The Flip-n-Chip - Chipping Practice Without a Net

- If you’ve been to a Golf Mart or Sports Authority and looked at golf training aids, it wouldn’t be unusual to see boxes that have been re-taped – clearly a return. Often that’s the case with chipping nets. They are an impulse buy because the golfer KNOWS that to get to that ideal low score, the chipping part of the game has to be improved. However, after one or two tries with a net back to the store it goes. Face it, there’s nothing realistic about getting a golf ball into a little net. We all know that it comes down to club speed and the ability to loft or bounce the ball. But how the heck can you pull off nifty shots around the green if you don’t practice? Furthermore, how can you practice such shots when most golf facilities have a limited designated chipping area?

Shane Geary, the mastermind behind the Flip-n-Chip has invented a way to practice in your back yard, park or even a chipping green WITHOUT a net.

It looks kind of like a Frisbee, but bigger (14.25-inch diameter) and flatter with a 5-inch hole cut in the middle. It was designed to fly so the resemblance is not a coincidence. The premise is that with a flat target you can actually see how close the ball comes to the hole. That means the emphasis of your practice becomes speed of swing, loft and control (skills you need on the course).

The Flip-n-Chip ($19.95 plus free priority shipping) was designed with convenience in mind. What’s a better use of your time? Working on stroke speed or shagging balls and/or constantly adjusting your target?

The way Flip-n-Chip works is pretty darn brilliant. Just pick it up and throw it. Because it is identical on both sides, it doesn’t matter how it lands. Now you have an Orange neon-colored target to aim at with the objective of landing either in or close to the hole.

Here’s the cool part… after you hit the number of balls you brought to chip, you just move towards the target, pick it up, fling it to another spot and then start chipping away again. At least, that’s how it would work in a park. In your backyard, you might just fling it back to where you started (so you can go back and forth within a set area). For sure, the Flip-n-Chip offers a very efficient way to practice.

An Interview with the CEO

The back-story on how the Flip-n-Chip came about is actually quite interesting. As Mr. Geary explained it, he had borrowed a friend’s chipping net with hopes of improving his short game:

"30 minutes into my practice I felt I had walked a mile relocating my target over and over again. I then noticed the net was trapping the golf ball…I never saw the run out… I never saw the bounce and roll…how the golf ball responds to the ground. As an experiment I had a friend move the net just before the golf ball went in. That golf ball went another 14 feet. Wow, that means I am practicing the wrong speed of stoke, I am actually hitting the ball too hard. I understand when practicing you should pick a spot on the ground to hit on the fly, but what about the run out. Where is that ball going to stop? Ding, Ding, Ding a bell went off in my head, the sky parted, angels were singing, thus Flip-n-Chip was born."

Geary said that at first, the Flip-n-Chip was a bowl-like object that could be thrown. That’s because he had it in his mind from the start that it should cut out the walking part. However, he was not satisfied with the original design because he could not see the ball run out. He knew that to be successful on-course, he would need to master the adjustment of his stroke speed. Taking a clue from his fiance, who told him the Flip-n-Chip should be close to the ground, he had an ah-ha moment which resulted in the flat look which is being used today. Being flat accomplished what he wanted and added another benefit – it could be used for putting by just propping up one end.

From his tests, he realized how much the Flip-n-Chip was helping him with his short game:

"I either hit the Flip-n-Chip on the fly or challenge myself to try and get the golf ball in the middle. I am learning loft, ball contact and target awareness, these key points are also learned on the chipping greens. Again the ding, ding, ding thing, the heaven split and yeah the singing angels. I thought what this product has done for my chipping that the rest of the world has got to have one, a Flip-n-Chip."

It took 13-months and 7 different designs before the Flip-n-Chip was finalized. Part of the evolution was in materials. It went from wood to a high impact, polystyrene.

Then over a two month period, Geary with some help from friends who volunteered to bootstrap the business, handmade 1500 Flip-n-Chips. It debuted at the end of February 2009. The ramp-up has been steady, with the Flip-n-Chip garnering coverage in over 15 on-line publications, including Bunkershot.com.

Conclusion

Using the Flip-n-Chip is a truly pragmatic way to improve your short game. The price point is right ($19.95), and all that you need is an open space. Along with using it in his backyard or park, Geary said that it works well on a practice green where you can get a true feel for those “off the green” shots you may be required to do during a round.

I like it because you create your own target and shouldn’t run into interference from others chipping/putting nearby. Rather, you can stay focused on the task at hand – the swing speed and loft necessary to reach the target.

I am a huge advocate for practicing smarter. The Flip-n-Chip will definitely help your short game in a way that more readily simulates what you will be doing on course. It is definitely money well spent.

Note: If you buy one, save the envelope it comes in. The trade-off for having a 14.2-inch diameter, high-impact, brightly colored, polystyrene product is that stands out wherever you leave it. So when you aren’t practicing, you might want to slide it into its envelope/sleeve and tuck it into your trunk to keep it out of sight.

Resources and More Information

Chipping Masters website: www.chippingmasters.com

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRcitLrusec&NR=1