APPROACH · DRILL GUIDE
Approach Windows
Three shots at a random window out in front, high or low and left or right, with an iron, hybrid or wood: get one through, tap which ball did it, and the next window comes up.
Free in your browser. Also on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
WHY IT WORKS
The problem, and the fix
Most players have one approach: the stock flight. Then the shot needs to come in low under the wind, high over a bunker, or start left of a tucked pin, and there’s nothing to call on. Every approach that doesn’t suit your one shape is a green missed or a long putt left.
The goal: Control your trajectory and start line with any club: send the ball through whichever of the eight windows comes up within three balls.
A new window every challenge, and only three balls at it, makes each swing a decision about flight rather than another stock shot.
How it works
From picking a club to your first logged window.
- 1Take an iron, a hybrid or a fairway wood outside. Pick a target and picture a window out in front, split 3×3. The center is your stock shot.
- 2The app picks one of the eight outer windows at random and shows it on the band and in the picture, with the flight to hit in the key. Left and right are as you see the window from the ball.
- 3Hit up to three balls at it, stopping as soon as one goes through.
- 4Tap which ball got it: 1st, 2nd or 3rd, or Didn’t get it. The next window comes up straight away.
- 5The first two windows are warm-ups from the middle row and column, the same window never comes up twice running, and the windows you get least come up a little more often.
SEE IT IN ACTION
On iPad, iPhone and the web
Approach Windows looks the same everywhere: in your browser on a phone, a tablet or a computer, and in the iPhone and iPad app. On a wide screen it uses two columns, so the buttons stay in reach.
THE WINDOW
Eight windows round your stock shot
The center is your stock shot and is never a target. Each challenge is one answer: the ball that went through, or Didn’t get it. A “got it” always says which ball.
On a keyboard, press 1, 2 or 3 for the ball that got it, or N for Didn’t get it. Undo takes back the last answer, Skip passes a window without logging it, and Finish ends the session.
Progress, settings and badges
How often you got the window over your recent windows, how often the first ball did it, your days practiced, and “By window”: how often you get each one, with the toughest lately. The graph has a row per window, each challenge marked with the ball that got it or a ✕. Every session has its own page too.
There are no distances to set. Settings holds Keep the screen awake (website) and, while a session is going, Discard session.
Six of its own: First session, 100 windows, 5 in a row, Every window (all eight in one session), First-ball five, and Flight control (60% or more in a session of at least 10 windows).
Coaching tips
Use one iron for a whole session first, then try the same windows with a hybrid or wood.
Use a flag, a pole or a gap in the trees to frame the window so high, low, left and right are clear.
On the course you get one shot. Your first-ball rate shows how often you can call the flight straight away.
SOUND AND HANDS-FREE
Keep your hands on the club
With Sound on, the app says each window as it comes up. Spoken cues are off to start: turn them on in Profile, or with the drill’s Sound button for one session. Turn on Hands-free in the drill and answer out loud after your balls. Things you can say:
Hands-free works in browsers with speech recognition, such as Chrome and Safari, and in the iPhone app. You can always tap instead.
Questions
Which clubs can I use?
Any iron, hybrid or fairway wood. The ball sits on the turf rather than a tee.
How is it different from Driver Windows?
It’s the same eight windows round your stock flight, with an approach club off the turf instead of a driver off a tee, and its own history and badges.
What if I just say “yes”?
A bare yes is never logged. The app asks which ball got it, so say “first”, “second” or “third”.
Does it work on iPhone and Apple Watch?
Yes. It trains on the website, iPhone and iPad, and the Apple Watch has 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Didn’t get it buttons.
Can I turn the animation off?
Yes: Profile ▸ Animations. With it off (or with Reduce Motion on your device) nothing moves, and the next target shows straight away.
Ready for Approach Windows?
Open it in your browser and play your first window. Practice as a guest, or sign in to sync with the iPhone app.
By David Golfs · Questions? david@davidgolfs.com