Have you been struggling with your distance wedges? Your touch and feel are hard skills to keep if you do not put in the work to maintain them. We have different targets on the range for you to hone your skills. Here are a few drills to help you stick it close during your next round of golf.
Ladder Drill:
Hit 3 shots to each target. 25, 50, 75 and 100-yard targets.
Over-and-Back:
In this drill, you will be varying your distances for each shot. You will be jumping farther by 25 yards, and then falling back 12.5 yards on your next shot. Your 10 shots will be:
25-Yards
50-Yards
37.5-Yards (between the 25 and 50 targets)
62.5-Yards (between the 25 and 50 targets)
50-Yards
75-Yards
62.5-Yards
87.5-Yards (between the 75 target and the 100-yard sign)
75-Yards
100-Yards
LeapFrog Challenge:
Pitch between the 25-yard target, and the 75-yard target. Your first pitch needs to pass the 25-yard target to start. Each shot after needs to go past the previously struck shot. Once you have hit a shot that is either shorter than the previous one, or a shot goes past the 75-yard target, the game is finished. However many shots you can complete between the two targets will be your score.
Example One:
Shot One - 26 yards ✅
Shot Two - 32 yards ✅
Shot Three - 45 yards ✅
Shot Four - 65 yards ✅
Shot Five - 62 yards ❌
Final Score: 4
Example Two:
Shot One - 30 yards ✅
Shot Two - 40 yards ✅
Shot Four - 65 yards ✅
Shot Five - 78 yards ❌
Final Score: 3
This drill is great for measuring your improvement over time. The ladder and the Over-and-Back drills should help you refine your skills so you can keep increasing your scores in the LeapFrog Challenge. A key thing to remember is that your first goal for these shots on the golf course is to get the golf ball on the green. By hitting between the targets, you can know if you would have hit the green or not. The average green length from front to back at Burnaby Mountain is around 25 yards. If you aim between the 50 and 75-yard target and the ball stays between them, you just hit a shot that would be on the green.
Come try these games out tonight!