Pitching distance ladder

Setup

1. Mark four landing zones with cones at roughly 20, 30, 40 and 50 m, each about 6 m deep and 10 m wide.
2. Set one hitting line facing the zones, with hitting stations at least 4 m apart.
3. Everyone hits from the line in the same direction; nobody walks forward of it.

How it runs

1. Each player starts on the 20 m rung and hits one ball at a time.
2. Land the ball inside the zone (where it pitches, not where it stops) to climb to the next rung.
3. Miss and stay on the same rung for the next ball.
4. Count the balls it takes to land one in every zone. Reach 50 m, then climb back down to 20 m.
5. Balls are collected only when the coach calls the range clear and all clubs are down.

Coaching points

• Change distance with the length of the backswing and the follow-through, matched in size, at the same rhythm.
• Turn the chest through the shot; the arms and body move together.
• Let the club's loft lift the ball; strike down slightly, ball then turf.
• Pick the landing spot inside the zone and look at it before every swing.
• Note the swing length that worked for each rung; that becomes your distance chart.

Common mistakes

• Long, slow backswing that decelerates into the ball.
• Hitting harder for the longer rungs instead of making a longer swing.
• Hanging back and scooping to help the ball up.
• Rushing the next ball without a target after a miss.