Course Program

Avoid 3-Putt: Chip Inside Circle

Pick landing spot, for a 20-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Sandfield

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 19.68 drills

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

9 to 45

Average HCP

19.6

Duration (single session)

3 hr 28 min

or

1 drill/day: 8 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Accuracy31%
Scoring22%
Distance Control15%
Alignment14%
Visualization9%
Dispersion4%
Precision4%

Overview

Program Structure

Avoid 3-Putt: Chip Inside Circle. Avoid 3-putt and pick landing spot. Focus on Accuracy, Scoring, Distance Control. For a 20-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.

Skill

Accuracy

Shot

Chip

What you will improve

  • Accuracy
  • Scoring
  • Distance Control
  • Alignment

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 | Rough | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Up to 5 players 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

Put 3 target zones on the green, 6 feet apart in a line to the hole.

2

Set up two groups of balls for each player in the rough: one with balls above feet, one with balls below feet, from 5 to 30 yards away.

3

Hit 36 chip shots: 18 to the first target, 18 to the second target.

4

First, hit 18 shots from above feet to the first target.

5

Then, hit 18 shots from below feet to the second target.

6

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

7

Do not move the balls; only change target when needed.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074
02

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
03

Chip | Rough | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

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

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

Gather 36 golf balls. Make 3 piles of 6 balls on an uphill slope and 3 piles of 6 balls on a downhill slope, placing them 5 to 30 yards from the hole.

2

Mark 3 landing zones on the green in a line, each 6 feet apart; label them Zone 1, Zone 2, and Zone

3

From each uphill pile, hit 6 chip shots aiming for Zone 1, then Zone 2, then Zone

4

From each downhill pile, hit 6 chip shots aiming for Zone 1, then Zone 2, then Zone

5

Count a shot as a success if the ball lands and stops in the intended zone.

6

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211713964
04

Chip | 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, and one bucket with balls below feet level.

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

Make 6 piles of 6 balls each. Put 3 piles above feet level and 3 piles below feet level, 5 to 30 yards from the hole in tough grass or slopes.

2

Pick a pile from above feet level. Chip 6 balls at a 3-foot target near the hole.

3

Repeat with the other two above feet piles. Total 18 shots from above feet.

4

Do the same with the three below feet piles. Chip 6 balls at the target from each pile. Total 18 shots from below feet.

5

Count balls that stop in the target as successes. Ignore balls outside the target or off the green.

6

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score312926221713963
05

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
06

Chip | Rough | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Up to 5 players hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped rough grass; one bucket from the uphill slope and one bucket from the downhill slope.

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

Prepare 36 golf balls in 3 piles of 12 balls each.

2

Set up 3 target zones on the putting green: one uphill, one flat, one downhill.

3

From the rough, 5 to 30 yards away, chip 12 balls to land and stop in the uphill zone.

4

Chip 12 balls to the flat zone.

5

Chip 12 balls to the downhill zone.

6

A shot counts as a success if the ball lands and stops in the correct zone.

7

Keep the ball setup the same for each shot. Only change which zone to aim for.

8

Count how many shots landed and stopped in the right zones out of 36 attempts, and enter the score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score312926221713963
07

Chip | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

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

Arrange 36 balls in 2 lines of 18 each to form an L shape.

2

Keep each ball 1 foot apart in each line. Keep 5-10 yards between the two lines.

3

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

4

From 5–30 yards away, chip 18 balls from the first line, aiming for the circles.

5

Chip the other 18 balls from the second line, aiming for the circles.

6

Alternate hitting 3 to 5 shots between the two lines.

7

Shots inside the small circle = full success. Shots inside the big circle only = partial success.

8

Count how many balls stopped in each circle and get your score. Enter your total successful shots out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282624201612963
08

Chip | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill

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 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

Put 3 equal target zones on the green in a line, 3 to 5 feet apart.

2

From deep rough on the uphill slope, hit 18 chip shots, 6 to each zone.

3

Move to deep rough on the downhill slope and repeat: hit 18 chip shots, 6 to each zone.

4

Always chip from deep rough within 20 yards/meters of the hole. Don’t change setup.

5

Count shots that land and stop in the target zone as successes.

6

When you’re done with all 36 shots, count how many landed in a target zone and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282520161285

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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