Course Program

Thread the gap: flop through a narrow landing zone

Thread the gap, for a 12-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Spring Valley Golf Club

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 11.77 drills64% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

8 to 25

Average HCP

11.7

Duration (single session)

3 hr 2 min

or

1 drill/day: 7 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Precision27%
Aim25%
Distance Control21%
Dispersion14%
Trajectory9%
Alignment5%

Overview

Program Structure

Thread the gap: flop through a narrow landing zone. Thread the gap and precision from tough lie. Focus on Precision, Aim, Distance Control. For a 12-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.

Skill

Precision

Shot

Flop

What you will improve

  • Precision
  • Aim
  • Distance Control
  • Dispersion

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

Flop | Parallel Piles | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a flop shot closest to the multiple target(s). The player with the most points at the end wins the challenge. One bucket of balls per player is needed.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Parallel Piles | Multiple Targets
1

Make 2 lines of 5 ball piles each (10 piles total). Keep lines 6 yards apart and piles 4 yards apart.

2

Put all piles on short grass 5-20 yards from the hole, not on the green.

3

Place 3 target markers in a line on the green. Space them 6 feet apart. Call them Target A, Target B, and Target C.

4

Hit 36 flop shots in total, in 3 sets of 12 shots.

5

First 12 shots go to Target A. Next 12 to Target B. Last 12 to Target C.

6

Pick any pile for each shot. Hit the ball at the current target.

7

Count each shot that stops closest to or inside the target area. This is a "success."

8

Add up all successful shots for each target.

9

Record the score out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141174
02

Flop | Scattered Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

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

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

Place 40 balls in 8 rows with 5 balls each, spread between 5 and 40 yards from the hole.

2

Mark 9 target zones on the green with buckets, string, or tees.

3

Hit 36 flop shots, grouped as 9 sets of 4 shots.

4

For each set, aim to land the ball in one specific target zone.

5

Go through all 9 zones, hitting 4 shots into each (total 36 shots).

6

Keep the setup the same for every shot.

7

Count how many balls land in the intended target zone.

8

After 36 shots, enter the number of successful shots out of 36 in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825221713963
03

Flop | Perpendicular Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a flop 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 Flop | Perpendicular Piles | Quadrants
1

Arrange 10 piles of balls in two lines that cross each other. Each line has 5 piles, placed 3 yards apart. The lines are 6 yards apart.

2

Put all piles between 5 and 40 yards from the hole. Keep all piles on the same type of grass.

3

On the green, mark 4 equal quadrants. Each quadrant is a circle with a 3-meter radius around the hole.

4

Hit 36 flop shots: 9 shots to each quadrant.

5

Start at one pile. Hit 9 shots at Quadrant 1, move to another pile and hit 9 shots at Quadrant 2, then 9 shots at Quadrant 3, then 9 shots at Quadrant

6

A shot that stops inside the target quadrant counts as a success.

7

Count all successes for each quadrant and add them up.

8

After all 36 shots, write down your total number of successful shots in the app, out of 36.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129262218141063
04

Flop | Parallel Ball Lines | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a flop shot closest to the multiple target(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 Flop | Parallel Ball Lines | Multiple Targets
1

Make 4 straight lines of 9 balls each on the grass. Keep each line 5 yards or meters apart.

2

Put the balls in each line about 1 foot apart.

3

Pick 3 targets (like flags or markers) in different spots around the green.

4

Hit 36 shots, in 3 groups of 12 shots.

5

Hit all balls in the first group to Target 1, then switch to Target 2 for the next group, and Target 3 for the last group.

6

Hit each ball trying to stop it close to the target for that group.

7

Count every ball that stops within 3 feet of the target as a success.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
05

Flop | Parallel Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 parallel lines 20 balls per line and hit-and-land flop shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Parallel Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones
1

Place 40 balls in two lines of 20 balls. The balls in each line are 1 foot apart. The two lines are 5 to 10 yards apart.

2

On the green use sticks or string to make 3 landing zones in a straight line. Each zone is 6 feet apart.

3

Hit 36 flop shots from the ball lines to the landing zones.

4

Make 3 groups of 12 shots.

5

For each group aim for only one landing zone.

6

After each group of 12 shots, switch to the other ball line.

7

Count every shot that stops in the right landing zone.

8

When all 36 shots are done, add up your successful shots out of 36 attempts and enter your score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
06

Flop | Scattered Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal lines of 5 balls and hit-and-land flop shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Scattered Ball Lines | 3 Landing Zones
1

Make 8 lines of 5 balls each. Space out the lines and balls on grass, not on the green, anywhere from 5 to 40 yards/metres away from the hole.

2

On the green, put down 3 landing zones in a straight line with 6 feet (2 metres) between them, using sticks, clubs, or string.

3

Take 36 shots, split into 3 sets of 12 shots.

4

Aim each set of 12 shots at one landing zone. Start with Zone 1, then Zone 2, then Zone

5

Hit all 5 balls from each line toward the target zone. After each line, move to another line.

6

Count a shot as good if the ball stays in the correct zone.

7

Add up how many good shots you made and enter the score in the app out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074
07

Flop | Parallel Piles | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a flop shot in the stop zone(s). The player with the most points at the end wins the challenge. One bucket of balls per player is needed.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Parallel Piles | 9 Stop Zones
1

Set up two lines of 5 piles of balls (10 piles total), each pile with 3 or 4 balls. Lines should be 5 to 10 yards/meters apart and piles in each line 4 yards/meters apart.

2

Place piles between 5 and 40 yards/meters from the hole, on grass around the green, not on the green.

3

On the green, mark 9 stop zones in a 3x3 grid using buckets, string lines, or tees.

4

Hit 36 flop shots total, 4 shots for each stop zone.

5

For each shot, choose any pile and hit to the assigned stop zone. After 4 shots to one zone, move to the next zone.

6

A successful shot is when the ball stops inside the intended stop zone.

7

Use the same setup for every shot.

8

Finish all 36 shots, 4 to each stop zone.

9

Count how many balls stopped in each zone and add them up. Enter the total number of successful shots out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612853

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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