Course Program

Can you stop the ball close from the sand?

Practice at The Vines Golf Club Of Reynella

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 20.37 drills59% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

5 to 45

Average HCP

20.3

Duration (single session)

3 hr 2 min

or

1 drill/day: 7 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Distance Control35%
Aim15%
Precision11%
Trajectory9%
Scoring9%
Dispersion8%
Alignment7%
Accuracy7%

Overview

Program Structure

This short game helps you sharpen your distance control, executing sand shots, and make faster decisions that translate straight to scoring opportunities. Each drill mirrors on-course scenarios before you stitch everything together in finale sessions.

Skill

Distance Control

Shot

Sand

What you will improve

  • Distance Control
  • Aim
  • Precision
  • Trajectory

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

Sand | Perpendicular Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls in the sand (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal perpendicular 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 | Perpendicular Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

Put 36 balls into 10 piles near the sand, each pile with 3 or 4 balls, about 2 yards apart, in two lines between 20 and 40 yards from the hole.

2

On the green, set up three landing zones with sticks or string, each zone 6 feet apart in a straight line.

3

Hit 36 sand shots total: 12 shots for Zone 1, 12 shots for Zone 2, 12 shots for Zone

4

Start hitting balls from any pile, aiming at Zone

1

Do 12 shots, then aim for Zone 2 for 12 shots, then Zone 3 for 12 shots.

5

You can pick balls from any pile, but keep aiming for the same zone until you finish its 12 shots.

6

Count a shot as successful if it lands and stays in the right zone.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612964
02

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
03

Sand | Perpendicular Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a sand 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 Sand | Perpendicular Piles | Quadrants
1

Set up 10 piles of balls in 2 lines, each line has 5 piles, spaced 3 yards/meters apart. The 2 lines are 5 to 10 yards/meters apart.

2

Put the piles on grass, 20 to 40 yards/meters from the hole.

3

On the green, mark 4 equal circles (quadrants) around the hole with string or tees. Each circle is 6 feet (2 meters) from the hole.

4

Hit 36 sand shots total. Hit 9 balls into each circle.

5

Start at any pile. For each shot, try to land the ball inside the chosen circle.

6

After 9 shots at one circle, move to the next. Repeat until all 36 shots are done.

7

Count each ball that stops in the target circle as a success.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282622181410742
04

Sand | Scattered Piles | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a sand shot in the bullseye. The best final score relative to PAR wins the challenge. One bucket of balls per player is needed.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Scattered Piles | Bullseye 2x
1

Place two piles of balls in the sand 20-40 yards from the hole.

2

Make two circles around the hole on the green: one with a 6-foot radius and another with a 15-foot radius.

3

Hit 36 shots: 18 aimed for the small circle, 18 aimed for the area between the small and big circles.

4

Hit 18 balls, trying to land them in the small circle.

5

Hit 18 balls, trying to land them in the area between the two circles.

6

A ball in the right area counts as a success.

7

Count the number of balls in the right spots as you go.

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
Score302825201612853
05

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
06

Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a sand shot in the stop 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 | 9 Stop Zones
1

Set up 4 lines of balls in the bunker. Each line has 9 balls. Balls are 1 foot apart.

2

Mark 9 stop zones on the green. Space them out so there is 1 zone for each shot.

3

Hit 36 sand shots: 4 balls for each zone.

4

For each shot, aim to stop the ball inside the zone on the green.

5

Hit 4 balls for the first zone, then 4 for the second, and keep going until all 9 zones are done.

6

Count balls that stop inside the right zone as successful.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
07

Sand | Scattered Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

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 Bullseye. Count the number of balls in the inner and outer Bullseye.

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

Scatter 40 balls in the sand into 8 lines of 5 balls, with lines about 2 feet apart, anywhere 5 to 60 yards from the hole.

2

On the green, make two bullseye circles around the hole: one with a 6-foot radius, one with a 15-foot radius.

3

Hit 36 sand shots, divided into 3 groups of 12 shots.

4

For the first 12 shots, try to land the ball inside the 6-foot bullseye.

5

For the next 12 shots, try to land the ball between 6 and 15 feet from the hole.

6

For the last 12 shots, try to land the ball within 15 feet of the hole, including the 6-foot bullseye.

7

After all 36 shots, count how many balls stopped in each target area for each group, and enter your score in the app out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282624201612963

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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