20 Foot Game

The 20 game is a simple drill that has multiple layers of challenge potential depending upon the conditions that are set as an individual or when working with a partner.  The basic version of the drill is that you receive 1 point for a ball that ends up between the front edge of the hole and the tee that is placed behind the hole while a putt made in the hole is worth 2 points.  Play to 15 points to successfully finish the drill.  If you are playing with a partner then you will take turns putting with each turn ending when the person putting fails to score a point.

If you would like to make the drill more difficult then use the following conditions… The point values stay the same but you have to get the exact point total that you set for the drill.  If you happen to over the point total then you have to back down to 3 points less than your goal.  This version of the drill becomes very fun with a partner as the last turn to finish requires a specific score.  Be careful with intentionally shooting for a 1 point putt.  Aiming away from the hole with perfect speed is harder than it seems.

The hardest version of the drill adds the element of validation.  This simply means that you have to score two consecutive putts in order to get the actual points.  An example of this is if you make the first putt into the hole it doesn’t count until you score 1 or 2 points with you next ball, making the total after the second putt 3 or 4 points respectively.  Validation becomes tough because the least number of points you can earn with one turn is 2.  If you lose your turn 1 point short of the goal then your next turn will require you to be successful just to lose your turn and have to go back to 3 points short of the goal due to exceeding the original point goal.   If you are performing the drill individually with validation then you will need to perform a short putting drill each time you fail to earn a point with 20 foot game before returning back to the drill.