The Drill Quick-Reference

The Adaptive Golfer · theadaptivegolfer.com

All 15 drills with setup, scoring, and handicap benchmarks — Chapter 25. Bring this to the range.

Pillar 1 — Ball Control

Drill	Setup & execution	Scoring	20–24	14–19	8–13	3–7
The Gate Drill	Two sticks 12–14 in apart, 2–3 ft ahead of ball, on the target line. 10 shots at a 150-yd target; count clean passes.	x of 10	3–4	4–6	6–7	7–8
Alignment Stick Impact	Two sticks parallel on the target line, ~1 in of room each side of the club head (≈5–6 in channel), ball between them. 10 shots; count clean passes (over the top clips the outside stick, in-to-out the inside).	x of 10	3–4	4–6	6–7	7–8
Chalk Line Low Point	Chalk line under the ball. 10 shots; count strikes where the mark starts at or past the ball.	x of 10	4–5	5–7	7–8	—
One-Handed Swing	Trail hand only, half speed, attend to forearm rotation. 10 rehearsals, 5 conscious swings, 5 free swings.	Unscored — warm-up; success = same-day Gate Drill improves

Pillar 2 — Scoring Skills

Drill	Setup & execution	Scoring	20–24	14–19	8–13	3–7
Wedge Matrix Calibration	Session 1: 10 full swings per wedge, average the 5 most representative carries. Session 2: repeat at 3/4 and 1/2.	Each combination clusters within 10 yds
9-Shot Landing Zone	Three targets (e.g. 50/70/90 yds), random order, never 3 in a row at one target. 3 pts inside 10 ft, 2 inside 20, 1 inside 30.	x of 27	10–14	14–18	18–22	22–25
Gate Putting	Tee gate just wider than the putter head, 2 ft ahead of the ball, straight 10-footer. Full routine every putt.	x of 10	3–4	4–5	5–7	7–8
Lag Putting Ladder	Balls at 10/20/30/40/50 ft, putt to a 3-ft circle. Three sequences, 15 balls total.	x of 15	3–5	5–7	8–10	10–12
Up-and-Down Competition	Six varied positions around the green. 2 pts for up-and-down, 1 pt for three strokes. Two rounds.	x of 12	3–5	6–8	8–10	10–11

Pillar 3 — Course Strategy

Drill	Setup & execution	Scoring	20–24	14–19	8–13	3–7
Decision Journal Round	Before each tee shot and approach write: "Aimed at X because Y." Grade each decision after the round.	Fewer than 3 strategy errors in 18 holes
Target Selection Practice	Flag at 150, aim corridor 15 ft left of it (simulating right-miss danger). 10 shots; corridor hits score.	6 of 10 inside the corridor

Pillar 4 — Performance

Drill	Setup & execution	Scoring	20–24	14–19	8–13	3–7
Pressure Putting	5-footer: make = 3 pts, lip-out = 1, miss = 0. Full routine and full reset every putt. Game ends at 3 misses; goal is 21.	points before 3rd miss	10–14	14–18	18–21	21
Eyes-Closed Chipping	Routine as normal, close eyes before the trigger, call the strike (solid/thin/fat) before looking.	Verdict matches outcome 7 of 10 after 4 weeks

Pillar 5 — Practice System

Drill	Setup & execution	Scoring	20–24	14–19	8–13	3–7
Block-to-Random Transition	Block 1: 10 identical shots. Block 2: 10 with one variable changed. Random set: 10 alternating. Record all three.	Random within 2–3 points of blocked after 4 weeks
Worst-Ball Scoring	Two balls per shot, always play the worse one, hole everything out. Six positions, total strokes.	total strokes (lower is better)	19–22	15–19	13–16	12–14

Benchmark columns are handicap bands. Pattern beats points: judge a skill on 4–5 tracked sessions, never on one day. Full setup details, common mistakes, and progressions are in Chapter 25 of the book.