Up-and-down contest: how many can you save in a row?
Turn into birdies, for a 26-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Serrano Cc
Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 25.66 drills56% match to course practice profile
Program Snapshot
Handicap range
6 to 45
Average HCP
25.6
Duration (single session)
2 hr 36 min
or
1 drill/day: 6 days · 26 min/day
Ideal tee
All
Skill Distribution
Scoring36%
Aim22%
Alignment18%
Distance Control8%
Accuracy5%
Precision4%
Visualization4%
Dispersion3%
Overview
Program Structure
Up-and-down contest: how many can you save in a row?. Turn into birdies and up-and-down contest. Focus on Scoring, Aim, Alignment, Distance Control, Accuracy, Precision, Visualization, Dispersion. For a 26-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.
Skill
Scoring
Shot
Pitch
What you will improve
Scoring
Aim
Alignment
Distance Control
Program details
Sessions
6 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
2 hr 36 min
or
1 drill per day
6 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.
Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch shot inside the quadrant(s). The player with the most points wins the challenge. One bucket of balls per player is needed.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Make 4 piles of 9 balls each, with piles placed randomly 30–60 yards from the hole.
2
Mark 4 quadrants on the green around the hole using string or tees, each about 9 feet wide.
3
Hit 36 pitch shots, 9 to each quadrant.
4
From any pile, hit 9 balls trying to stop them in the first quadrant.
5
Move to a new pile and hit 9 balls to the second quadrant. Repeat for all quadrants.
6
Count balls that stop inside the target quadrant.
7
Count total balls in the correct quadrant and enter the number out of 36 attempts in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
25
20
16
12
8
5
3
02
Pitch | Fairway | Above/Below Feet
Short Game
Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped fairway; one bucket with balls above feet level, one bucket with balls below feet level.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Pick a place on the fairway where the ball is above your feet and about 30 to 40 yards from the hole.
2
Put 18 balls in a pile on your side at this spot.
3
Pick a target on the green and keep it the same for the first 6 shots.
4
Hit 6 pitch shots trying to get close to the target from the above-feet slope.
5
Change the target after every 6 shots. Do this 3 times for a total of 18 shots from this spot.
6
Move to a place where the ball is below your feet, again 30 to 40 yards from the hole.
7
Put 18 more balls in a pile at this new spot.
8
Do exactly the same as before: 6 shots per target, 3 targets, 18 shots total.
9
Count a shot as a success if the ball stops very close to the target.
0
After 36 shots, add up the number of successful shots and enter the score in the app out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
26
22
18
13
10
7
4
03
Pitch | Rough | Flat
Short Game
Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the flat rough grass.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Set up 3 targets on the green, 6 feet apart in a straight line. These are Target A (closest), Target B (middle), and Target C (farthest).
2
From rough ground 30 to 60 yards away, place the ball and get ready to pitch at the targets.
3
Hit 36 pitch shots in total, split into 3 groups of 12 shots.
4
Aim the first 12 shots at Target A, trying to land and stop the ball inside that area.
5
Aim the next 12 shots at Target B, trying to land and stop the ball inside that area.
6
Aim the last 12 shots at Target C, trying to land and stop the ball inside that area.
7
Keep everything else the same each time, only change which target you aim at.
8
Count a shot as a success if the ball lands and stops inside the correct target area.
9
Enter the number of successful shots in the app, out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
25
21
16
12
9
6
3
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
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
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
28
26
23
18
14
11
8
5
3
05
Pitch | Scattered Piles | Multiple Targets
Short Game
Up to 5 players compete to stop a pitch shot closest to the multiple target(s). The player with the most points wins the challenge. One bucket of balls per player is needed.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Pick 3 targets on the green at least 6 feet apart.
2
Put 36 balls into 6 piles of 6 balls, between 20 and 40 yards from the hole, on different slopes and grass types.
3
Split shots into 3 sets of
4
For the first 12 shots, aim to stop the ball close to target
5
For the next 12 shots, aim to stop close to target
6
For the last 12 shots, aim to stop close to target
7
A shot counts if the ball stops within 3 feet of the correct target.
8
Keep the ball setup the same for every shot.
9
Count how many balls ended close to the proper target, and enter your score out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
25
22
17
13
9
6
3
06
Pitch | 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
1
Make 4 piles of 9 balls each, with 2 piles uphill and 2 piles downhill, all 25–40 yards from the hole in the rough.
2
Mark 3 target zones on the green: Zone A (6 feet left), Zone B (6 feet behind), Zone C (6 feet right) of the hole.
3
Hit 36 total shots: 18 from uphill piles, 18 from downhill piles.
4
For each slope (uphill and downhill), split 18 shots into 3 groups of
5
Aim 6 shots at each zone (A, B, C) from the two piles on the same slope.
6
Alternate shots between the two piles on the same slope.
7
Count a shot as a success if it stops in the target zone.
8
Add up total successes out of 36 tries and enter score in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
25
20
15
12
8
5
3
Next Step
Ready to start this program?
Start the drills at your own pace or work with a resident professional on this course.