Golf approach drills: 7 simple drills to improve around the green

Why working on approaches improves your score

A large proportion of golf shots are played within 100 meters of the green. Yet, many players spend more time hitting drives than working on their short game, even though this is often the most effective area for quickly lowering a handicap. Unlike the long game, which requires years of practice to gain just a few yards, a better-mastered approach shot can shave several strokes off a single scorecard, even within the first few weeks of structured training.

By improving your approaches, you will:

• allowing more short putts, therefore less stress when putting
• save more pars, even after an imperfect tee shot
• avoid double bogeys that result from a sequence of a failed approach shot followed by a failed chip shot
• reduce the number of three-putts, which ruin a scorecard

From the Belvédère practice range, we observe the same pattern among the majority of improving players: those who structure their short game sessions with a specific target score gain strokes much faster than those who simply hit balls without a clear plan. The difference lies not in the quantity of balls hit, but in the quality of the strategies developed session after session.

To understand the technical basics: Approaches to golf: a complete guide around the green.

The 7 best approach drills in golf

The most effective drills work on three specific skills: landing point, distance control, and consistent contact. Each of the 7 drills below targets one of these skills, with a measurable objective to track your progress from one session to the next.

1. The landing circle

This exercise develops your accuracy and your ability to aim for a landing zone rather than the hole directly.

• Place a towel or a circle on the green
• Ideal distance: 10 to 20 meters
• Objective: to land the ball in the zone, 7 times out of 10

This drill teaches you to aim for the landing zone rather than the flag—the foundation of any successful approach shot. Most amateurs look at the hole when playing their approach, but it's the landing zone that determines where the ball will actually end up after the roll.

2. The distance scale

This exercise improves your distance control with a single club.

• Place three targets: 10m, 20m and 30m
• Play three balls for each distance
• Try to land close to each target without changing clubs.

The goal is to maintain a consistent tempo and vary only the swing length to create reliable reference points. With a little practice, you'll instinctively know which swing length corresponds to each distance, without having to think about it on the course.

Further reading on this topic:

• Golf approach distance: how to better judge your approach distances.

3. One club, multiple distances

This exercise allows you to create very effective distance markers with minimal equipment.

• take a single club (for example, a pitching wedge)
• play a little swing
• then an average swing
• then a big swing

Note down the distances obtained to create your personal reference points: this is the simplest method to know, on the course, which swing to play for which distance.

Many players own 3 or 4 different wedges but don't know the precise distance of any of them:

• This exercise solves this problem in a single session.

4. The security zone

This exercise develops your strategy around the green rather than just your technique.

• choose a large area of the green
• The goal is simply to get the ball onto the green, without aiming for a specific target.

This exercise teaches you to prioritize safety over perfection — a strategic reflex that avoids major map errors.

On the course, aiming wide when the situation is risky (flag close to a bunker, dangerous slope) is often better than a heroic attempt that fails half the time.

5. Approach and Putting Challenge

This exercise simulates the real pressure of the course by linking two shots.

• play an approach
• then putt the ball into the hole

Scoring system: 2 points for an approach shot followed by a single putt (up and down successful), 1 point for two putts, 0 points for anything beyond that. Aim for 10 points out of 10 attempts to complete your session. This exercise most closely mirrors your actual experience on the course, as it rewards not the beauty of the shot but only the final result.

6. Explore different trajectories

This exercise helps you master several types of approach shots with the same club: a bump and roll, a lift and a higher shot. By varying the trajectory rather than the club itself, you learn to modulate the height and roll with your hands and your swing, an essential skill whenever the lie or obstacle changes.

Take the time to explore our articles to delve deeper into each trajectory:

• Roll approach in golf,
• Approach shot in golf
• Lob approach in golf.

7. Course simulation

This is the exercise that most closely simulates the reality of the course, and should be done at the end of your practice session. Place several balls around the green in various situations: fairway, rough, near the green, and on different slopes. Choose your club and trajectory as if you were actually playing the hole, following the same preparation routine as in a competition.

This exercise directly transfers the skills practiced on the course, unlike repetitive training from the same position. It's also the best way to identify weaknesses that don't appear when you always hit the same ball, from the same lie, towards the same target.

Summary table of the 7 golf approach exercises

What equipment should I use to practice approaches?

You don't need a full kit to progress with these exercises. The minimum recommended equipment is:

• 1 to 2 wedges (pitching wedge and sand wedge are enough to start): there's no need to multiply the clubs before you've really felt the contact with just one.
• A few towels, hoops or cones to mark the landing zones: the visual reference is essential to avoid reflexively aiming for the hole.
• A putter for drills combining approach and putting, essential for working on the transition between the two strokes
• a notebook or the app of your choice to record your reference distances per swing, in order to track your progress week after week

How to organize an effective workout session

A training session for the small game can last approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Here is a simple outline, adaptable to your level:

• 5 minutes: warm-up and contact (small chips without a specific target)
• 10 minutes: distance work (distance ladder or one club/multiple distances)
• 10 minutes: exercise under pressure (approach + putting challenge)

For a beginner player, prioritize exercises 1, 3 and 4: they build simple reference points without multiplying the variables, and allow for rapid progress on contact and basic strategy.

For an experienced player looking to lower their handicap, incorporate exercises 5 and 7 instead, which most closely resemble real playing conditions and highlight weaknesses that do not appear in repetitive training.

Each exercise must have a clear objective:

• Without numerical benchmarks (number of successful shots, points scored), it is difficult to measure real progress from one session to the next.

Record your results in a notebook or an application, even briefly, to visualize your progress over several weeks.

4-week progress plan

To make lasting progress, stick to the same exercise routine for several weeks in a row rather than changing it at each session. Here's a simple one-month progression, with 2 to 3 sessions of 20-30 minutes per week:

• Week 1: Focus on contact and distance control with the "one club, multiple distances" exercise. Objective: to feel the difference between short, medium, and long swings.
• Week 2: Add the landing circle and distance scale to refine your accuracy on stationary targets.
• Week 3: Introduce the approach + putt challenge to get your body used to playing under slight pressure, even in practice.
• Week 4: finish with the course simulation, varying the lies and distances, to transfer all the reference points built up over the previous three weeks.

By keeping the same exercises for several weeks in a row, you measure real progress rather than just an impression from session to session.

Expert tips to progress faster

• Practice with a small number of clubs to develop true reference points, rather than spreading your attention across the entire bag.
• Focus your efforts on the landing zone rather than the flag, as this is what determines where the ball will actually stop.
• Recreate course situations (varied lies, slopes, irregular distances) as soon as you have mastered the basics on flat terrain.
• Count your results at each session to objectively track your progress and identify the exercises that should remain in the program.
• Prioritize precision over power: the short game doesn't reward swing speed, but consistency of contact.

The game develops primarily through repetition and structure. Two to three short, well-structured sessions per week are far better than one long, occasional session without a plan.

Common mistakes in training

Even with good practice, certain habits limit progress. Here are the most common mistakes observed on the practice range, which should be corrected as a priority:

By correcting even just one or two of these habits, most players notice visible progress within the first few weeks, even before they have changed anything about their swing technique.