Course Program

Save par with a clutch flop—pressure drill

Save par clutch, for a 25-handicap player, ~20 minutes at St. Andrews South Golf Club

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 25.17 drills69% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

10 to 45

Average HCP

25.1

Duration (single session)

3 hr 2 min

or

1 drill/day: 7 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Scoring24%
Alignment20%
Precision16%
Aim16%
Distance Control11%
Dispersion6%
Trajectory4%
Accuracy2%

Overview

Program Structure

Save par with a clutch flop—pressure drill. Turn into par saves and up-and-down contest. Focus on Scoring, Alignment, Precision. For a 25-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.

Skill

Scoring

Shot

Flop

What you will improve

  • Scoring
  • Alignment
  • Precision
  • Aim

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 | 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 flop shots inside Bullseye. Count the number of balls in the inner and outer Bullseye.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x
1

Place 40 balls in two lines with 20 balls in each line, spaced 1 foot apart.

2

Set the two lines so they cross each other, about 5 to 10 yards apart, on grass away from the green but 5 to 40 yards from the hole.

3

Mark two circles around the hole on the green. The small circle is 6 feet from the hole. The big circle is 15 feet from the hole.

4

Hit 36 flop shots, 18 from each line.

5

Hit 3 to 5 shots at a time from one line, then switch lines and keep going until finished.

6

Try to land each ball inside the circles. Shots inside the small circle are birdie, inside the big one are par.

7

Count all balls that land inside either circle.

8

Enter the total successful shots out of 36 in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302826221713963
02

Flop | Rough | Flat

Short Game

Hit flop shot two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the flat rough grass.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Rough | Flat
1

Find a flat spot in the rough, 5 to 20 yards from the hole.

2

Set up three targets on the green, spaced apart for three landing zones.

3

Hit 36 flop shots; 12 shots at each target.

4

Keep ball position the same for all shots, only aim at the next target after 12 shots.

5

Try to land the ball softly in the target zone.

6

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

7

After 36 shots (12 per target), add up your total successful shots and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612853
03

Flop | Scattered Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal piles of 5 balls and stop flop shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Scattered Piles | Quadrants
1

Make 8 piles of 5 balls each (40 balls total) between 5 and 40 yards from the green.

2

On the green, use markers to make 4 equal parts inside a 10 ft circle around the hole.

3

Hit 36 flop shots in total, split into 4 groups of 9 shots for each part of the circle.

4

Aim 9 shots for the first part, then 9 for the second, the third, and last the fourth part.

5

Change which pile to hit from each time to get different angles and lies.

6

Count only shots that stop in the right part as a success.

7

When finished, write how many you got out of 36 in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612853
04

Flop | Rough | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Hit flop shot 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 Flop | Rough | Uphill/Downhill
1

Place two ball markers on the green, about 10 feet apart.

2

Choose a spot on the uphill slope, 5 to 20 yards from the hole. Use this spot every time for the test.

3

Hit 18 flop shots from this spot. Aim at the targets, switching every 3 shots between them until all 18 shots are done.

4

Move to a spot on the downhill slope, 5 to 20 yards from the hole. Use this spot every time for these shots.

5

Hit 18 flop shots from the downhill spot. Switch targets every 3 shots until all 18 are done.

6

Count shots that stop within 3 feet of the marker as successful.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282624201612853
05

Flop | Perpendicular 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 | Perpendicular Piles | 9 Stop Zones
1

Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines that cross each other, 5 piles in each line. The piles are 3 yards/meters apart. The two lines are 5 to 10 yards/meters apart.

2

Put the piles 5 to 40 yards/meters away from the hole, not on the green.

3

Mark 9 target zones on the green using tees, string, or small buckets. Make them easy to see.

4

Hit 36 flop shots total, 9 to each target zone.

5

Pick a pile and hit 9 flop shots to target zone

6

Then hit 9 shots to target zone 2, using any pile.

7

Do the same for zones 3 through 9, hitting 9 shots at each for 36 total tries. Enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612853
06

Flop | Scattered Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to land a flop shot inside the landing zone(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 | Scattered Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

Place 3 landing zones on the green, 3 feet (1 meter) apart in a straight line.

2

Make 6 piles of 6 balls each around the green, 5 to 40 yards from the hole.

3

Hit 36 flop shots, 12 to each landing zone.

4

For the first 12 shots, aim for Landing Zone 1, hitting 2 balls from each pile.

5

For the next 12 shots, aim for Landing Zone 2, hitting 2 balls from each pile.

6

For the last 12 shots, aim for Landing Zone 3, hitting the remaining 2 balls from each pile.

7

Count how many balls land and stay in the correct landing zone.

8

Enter your number of successful shots in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141174
07

Flop | Rough | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Hit flop 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 Flop | Rough | Above/Below Feet
1

Place 18 balls on a slope above the feet, and 18 balls on a slope below the feet, on opposite sides near the green.

2

Set one target on the green at a short distance between 10 and 20 yards.

3

Hit 36 flop shots: 18 from above the feet, 18 from below the feet.

4

Every 3 shots, change aim to left, center, or right of the target. Hit 6 shots at each aim for both slopes.

5

Try to land each ball close to the target.

6

Count a shot as successful if the ball lands within 3 feet of the target.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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