiming for the big circle.

5

Hit 3 to 5 shots from one line, then switch lines, to keep consistent.

6

Each ball stopping inside the correct circle for that set is a success.

7

Count successful balls in the right circles and enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141174

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 | Rathfarnham Golf Club