Free drill library · Golf

At-home golf drills for 11 to 13 year olds

This is a free sample week of at-home golf training for 11 to 13 year olds: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 13 to 14 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

A free sample week of golf for 11 to 13 year olds

Session 1

Short Game at home 13 minutes

  1. Clock Face Pitches · 4 min
    Same rhythm, different length.
  2. Up and Down Challenge · 5 min
    Pick a landing spot first.
  3. Three Club Chip Ladder · 4 min
    More roll, less loft.

Session 2

Putting at home 13 minutes

  1. Speed Ladder Putts · 4 min
    Feel the length of the stroke.
  2. Lag to the Zone · 5 min
    Pace first, line second.
  3. Eyes Closed Distance Guess · 4 min
    Feel it before you see it.

Session 3

Short game: Cross-Crawl Rhythm 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Cross-Crawl Rhythm · 5 min
    Smooth rhythm, opposite sides.
  3. Routine With Distractions · 5 min
    Back to the routine. Safety: Stand back from anyone who is chipping or putting, keep everyone clear of your club, and wait your turn before you walk onto the green.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 golf plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

The drills in this week

Clock Face Pitches

Ages 11 and up · 12 min

Control pitch distance by changing how far your arms swing back.

  1. Picture your arms as clock hands.
  2. Swing back to 8 o'clock, then 9, then 10.
  3. Hit 5 balls at each length.
  4. Note how far each length carries.

Coach's cue: Same rhythm, different length.

Bring: wedge, balls, 3 targets

Safety: Keep everyone clear before every swing: look in front and behind, and make sure no one is within two club lengths. Swing only where a coach or parent says it is safe.

Up and Down Challenge

Ages 11 and up · 15 min

Chip from around the green and finish with a putt, counting two-shot holes.

  1. Drop a ball in 9 spots around the green.
  2. Chip, then putt out each one.
  3. Count the spots where you holed out in two.
  4. Try to beat your number next session.

Coach's cue: Pick a landing spot first.

Bring: wedge, putter, balls, practice green

Safety: Stand back from anyone who is chipping or putting, keep everyone clear of your club, and wait your turn before you walk onto the green.

Three Club Chip Ladder

Ages 11 and up · 12 min

Chip the same distance with three clubs and see how each one rolls.

  1. Pick one landing spot on the green.
  2. Chip 4 balls with a wedge, 4 with a 9 iron, 4 with a 7 iron.
  3. Watch how far each rolls after landing.
  4. Choose your best club for that chip.

Coach's cue: More roll, less loft.

Bring: 3 clubs, balls, practice green

Safety: Stand back from anyone who is chipping or putting, keep everyone clear of your club, and wait your turn before you walk onto the green.

Speed Ladder Putts

Ages 11 and up · 12 min

Control distance by rolling each putt a little past the last.

  1. Lay a tee at your feet as the start line.
  2. Putt the first ball about 10 feet.
  3. Roll each next ball past the last without going more than 3 feet further.
  4. Count how many steps of the ladder you make.

Coach's cue: Feel the length of the stroke.

Bring: putter, balls, tees

Safety: Stand back from anyone who is chipping or putting, keep everyone clear of your club, and wait your turn before you walk onto the green.

Lag to the Zone

Ages 11 and up · 12 min

Leave long putts close enough for an easy next one.

  1. Mark a circle about 3 feet wide around a hole.
  2. Putt 10 balls from 25 feet.
  3. Count the ones that stop inside the circle.
  4. Change to a new distance and repeat.

Coach's cue: Pace first, line second.

Bring: putter, balls, string or tees

Safety: Stand back from anyone who is chipping or putting, keep everyone clear of your club, and wait your turn before you walk onto the green.

Eyes Closed Distance Guess

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Putt with your eyes closed and guess if it was short or long, to build feel.

  1. Set up to a putt of about 15 feet.
  2. Close your eyes and make the stroke.
  3. Before looking, say "short", "long" or "good".
  4. Do 12 and count correct guesses.

Coach's cue: Feel it before you see it.

Bring: putter, balls

Safety: Stand back from anyone who is chipping or putting, keep everyone clear of your club, and wait your turn before you walk onto the green.

Cross-Crawl Rhythm

Ages 9 to 14 · 6 min

Touch opposite hand to opposite knee and foot in a rhythm. Builds left-right coordination.

  1. March and touch your right hand to your left knee, then left hand to right knee.
  2. Next touch behind you: hand to opposite heel.
  3. Mix front and back in a 4-count rhythm.
  4. Do 4 sets of 20 touches.

Coach's cue: Smooth rhythm, opposite sides.

Bring: none

Routine With Distractions

Ages 11 and up · 12 min

Keep your routine while a partner makes small noises from a distance.

  1. Your partner stands well back.
  2. They make small, friendly noises during some putts.
  3. Do your full routine every time.
  4. Putt 15 and note how calm you stayed.

Coach's cue: Back to the routine.

Bring: putter, balls, partner

Safety: Stand back from anyone who is chipping or putting, keep everyone clear of your club, and wait your turn before you walk onto the green.

Safety for ages 11 to 13

  • Plans for this age group use beginner and developing drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
  • Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: golf

  • Clubs sized for the child; water, a hat and sunscreen on the course.
  • Before every swing, check the area is clear: everyone behind you and well back.
  • No real club swings indoors; foam or plastic balls at home.
  • At the first thunder or lightning, stop and go inside; a storm on a course is dangerous.
  • Play from short tees that fit how far the child hits.
For every sport and age (7)
  • Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
  • Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
  • Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
  • Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
  • Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
  • Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
  • Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 29 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Golf: governing bodies, safety and development (9)
Youth athletic development and safety (20)

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