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3 Short Game Aids for Beginners: Stop Chunking Chips
You know the feeling. Twenty yards from the green, perfect lie, and you chunk it three feet. Then you skull the next one across the green. Welcome to beginner golf.
I did this for two years. Every chip was a coin flip. My playing partners stopped saying “nice try” and just went silent. I bought a chipping net. I watched YouTube videos. I hit hundreds of balls into a net in my backyard thinking I was “practicing.” None of it fixed anything, because nets do not tell you why you chunked it. They just catch the ball.
Tools that give you physical feedback. Not more swing thoughts. Three specific aids that force your body into the right position so you feel what solid contact is supposed to feel like.
The top pick: the Tour Striker Smart Ball. At $47, it fixes the #1 cause of chunked chips (the wrist flip) and works for full swings too.
How I Evaluated These
I looked for three things: immediate feedback (you know instantly if you did it wrong), no setup complexity (you do not need a range or an instructor present), and fixes the root cause (not a band-aid).
What I ignored: brand names, marketing claims, and anything over $100. Beginners do not need a launch monitor. They need to learn what solid contact feels like.
1. Tour Striker Smart Ball: Best Overall ($47)
The Smart Ball looks like a kids’ pool toy. It is a small inflatable ball on a lanyard that you wedge between your forearms when you swing. If your arms disconnect from your body, the ball drops. Stay connected, it stays put.
For chipping, this fixes the wrist flip instantly. Most beginners flip their wrists through impact because they have no connection between arms and torso. The left arm separates, the right wrist breaks down, and the club bottoms out two inches behind the ball. Chunk. Every time.
Put the Smart Ball between your forearms and chip. If you flip, the ball drops before you reach the ball. If you stay connected and rotate through, it stays. The simplest feedback in golf.
I was skeptical until I used it. The first chip I hit with the Smart Ball in place was the cleanest contact I had made in two years. Not because my technique changed. Because the ball forced my body to do what it was supposed to.
What works: Instant feedback on wrist flip and arm-body connection. Works for chipping, pitching, and full swings. Fits in your bag. Takes 30 seconds to set up. Tour-proven. Martin Chuck designed this and pros use it.
What doesn’t: The lanyard is annoying if you let it hang loose. Tuck it into your shirt. Inflating to the right firmness takes trial and error. Too firm and it pops out, too soft and no feedback. About 80% firmness is the sweet spot. Does not work with a real ball for chipping. You make practice swings only.
Best for: Any beginner who chunks or skulls chips. The wrist flip is almost certainly your problem, and this is the cheapest, fastest fix.
Buy this: Tour Striker Smart Ball, $47 at Amazon.
2. WhyGolf Chipping Plate: Best for Setup ($64)
If the Smart Ball fixes the wrist flip, the Chipping Plate fixes everything that happens before the swing: ball position, stance width, and weight distribution.
The Chipping Plate is a plastic board with markings that show you exactly where to stand and where to place the ball. It also has a pressure-sensitive surface that tells you if your weight is shifting correctly. Stand on it, set up to the markings, and chip from the surface.
Most beginners set up to a chip wrong. Ball too far back. Weight on the back foot. Stance too narrow. You watch setup videos, but when you stand over the ball, you have no reference for whether your setup matches what you saw. The plate gives you that reference.
I watched a 25-handicap friend use this for one afternoon. He went from chunking every third chip to making clean contact on 8 out of 10. Not because his swing changed. Because he finally knew where to stand.
What works: Eliminates setup guesswork. The pressure feedback for weight transfer is genuinely useful. You can feel when your weight stays back, which is a common beginner fault. Works indoors on carpet or outdoors on grass. Teaches low-point control because the strike surface gives audio feedback on fat vs. clean contact.
What doesn’t: At $64 it is a lot for a plastic board with stickers. You outgrow it once you internalize the setup positions. After a month or two you will not need the markings anymore. The pressure plate feature is subtle and takes practice to read.
Best for: Beginners who have never been shown proper chipping setup. If you do not know whether your ball position is correct, start here.
Buy this: WhyGolf Chipping Plate, $64 at Amazon.
3. Divot Board: Best Feedback Tool ($100)
The Divot Board is a mat with a special surface that shows a visible mark wherever your club makes contact. Swing on it and it reveals your swing path, strike location, and low point. One swing tells you more than 20 balls into a net.
For chipping, this is the most detailed feedback you can get without a launch monitor. It shows if your low point is behind the ball (the cause of every fat chip), if your path is cutting across the ball, and if your strike is consistent.
I used the Divot Board to diagnose a problem I did not know I had: my low point was moving around from swing to swing. Some chips I hit behind the ball, some I picked clean. The board showed the pattern in two minutes.
What works: Instant, visual feedback. Shows path, low point, and strike consistency. No app, no batteries, no setup. Works with real balls or foam balls. Replacement sheets last 500+ swings.
What doesn’t: At $100, it is the most expensive item on this list. For a beginner on a tight budget, the Smart Ball plus Chipping Plate ($111 total) fixes more problems than the Divot Board alone. Replacement sheets are $20. The marks can be hard to read in low light.
Best for: Beginners who have tried drills and still cannot figure out why they chunk it. If you need to see what is happening, this is the tool.
Buy this: Divot Board, $100 at Amazon. Pair it with the Smart Ball for a complete chipping feedback system.
Also Worth a Look: PuttOut Pressure Putt Trainer ($40)
Not a chipping aid, but most beginners who struggle with chips also struggle with putting. The PuttOut Pressure Putt Trainer is a small ramp that catches the ball only if you hit it with perfect pace. Hit it too hard and it rolls back at you.
I used the PuttOut for three weeks, five minutes a morning on my office carpet. My putts per round went from 36 to 31. For a beginner losing 5-8 strokes around the greens, fixing the putter is just as important as fixing the wedge.
Buy this: PuttOut Pressure Putt Trainer, $40 at Amazon. Use it on any flat surface. Skip the PuttOut mat. Your carpet works fine.
Quick Comparison
| Aid | Price | What It Fixes | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tour Striker Smart Ball | $47 | Wrist flip, arm-body connection | Any beginner who chunks chips |
| WhyGolf Chipping Plate | $64 | Ball position, setup, weight shift | Beginners who do not know proper setup |
| Divot Board | $100 | Low point, swing path, strike location | Visual learners who need to see the problem |
| PuttOut Trainer | $40 | Putting pace, start line | Any beginner who three-putts often |
What I Would Actually Buy
If I were starting over with a 25+ handicap and losing 5 strokes a round around the greens: Smart Ball ($47) plus PuttOut ($40). Total: $87. Less than one round at a decent course.
Use the Smart Ball for five minutes of chipping practice before your round. Use the PuttOut for five minutes of putting in the evening. Two tools. Ten minutes a day. You will drop more strokes in a month than you did all last season.
If you have the budget, add the Chipping Plate ($64) for setup. But the Smart Ball alone fixes the problem most beginners do not even know they have.
Do not buy a chipping net. It catches balls. It does not teach you anything.
Where to Buy
- Tour Striker Smart Ball $47 at Amazon
- WhyGolf Chipping Plate $64 at Amazon
- Divot Board $100 at Amazon
- PuttOut Pressure Putt Trainer $40 at Amazon
Prices updated July 2026. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Gatekeeper Review — 2026-07-20
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