Dave Phillips' 21 Game for Better Short Game Practice

3 min
Added on October 07, 2026
Dave Phillips' 21 Game turns short game practice into a nine-ball scoring challenge built around getting up and down. Scatter nine golf balls around the green, play each one from wherever it lands and finish every hole by chipping, hitting a bunker shot or putting before holing out.

A perfect score is 18. The target is 21, which means getting six of the nine balls up and down while dealing with the different lies and shot choices that come with missing greens.

Phillips demonstrates the challenge with a bunker shot and a putt from just off the green, using his normal routine on every attempt. Players can adjust the difficulty with downhill or sidehill lies, rough, longer putts or by having someone else scatter the balls.

Keeping score adds accountability to short game practice and gives golfers a repeatable test they can use to track improvement around the green.

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