Course Program

Turn pitches into birdie looks—score from the fairway

Save par clutch, for a 26-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Riverside Golf Club

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 25.68 drills70% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

6 to 45

Average HCP

25.6

Duration (single session)

3 hr 28 min

or

1 drill/day: 8 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Scoring35%
Aim22%
Alignment14%
Distance Control12%
Accuracy11%
Precision3%
Dispersion2%
Trajectory1%

Overview

Program Structure

Turn pitches into birdie looks—score from the fairway. Save par clutch and up-and-down contest. Focus on Scoring, Aim, Alignment, Distance Control, Accuracy, Precision, Dispersion, Trajectory. For a 26-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.

Skill

Scoring

Shot

Pitch

What you will improve

  • Scoring
  • Aim
  • Alignment
  • Distance Control

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

Pitch| 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 pitch shots inside the Bullseye. Count the number of balls in the inner and outer Bullseye.

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

Put two lines of 18 balls on the ground, with lines 5-10 yards/meters apart, and balls 1 foot/30 cm apart in each line.

2

Mark two circles around the hole: an inner circle with a 6 ft/2 m radius, and an outer circle with a 15 ft/5 m radius.

3

Hit 36 shots, 18 from each line.

4

Hit 3 shots from the first line, then 3 from the second line, and keep switching every 3 shots until all 36 are done.

5

Count balls that stop in the inner or outer circle. Balls outside both circles are misses.

6

Enter the number of balls inside either circle in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282624201612853
02

Pitch | Fairway | Flat

Short Game

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

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

Pick two spots on the fairway that are 30 to 60 yards from the hole.

2

Put three targets on the green, spaced at least 6 feet apart.

3

Hit 18 pitch shots from the first spot and 18 pitch shots from the second spot.

4

From each spot, hit 6 shots to each target.

5

Line up and aim at each target before hitting.

6

Count every shot that lands close to the target and stops there as a success.

7

After all 36 shots, record how many were successful out of 36 in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
03

Pitch | Parallel Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch shot in the bullseye. The best final score relative to PAR wins the challenge. Up to 80 balls are needed.

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

Put 4 straight lines of 9 balls each on the ground. Space balls 1 foot apart. Space each line 5 yards apart.

2

Set up these lines between 30 and 60 yards from the hole, on grass but not on the green.

3

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

4

Hit all 36 balls (9 from each line).

5

Hit every ball in a line before going to the next line. Any order.

6

Try to land each shot in the small or big circle around the hole.

7

If the ball stops inside the small circle, count as birdie. If the ball stops in the big circle but not the small, count as par.

8

Count how many balls finished in the big circle (including the small circle).

9

Enter this number in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612853
04

Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

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, one bucket with balls below feet level.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet
1

Set up 3 targets on the green, each about 6 feet apart in a line or curve.

2

Stand in the deep rough, 30 to 40 yards away, where the ground is sloped above or below your feet.

3

Hit 36 pitch shots: 18 with the ball above your feet, 18 with the ball below your feet.

4

Divide each set of 18 shots into 3 groups of 6 shots.

5

For each group, aim all 6 shots at one target, then switch to the next target.

6

Start with shots when the ball is above your feet: hit 6 shots at Target 1, 6 at Target 2, 6 at Target

7

Then hit from where the ball is below your feet: 6 shots at Target 1, 6 at Target 2, 6 at Target

8

Count each shot that lands and stays near the target as a success.

9

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282623181411853
05

Pitch | Parallel Piles | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch 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 Pitch | Parallel Piles | Bullseye 2x
1

Set up 10 piles of balls in 2 rows of

5

Space rows 6 yards/meters apart. Space piles in each row 4 yards/meters apart.

2

Put all piles on grass, between 30 and 60 yards/meters from the hole, not on the green.

3

On the green, draw two circles around the hole: the inner one has a 6-foot/2-meter radius (birdie zone); the outer one has a 15-foot/5-meter radius (par zone). Shots outside the big circle count as misses (bogey).

4

Hit 36 pitch shots total: 18 aiming for the inner (birdie) circle, 18 aiming for the outer (par) ring but outside the inner circle. Split into two groups of 18; switch groups after every 6 shots.

5

Hit from any pile. Count a shot as successful if the ball stops inside the right circle (inner or outer).

6

Keep going until all 36 shots are done. Change piles for different lies.

7

At the end, add up how many successful shots out of 36 attempts and enter your score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score292724201511853
06

Pitch| Scattered Piles | Multiple Targets

Short Game

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

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

Put 36 balls into 6 piles with 6 balls in each pile between 30 and 60 yards from the hole.

2

Place 3 flags on the green far apart and label them A, B, and C.

3

Hit 36 pitch shots, in 3 sets of 12 shots.

4

Hit 12 balls so they stop within 10 feet of flag A.

5

Hit 12 balls so they stop within 10 feet of flag B. Use any pile.

6

Hit 12 balls so they stop within 10 feet of flag C.

7

Hit from any pile and change piles or targets as needed.

8

Count each shot that stops within 10 feet of the target as a success.

9

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612963
07

Pitch | 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, one bucket with balls below feet level.

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

Find a rough area with a slope where the ball is above your feet, 30 to 40 yards from the hole.

2

Place three targets in a line on the green, about 5 feet apart.

3

Hit 36 pitch shots: 18 with the ball above your feet, 18 with it below your feet.

4

For each slope, hit 6 shots at each target.

5

Hit 6 balls at the first target, 6 at the second, 6 at the third, with the ball above your feet.

6

Switch to the slope where the ball is below your feet and do the same.

7

Try to land each ball close and stopped near each target for a success.

8

Count how many balls stopped inside the target zones and enter the number out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141174
08

Pitch | Scattered Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

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

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Pitch | Scattered Piles | Quadrants
1

Make 4 piles of 9 balls each, with the piles 30–60 yards from the hole on different ground.

2

On the green, mark out a 15-foot circle around the hole and divide the circle into 4 equal parts.

3

Hit 9 shots from a pile to try and stop the ball in the first part of the circle.

4

Move to another pile and hit 9 shots for the second part.

5

Repeat for the third and fourth parts, from any pile.

6

Count each ball that stops in the right part as a success.

7

Enter number of successes in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141063

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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

Turn pitches into birdie looks—score from the fairway | Riverside Golf Club