Thread the needle, for a 17-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Valley High Golf Club
Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 17.36 drills72% match to course practice profile
Program Snapshot
Handicap range
9 to 25
Average HCP
17.3
Duration (single session)
2 hr 36 min
or
1 drill/day: 6 days · 26 min/day
Ideal tee
All
Skill Distribution
Precision18%
Accuracy16%
Scoring16%
Distance Control15%
Alignment13%
Dispersion7%
Aim7%
Visualization4%
Trajectory3%
Overview
Program Structure
Chip 10–25 Yds From Rough. Thread the needle and precision from tough lie. Focus on Precision, Accuracy, Scoring, Distance Control, Alignment, Dispersion, Aim, Visualization, Trajectory. For a 17-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.
Shot
Chip
What you will improve
Precision
Accuracy
Scoring
Distance Control
Program details
Sessions
6 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
2 hr 36 min
or
1 drill per day
6 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.
Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the flat fairway.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Divide balls into 3 groups of
2
Set up 3 target zones on the green: Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone
3
Start each shot from the flat fairway 5–20 yards from the hole, same ball setup every time.
4
Hit 12 shots trying to land in Zone
5
Hit 12 shots trying to land in Zone
6
Hit 12 shots trying to land in Zone
3
Enter score in app, out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
31
29
26
22
18
14
10
7
4
02
Chip | Rough | Above/Below Feet
Short Game
Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped rough grass; one bucket with balls above feet level, and one bucket with balls below feet level.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Get 36 balls. Make 6 piles with 6 balls in each pile. Use 3 piles for above feet lies and 3 piles for below feet lies.
2
Put the piles in the rough on a slope, between 5 and 20 yards from the hole. Keep the same type of slope for each group (above or below feet).
3
Mark 2 zones on the green. Zone A is the front half near the hole. Zone B is the back half, farther from the hole.
4
From each pile, hit 6 chip shots. Aim 3 shots at Zone A and 3 shots at Zone B.
5
First, chip from the piles with above feet lies, 6 shots each pile, 3 to each zone. Then do the same with below feet piles.
6
A shot counts as good if it lands and stays in the zone you aimed for.
7
When done with all 36 shots, count the good shots and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
30
28
25
22
18
14
10
7
4
03
Chip | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill
Short Game
Up to 5 players hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped deep rough and other extreme grass types; one bucket from the uphill slope and one bucket from the downhill slope.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Put 3 equal target zones on the green in a line, 3 to 5 feet apart.
2
From deep rough on the uphill slope, hit 18 chip shots, 6 to each zone.
3
Move to deep rough on the downhill slope and repeat: hit 18 chip shots, 6 to each zone.
4
Always chip from deep rough within 20 yards/meters of the hole. Don’t change setup.
5
Count shots that land and stop in the target zone as successes.
6
When you’re done with all 36 shots, count how many landed in a target zone and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
32
30
28
25
20
16
12
8
5
04
Chip | Scattered Piles | 3 Landing Zones
Short Game
Up to 5 players compete to land a chip 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
1
Set up 3 landing zones on the green, 6 feet apart in a straight line.
2
Place 3 piles of balls around the chipping area, each pile randomly 5 to 30 yards from the hole. Keep this setup the same.
3
Divide 36 chip shots into 3 groups of
4
For the first 12 shots, aim for the first landing zone from any pile.
5
For the next 12 shots, aim for the second landing zone from any pile.
6
For the last 12 shots, aim for the third landing zone from any pile.
7
Count each shot that lands and stays in the correct zone as a success.
8
Total the successful shots out of 36 and enter the score in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
31
29
27
23
18
14
11
7
4
05
Chip | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Quadrants
Short Game
Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 perpendicular lines 20 balls per line and stop chip shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Place 36 balls in two lines that cross, with 18 balls in each line.
2
Keep the balls about 1 foot apart, with lines set up 5 to 30 yards from the hole.
3
On the green, divide a 6-foot circle around the hole into 4 equal parts.
4
Split the 36 chip shots into 4 groups of 9 balls.
5
Aim the first 9 shots at the first part of the circle.
6
Switch to the other line and aim the next 9 balls at the second part. Keep switching lines and aim at the next parts until all 36 balls are chipped.
7
Count how many balls land in the right part each time.
8
Enter the number of successful chips out of 36 attempts in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
31
29
26
22
18
14
11
7
4
06
Chip | Parallel Ball Lines | 9 Stop Zones
Short Game
Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 parallel lines 20 balls per line and stop chip shots inside 9 Stop Zones. Count the number of successful stops.
26 minFocus: Short Game
1
Set up 36 balls in 2 lines of 18 balls each, 5 to 10 yards apart, on grass 5 to 20 yards from the hole.
2
Mark 9 stop zones in a 3 x 3 grid on the green, spaced apart so the zones are clear.
3
Chip 4 balls to each stop zone, alternating between the two lines. For each zone, hit 2 balls from one line, then 2 from the other.
4
Keep doing this until you have hit 4 balls for each zone, for a total of 36 shots.
5
Count a shot as a success only if the ball stops in the right zone.
6
Add up the number of successes out of 36 attempts and enter the score in the app.
Scoring benchmarks
Repetitions36
Handicap
+9
+5
+1
5
12
19
27
36
54
Score
31
29
26
23
18
14
10
7
4
Next Step
Ready to start this program?
Start the drills at your own pace or work with a resident professional on this course.