Course Program

Pick your spot and trust your swing—bunker aim challenge

Fly out and stop close, for a 17-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Silver Lake

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 17.28 drills

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

5 to 45

Average HCP

17.2

Duration (single session)

3 hr 28 min

or

1 drill/day: 8 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Aim32%
Distance Control25%
Scoring12%
Dispersion9%
Precision7%
Trajectory7%
Accuracy5%
Alignment5%

Overview

Program Structure

Pick your spot and trust your swing—bunker aim challenge. Pick spot and trust and fly out and stop close. Focus on Aim, Distance Control, Scoring. For a 17-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.

Skill

Aim

Shot

Sand

What you will improve

  • Aim
  • Distance Control
  • Scoring
  • Dispersion

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

Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

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

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

In a sand bunker, make two straight lines of golf balls. Put 18 balls in each line, spaced 1 foot apart. Lines should be 5 to 10 yards apart.

2

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

3

Stand in the bunker 20 to 40 yards from the hole.

4

Hit 9 shots from the first line, trying to land balls inside the 6-foot circle.

5

Hit 9 shots from the second line, trying to land balls inside the 15-foot circle but outside the 6-foot circle.

6

Do steps 4 and 5 two more times, switching lines and targets, until you hit 36 shots total.

7

Count how many balls stopped inside the 6-foot circle and the 15-foot circle. Enter the total number of successful shots out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612963
02

Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls in the sand (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 parallel lines 20 balls per line and stop sand shots inside 9 Stop Zones. Count the number of successful stops.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones
1

Make two straight lines with 20 balls in each line. Each ball is about 1 foot apart. The two lines are 5 to 10 yards apart.

2

On the green, mark 9 stop zones using buckets, string, or tees. Keep the zones apart.

3

Hit 36 sand shots from the bunker. Try to stop the ball inside the zones.

4

Split the 36 shots into 9 groups. Each group has 4 shots.

5

For each group, hit 4 shots from one ball line at one stop zone.

6

After 4 shots, switch to the other ball line. Aim 4 shots at the next zone. Keep going back and forth until you finish all 9 zones.

7

Count how many balls stay in the zone they were aimed at.

8

Add your total successes out of 36 and enter score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129272318141074
03

Sand | Parallel Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) in the sand into 10 equal parallel piles of 4 balls and hit-and-land sand shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Parallel Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

Put 36 golf balls into 9 piles of 4 balls each in the sand bunker. Make two lines, each pile 2 yards apart, lines 5 to 10 yards apart.

2

On the green, make three landing zones in a straight line, each zone 6 feet apart.

3

Hit 36 sand shots from the bunker to the green.

4

Divide the 36 shots into three groups of

2

Aim the first 12 at the first zone, next 12 at the second zone, last 12 at the third zone.

5

Hit shots from any pile, same setup for all shots.

6

Count successful shots that land and stop in the right zone.

7

After all 36 shots, write down how many went in the intended zones out of 36 in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612963
04

Sand Mid

Short Game

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

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand  Mid
1

Pick two different bunker spots, each 20 to 40 yards from the hole.

2

Put Target A on the left and Target B on the right on the green, about 10 feet apart.

3

Hit 36 shots total: 18 from one spot, 18 from the other spot.

4

From each spot, hit 9 shots to Target A and 9 shots to Target B. Alternate every 3 shots.

5

Use the same setup and swing for all shots. Only change where you aim.

6

Count a shot as good if it stops within 3 feet of the target you aimed for.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282623191512963
05

Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | Multiple Targets

Short Game

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

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | Multiple Targets
1

Put 18 balls in a straight line in the sand. Make a second line of 18 balls. Lines should be 5 to 10 yards apart, balls in each line 1 foot apart.

2

Pick two flags on the green, 20 to 40 yards away. Each line aims for its own flag.

3

From the first line, hit 18 balls trying to land each one within 10 feet of the first flag.

4

Move to the second line, hit 18 balls trying to land each one within 10 feet of the second flag.

5

Count how many balls from each line stay inside the 10-foot circle.

6

Add up total successful balls out of 36 attempts and enter score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612853
06

Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a sand shot inside the landing 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 Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones
1

Set up 4 lines of 5 balls each in the bunker, with lines 3 yards/meters apart and balls 1 foot (0.3 meters) apart.

2

Put the lines between 20 and 40 yards/meters from the hole.

3

On the green, mark 3 landing zones in a straight line, each zone 6 feet (2 meters) apart.

4

Hit 36 sand shots in total: 12 shots to Zone 1, 12 to Zone 2, and 12 to Zone

5

Hit the first 12 balls to Zone 1, the next 12 to Zone 2, and the last 12 to Zone

6

Keep ball setup the same, only change which landing zone is the target.

7

Count each shot that stops in the correct zone as a success.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282623191511853
07

Sand | Scattered Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

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

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

Put 40 golf balls in 8 lines of 5 balls each in the sand, about 2 feet apart and between 20 and 40 yards from the hole.

2

Make 9 stop zones on the green using tees, string, or buckets. Number them 1 to

3

Split the 36 sand shots into 9 groups of 4 shots.

4

Pick one stop zone as the target for each group.

5

Hit 4 balls in a line toward the chosen stop zone, trying to stop them inside that zone.

6

Move to the next stop zone and repeat until all zones are used for 4 shots each.

7

Count how many balls stopped in the correct stop zone.

8

Enter the number of successful stops out of 36 in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129262218141063
08

Sand | Scattered Piles | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a sand 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
Diagram for Sand | Scattered Piles | Multiple Targets
1

Set up 6 piles of 6 balls each around the sand, with each pile 20 to 40 yards from the hole.

2

Place 3 markers or flags on the green, each spaced 6 to 8 feet apart, to create Target 1, Target 2, and Target

3

There are 36 shots total: 12 shots aimed at each target.

4

Hit 12 shots from any pile aiming at Target

5

Hit 12 shots at Target 2, then 12 shots at Target

6

Count a shot as a success if the ball stops within 3 feet of the target marker.

7

Add up the number of successful shots after all 36 are hit, and enter the total score out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252117131074

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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

Pick your spot and trust your swing—bunker aim challenge | Silver Lake