Drill library · On course

Best Ball, Solo

On courseHandicap 10+150 minrandom / pressurecourse strategy

Why this drill

Worst ball's kind twin: two balls from every position, play the better. Best ball shows you the golfer you're becoming — the score your good swings already add up to — and builds the pattern-memory of hitting from good positions that bogey golf rarely provides.

Setup

An empty course at a quiet hour, two balls, normal bag. Nine holes.

The drill

Two balls from every spot, play on from the better — better drive, better approach, better chip, and putts too: two tries, take the make. Score the nine. Expect five to eight strokes under your usual; that number is not a fantasy, it's a preview, and chasing it is the drill's engine. Note where the two balls were both poor — those spots are immune to second chances and first in line for block practice. Alternate best-ball and worst-ball weeks: one builds belief, the other builds honesty, and a golfer needs both.

One thought to take with you

Watch what the good version scores — then practice toward the preview.