Course Program

Pinpoint your sand shots: leave yourself a tap-in every time

Pinpoint sand shots, for a 15-handicap player, ~15 minutes at Willowbrook Golf Course

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 15.18 drills58% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

3 to 45

Average HCP

15.1

Duration (single session)

3 hr 28 min

or

1 drill/day: 8 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Distance Control30%
Precision26%
Aim17%
Dispersion16%
Trajectory7%
Alignment5%

Overview

Program Structure

Pinpoint your sand shots: leave yourself a tap-in every time. Pinpoint sand shots and precision from tough lie. Focus on Distance Control, Precision, Aim. For a 15-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.

Skill

Precision

Shot

Sand

What you will improve

  • Distance Control
  • Precision
  • Aim
  • Dispersion

Program details

Sessions
8 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 28 min
or
1 drill per day
8 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 | 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
02

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
03

Sand | Perpendicular Piles | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls in the sand (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal perpendicular piles of 4 balls and stop sand shots close to multiple targets. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Perpendicular Piles | Multiple Targets
1

Set up 40 balls in 10 piles of 4 balls each. Arrange 5 piles in one line, spaced 5 yards apart. Arrange another 5 piles in a line crossing the first line, spaced 2 yards apart.

2

Place 3 flags on the green, 10 yards apart, as targets named Target 1, Target 2, and Target

3

Hit 36 sand shots in total, with 12 shots at each target.

4

Take 4 shots from each pile, moving to the next pile after 4 shots. Change which target you aim at for each pile in order (Target 1, then Target 2, then Target 3, then repeat).

5

Count shots that stop within 10 feet of the intended target as successful.

6

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302826221713963
04

Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | Quadrants

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a sand shot inside the quadrant(s). The player with the most points at the end wins the challenge. 25 balls per player are needed.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Sand | Parallel Ball Lines | Quadrants
1

Lay out 4 lines of 9 balls each, spaced 1 foot apart.

2

Put these lines on grass, 20 to 40 yards from the hole for sand shots.

3

On the green mark 4 equal quadrants, each a 6-foot circle around the hole.

4

Hit 36 sand shots, in 4 groups of

5

For each group of 9 shots, try to stop balls inside one specific quadrant.

6

Start with quadrant 1 and hit 9 shots, then do the same for quadrants 2, 3, and

7

Count how many balls stop inside the planned quadrant.

8

Add the number of successful stops.

9

Enter your total successes out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129272318141174
05

Sand | Parallel Piles | 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. One bucket of balls per player is needed.

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

Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines in a sand bunker. Lines are 3 yards/meters apart, piles in each line are 4 yards/meters apart.

2

Place the piles 20 to 40 yards/meters from the hole.

3

On the green, make 9 stop zones in a 3x3 grid using tees, buckets, or string. Space them evenly.

4

Hit 36 sand shots, with 4 shots aimed at each of the 9 zones.

5

From a pile, hit 4 balls aiming for the first zone. Repeat for each zone until all 9 are done.

6

Score 1 point for each ball that stops in the target zone.

7

Keep the ball setup and distance the same. Only change the target zone.

8

After 36 shots, count total successful balls in the zones and enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201512963
06

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
07

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
08

Sand | Parallel Piles | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a sand 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 Sand | Parallel Piles | Multiple Targets
1

Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines, 5 piles in each line. Lines are 3 yards/meters apart and piles in each line are 4 yards/meters apart.

2

Place these piles on sand between 5 and 60 yards/meters from the hole. All piles must be on sand, not the green.

3

Mark 3 targets on the green, spaced at least 4 feet (about 1.2 meters) apart.

4

There are 36 shots total, split into 3 groups of 12 shots.

5

Aim first 12 shots at Target 1, next 12 at Target 2, last 12 at Target

6

Hit each shot from a sand pile, change pile each time. Ball position and setup stay the same.

7

A shot is a success if it stops inside the circle or area around the target.

8

Do all 36 shots, 12 at each target, then count successful shots. Enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

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