Course Program

Keep Ball Close To Hole

Use a short swing, for a 35-handicap player, ~30 minutes at South Mountain

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 357 drills

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

25 to 45

Average HCP

35

Duration (single session)

3 hr 2 min

or

1 drill/day: 7 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Scoring35%
Distance Control19%
Aim14%
Alignment11%
Dispersion10%
Precision6%
Accuracy5%

Overview

Program Structure

Keep Ball Close To Hole. Roll the ball low and straight and use a short swing. Focus on Scoring, Distance Control, Aim. For a 35-handicap player, in ~30 minutes.

Shot

Bump'n'Run

What you will improve

  • Scoring
  • Distance Control
  • Aim
  • Alignment

Program details

Sessions
7 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 2 min
or
1 drill per day
7 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

Bump-n-Run | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls next to the green (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 perpendicular lines 20 balls per line and stop bump-n-run shots inside Bullseye. Count the number of balls in the inner and outer Bullseye.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Bump-n-Run | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x
1

Place a bucket of balls next to the green with 2 straight lines of 20 balls arranged perpendicular to each other.

2

Space the lines 5 to 10 yards/meters apart, with each ball about 1 foot (30 cm) apart in each line.

3

Mark two circles on the green: an inner circle with a 6-foot (2 m) radius and an outer circle with a 15-foot (5 m) radius around the hole.

4

Hit 36 bump-and-run shots in 2 sets of 18 shots, switching between the two lines.

5

Hit 3 to 5 shots from one line, then switch to the other line, until all 36 balls are played.

6

Try to land balls in the circles: inside the inner circle is best, inside the outer circle is okay.

7

Count how many balls stopped inside the outer circle (including the inner circle), and enter your score in the app out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201512964
02

Bump-n-Run | Rough | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Hit bump-n-run shot 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 Bump-n-Run | Rough | Above/Below Feet
1

Put the ball in the sloped rough, 5 to 30 yards from the hole, with the ball above your feet.

2

Place three targets evenly spaced left, center, and right of the hole, all about the same distance from your ball.

3

Hit 36 bump-and-run shots: 18 with the ball above your feet and 18 with the ball below your feet.

4

For each lie, split the 18 shots into 3 groups of 6, one group for each target.

5

With the ball above your feet, hit 6 shots to the left target, 6 to center, and 6 to right, in any order.

6

Move the ball below your feet and repeat: 6 shots to left, 6 to center, 6 to right.

7

Count each shot that stops inside the target area as a success.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074
03

Bump-n-Run | Scattered Piles | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a bump-n-run 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 Bump-n-Run | Scattered Piles | Multiple Targets
1

Put 36 balls in 6 piles, each pile has 6 balls. Scatter them around chipping area between 1 to 10 yards from green and 5 to 30 yards from hole.

2

Place 3 targets in a line at the edge of the green, spaced 6 feet apart.

3

Split the 36 shots into 3 groups of 12 shots.

4

Hit first 12 balls as bump-and-run, try to stop them in the first target zone.

5

Hit next 12 balls at the second target zone, try to stop them there.

6

Hit the last 12 balls at the third target zone, try to stop them there.

7

Pick any pile before each group and keep setup simple for every shot.

8

Count balls in the right target zone. Each one is a point. Enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074
04

Bump-n-Run | Parallel Ball Lines | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls next to the green (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 parallel lines 20 balls per line and stop bump-n-run shots close to multiple targets. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Bump-n-Run | Parallel Ball Lines | Multiple Targets
1

Put a bucket with 40 balls by the green. Set up two lines of 18 balls each, 1 foot apart. The lines are 6 feet apart.

2

Pick 3 different targets on the green. Each target should be 6 feet apart from the others.

3

Hit 12 shots at Target 1 from the first line.

4

Hit 12 shots at Target 2 from the second line.

5

Hit 12 shots at Target 3 from the first line.

6

Use the same setup for all shots. Leave balls in place between 1 and 10 yards from the green, and 5 to 30 yards from the hole.

7

A shot is a success if it stops within 10 feet of the target.

8

Count how many successful shots out of 36 attempts and enter score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
05

Bump-n-Run | Scattered Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) next to the green. Scatter into 8 equal piles of 5 balls and hit-and-land bump-n-run shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Bump-n-Run | Scattered Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

Put 36 golf balls into 3 groups of 12 balls. Spread the groups around the green between 1 and 10 yards from the edge and 5 to 30 yards from the hole.

2

Mark 3 landing zones in a straight line at the edge of the green, each 6 feet (2 meters) apart.

3

Hit 36 bump-and-run shots: 12 to zone 1, 12 to zone 2, 12 to zone

4

Use the first set of 12 balls for zone 1, the second set for zone 2, and the last set for zone

5

Keep ball positions and distances the same for the whole test.

6

Count each ball that stops inside the target zone as a success.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
06

Bump-n-Run | Deep Rough and Other | Flat

Short Game

Hit bump-n-run shot two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the flat deep rough and other extreme grass types.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Bump-n-Run | Deep Rough and Other | Flat
1

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

2

Hit 36 bump-and-run shots, 12 to each target.

3

Place the ball in thick grass, 5 to 20 yards from the hole, and keep setup the same for every shot.

4

Hit 12 shots at Target

5

Hit 12 shots at Target

6

Hit 12 shots at Target

7

Count a successful shot if it stops within 3 feet of the target.

8

After all 36 shots, record the number of successful shots out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
07

Bump-n-Run | Scattered Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop bump-n-run 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
Diagram for Bump-n-Run | Scattered Piles | Quadrants
1

Prepare 36 balls and make 4 piles of 9 balls each.

2

Put each pile in a different spot, 1 to 10 yards from the green and 5 to 30 yards from the hole.

3

Mark 4 areas on the green using string or tees, each area should be about 6 feet across.

4

Hit 36 bump-n-run shots, trying to land 9 balls in each area.

5

Start from one pile, aim at one area, and hit all 9 balls. Move to the next pile and area.

6

Keep going until all 36 shots are done, 9 shots per area.

7

Count how many balls stopped in the target area each time.

8

After all 36 shots, enter how many successes out of 36 in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129272318141074

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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