5 Ball

5 Ball was originally created by Dr. Mark Guadagnoli of University of Nevada, Las Vegas and was introduced in his book titled, “Practice to Learn, Play to Win.”  The basis for the book comes from his study titled, “Challenge Point Framework” that outlines how to appropriately challenge yourself during practice in order to create performance stress that everyone feels on the course before you ever tee off.  The rules of the game are subjective and should be based upon reasonable goals relative to your current skill set.

In order to complete the game you will need to get 3 points in a set of no more than 5 balls.  If you’re thinking that 3 out of 5 isn’t very challenging then you are absolutely correct, but the kicker of the drill is going to immediately alter your perspective.  In the case of 5 Ball you will get a point if you accomplish your goal or lose a point if you do not.  There is no staying put if you do not accomplish your goal.   The example below will help clarify the structure of the drill…

Given the nature of the drill it will be up to you to decide how challenging you would like the criteria for earning a point to be.  Here are some suggestions to help you get started: