Improve your putting.

Below is a great drill to help improve your short range putting. By carrying out this drill at least once a week, you are guaranteed to shave strokes off your handicap.

The game requires putts from distances out from the hole of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 feet. On the practice green, find a quiet hole and set a line of seven tee pegs out from the hole at 1-foot intervals from 2 feet to 8 feet. At 2 feet, the player putts for a maximum of 10 points. The maximum points are gained by sinking two 5-point putts in a row and gaining 5 points for each sink, or if there is a miss, switching to trying to sink two putts in-a-row on an all-or-nothing basis for 5 recovery points. At all stations past 2 feet, the player has the opportunity to make a maximum of 15 points. (This way, all station maximums add to 100 points for the game.) This time the first series has three 5-point putts in-a-row, and the recovery of 5 points requires sinking three in-a-row on an all-or-nothing basis.

In the first series of 5-point putts, the player accumulates points as long as he or she continues to sink putts in a row. (This series is NOT all-or-nothing.) A miss of any 5-point putt automatically switches the player to the recovery series for 5 points. The player completes all available putts and then advances to the next station. Here's the scheme:

Q-SCHOOL

Distance
(feet)
First series
(putts continue until one is missed)
(each sink gets points)

Recovery
(3 more putts if any of 1st series is missed)
(in-a-row+all-or-nothing) (only 3 sinks gets any points) Points
2 0-2 (5 pts each sink) 2 in-a-row+all-or-nothing (5 pts) 0-10 pts
3 0-3 (5 pts each sink) 3 in-a-row+all-or-nothing (5 pts) 0-15
4 0-3 (5 pts each sink) 3 in-a-row+all-or-nothing (5 pts) 0-15
5 0-3 (5 pts each sink) 3 in-a-row+all-or-nothing (5 pts) 0-15
6 0-3 (5 pts each sink) 3 in-a-row+all-or-nothing (5 pts) 0-15
7 0-3 (5 pts each sink) 3 in-a-row+all-or-nothing (5 pts) 0-15
8 0-3 (5 pts each sink) 3 in-a-row+all-or-nothing (5 pts) 0-15
Totals 20 putts OR 14-40 putts
0-100 pts

The easiest way to score 100 points is to sink two at 2 feet, and then three in-a-row at each station thereafter out to 8 feet. That's 20 putts for 5 points each. The hard way to score 100 points is to make all but the last of the 5-pointers and then make each recovery series of in-a-row putts / all-or-nothing putts at each station. That's 40 putts, with 65 points coming from 20 five-pointers (7 misses) and 35 points coming from 20 recovery putts. Of course, it's possible to score zero or any other score up to 100, with between 14 and 40 total putts. It helps to think of letter grades on the "report card" like A:90-100, B:80-89, C:70-79; D:60-69; F:under 60. You don't get your Tour card without an A.

Variant Levels -- Prep Team, College Team, Q School, Tour Pro, Ryder Cup.

The level of difficulty for the game is easily modified. Here are two levels below and two levels beyond the basic "Q School" format. The variants modify the range and the first and recovery series.

Prep School Golf Team. For the "prep school golf team" level, reduce the stations to five ( at 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 feet) with two 10-pointers in a row (not all-or-nothing) and any miss switching the player to the recovery putts consisting of four separate tries for 5 points each (not in-a-row, and not all-or-nothing). In the first series, any sink gains 10 points, and this 10 points is retained even if the next putt in the series is missed. The recovery putts are continued regardless of a miss or until the maximum of 20 points is attained. It's entirely possible to fully recover, regardless of the first series. Possible station scores are 0, 5, 10, 15, or 20 points. This level requires only between 10 and 30 putts to complete, and it's not too difficult to get close to a passing grade before you reach the toughest putts at the longer ranges -- but you still get quite a challenge to excel.

College Golf Team. The "college team" level uses the same five stations, but requires a first series of two in-a-row putts / all-or-nothing putts for 20 points, and if there is a miss, then up to four in-a-row putts for 5 points each (not all-or-nothing) for possible recovery of up to 20 points. The recovery putts stop if there is a miss. If the maximum of 20 points is attained, no further putts are taken. Again, full recovery is possible. Possible station scores are 0, 5, 10, 15, or 20 points. The level takes between 10 and 30 putts.

Q School. The "Q School" level uses the basic format described above, with seven stations requiring between 14 and 40 putts. Possible station scores are 0, 5, or 10 points at 2 feet, and 0, 5, 10, or 15 points at 3-8 feet.

Tour Pro. The "Tour Pro" level expands the range to ten stations (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 feet) in an "all-or-nothing" system as follows: at each station, three in-a-row putts for 10 points for the station (and no points if any of the three is missed) or recovery putts of two in-a-row for a total recovery of 5 points for the station (and no recovery points if either is missed). Possible station scores are 0, 5, or 10 points. This level takes between 10 and 50 putts.

Ryder Cup. The "Ryder Cup" level uses these ten stations (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 feet) and requires five putts in-a-row at each station on an all-or-nothing basis for 10 points each station. There are NO recovery points available. Possible station scores are 0 or 10 points. The game takes between 10 and 50 GRUELING GRINDING putts!