Nine balls and a real score: Dave Phillips’ 21 Game

A repeated chip from a perfect lie helps you work on technique, but the course rarely presents nine identical recoveries. One ball sits in rough, another in sand, and another just off the green. You still have to finish the hole. Dave Phillips’ 21 Game turns that variety into a score you can record.

In a three-minute Titleist lesson added October 7, 2026, Phillips suggests scattering nine balls around a green, playing each ball until it is holed and counting every stroke. He demonstrates a bunker shot and a putt from just off the putting surface. The challenge tests short-game decisions as well as first-shot execution.

The rules

Choose the setting. Use a practice area where chipping, pitching and bunker play are permitted. Put nine balls in different, safe positions around the green. If all nine are on the same easy patch of fairway grass, you lose the variety that makes the challenge useful. Respect other players.

Assess each lie. Before playing, consider distance, slope, grass and a realistic landing spot. A putt from the fringe, a running chip, a pitch or a bunker shot may be suitable depending on the situation. Make a clear choice instead of simply reaching for the loftiest wedge.

Finish the hole. Follow your normal pre-shot routine, then count the opening shot, any recovery and all putts until that particular ball is holed. Record the strokes and move to the next starting position. Add all nine mini-scores.

The key is finishing. A good chip followed by two putts costs more than the same chip followed by one putt. The score captures both touch around the green and the ability to convert the next stroke.

Why aim for 21?

Nine situations finished in two strokes apiece add up to 18: one greenside shot and one putt each time. Phillips offers 21 strokes as an attainable practice target.

One way to total 21 is six two-stroke finishes (12 strokes) and three three-stroke finishes (nine strokes). But this is an example, not a requirement. You might hole a chip, make extra putts or take a recovery shot. Track the total and where strokes were lost, rather than treating one particular scoring pattern as compulsory.

Varying lies means varying decisions

A closely mown fringe may offer a simple putt or low-running chip. Longer grass changes the interaction between club and ball. A bunker calls for a different shot, while a downhill landing area makes rollout particularly important. A practical GOLFTWITT decision rule is to select a clear landing area and a sensible margin for error, not automatically the most spectacular shot. This is editorial guidance, not a quotation from Phillips.

Turn a score into a useful record

Write down the date, total, approximate mix of lies, number of two-putts and the most common mistake. Repeat with broadly comparable distances and difficulty. A score of 22 from nine easy fringe positions is not necessarily more impressive than 25 when several balls began in difficult bunkers.

For a cleaner self-test, complete the nine holes without stopping to rebuild your swing after every miss. Then work separately on the weakness that appears most often — first-chip distance control, bunker contact or short putting — and test again later.

Limits of the exercise

The video presents a coach-led practice game, not a controlled experiment proving handicap gains. One good round cannot establish lasting improvement. Beginners can simplify the lies; experienced players can add slopes and sand. Follow local practice rules, repair marks on the green and rake bunkers.

Source: Titleist, “Dave Phillips’ 21 Game for Better Short Game Practice,” October 7, 2026. https://www.titleist.com/videos/instruction/21-game-for-better-short-game-practice

Photo: Moneyfool / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Golf_ball_on_the_green.jpg