Course Program

Hit Flop & Avoid Big Numbers

Land near hole, for a 35-handicap player, ~30 minutes at Akademi

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 354 drills

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

25 to 45

Average HCP

35

Duration (single session)

1 hr 44 min

or

1 drill/day: 4 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Aim28%
Scoring26%
Alignment18%
Dispersion13%
Accuracy9%
Distance Control7%

Overview

Program Structure

Hit Flop & Avoid Big Numbers. Avoid big numbers and land near hole. Focus on Aim, Scoring, Alignment. For a 35-handicap player, in ~30 minutes.

Shot

Flop

What you will improve

  • Aim
  • Scoring
  • Alignment
  • Dispersion

Program details

Sessions
4 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
1 hr 44 min
or
1 drill per day
4 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 | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Hit flop shot 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
Diagram for Flop | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill
1

Split 36 balls into two groups of

8

Put one group at the uphill slope, and one group at the downhill slope, both in deep rough 5 to 20 yards from the hole.

2

On the green, make three target zones side by side, each about 3 feet wide and within 10 feet of the hole. Label them Zone 1 (left), Zone 2 (center), Zone 3 (right).

3

From the uphill position, hit 18 flop shots. Aim 6 balls in Zone 1, 6 in Zone 2, and 6 in Zone

4

From the downhill position, hit 18 flop shots. Aim 6 balls in Zone 1, 6 in Zone 2, and 6 in Zone

5

Count each shot that stops in the right zone as a success.

6

Enter the number of successes in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211713963
02

Flop | Fairway | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Hit flop shot two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped fairway; one bucket with balls above feet level, one bucket with balls below feet level.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Fairway | Above/Below Feet
1

Set up two targets on the green about 10 to 15 yards apart.

2

Get 36 balls and split them into 2 groups of

3

Hit 18 flop shots from a slope with the ball above your feet, aiming at the first target.

4

Hit 18 flop shots from a slope with the ball below your feet, aiming at the second target.

5

Count how many balls land and stop within 3 feet of each target. These are successes.

6

Keep your ball setup the same for all shots.

7

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141174
03

Flop | Parallel Piles | Quadrants

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal parallel piles of 4 balls and stop flop shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.

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

Arrange 36 balls into 9 piles of 4 balls each. Put 5 piles in one line and 4 piles in a second line, spaced 2 meters apart. Leave 5 to 10 meters between lines.

2

Mark 4 equal quadrants inside a circle with a 3 meter radius around the hole using string or tees.

3

Divide 36 balls into 4 groups of 9 shots. Aim for 9 shots into each quadrant.

4

Hit flop shots from any pile. Aim to land 9 balls in the first quadrant, then move to the next quadrant for the next 9 shots, until all 4 quadrants are targeted.

5

Count each shot that lands in the right quadrant as a success.

6

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score292724201612853
04

Flop | Scattered 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 wins the challenge. One bucket of balls per player is needed.

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

Set up 3 target areas on the green, about 6 feet apart.

2

Make 6 piles of 6 balls each, on the grass 5 to 40 yards from the hole.

3

Hit 36 flop shots total. Divide them into 3 groups of 12 shots.

4

Hit the first 12 shots at Target 1, using any piles.

5

Hit the next 12 shots at Target 2, choosing any piles.

6

Hit the last 12 shots at Target 3, using any piles.

7

After each shot, see if your ball stopped very close to the target. Count that shot as a success if it did.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825211612963

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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