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My Short Game Fix for Mid-Handicaps: $105 Total
You hit a solid drive. A decent approach leaves you 15 yards off the green. You pull your wedge, take a half swing, and chunk it eight feet. Then you skull the next one across the green. Double bogey.
If that sounds familiar, you are a mid-handicapper. You shoot 85 to 95. You reach greens in regulation-ish. And you lose four to six strokes every round around the green. That is the difference between an 88 and an 82. Between telling your friends you “played okay” and actually beating them.
The root causes are two things: poor ball position at setup and disconnected arms through impact. Fix those two and your short game changes overnight.
1. WhyGolf Chipping Plate: $66 Amazon / $70 WhyGolf
Best for: The mid-handicapper who chunks and skulls chips because their weight is on their back foot.
The Chipping Plate is a small balance board with one job: it tells you whether your weight is forward. Stand on it with at least two-thirds of your weight on your lead side and the board stays flat. Lean back, even slightly, and it tilts. That is the entire feedback loop.
Most mid-handicappers set up to a chip with their weight 50/50 or worse. They lean back because they are scared of the shot. That lean-back is what causes the chunk. The club bottoms out behind the ball. The Chipping Plate forces you into the correct setup every time because you can feel the tilt immediately.
The board is simple but durable. No sensors. No app. No subscription. Just a hinged plate and custom training videos from WhyGolf. The 99-day risk-free trial means you can try it for three months and return it if it does not help. It will.
The drill: Set the plate down, stand on it, and make 10 chip swings with no ball. Feel the plate stay flat. Then hit 10 chips into a net or onto a green. Alternate five on the plate, five off. Do this three times a week for a month. Your chipping yips will not survive it.
What does not work. The plate does nothing for full-swing weight transfer unless you buy the separate Power Wedge accessory. It is a short-game tool first. Treat it as one.
Verdict: Buy it. Best chipping-specific tool under $100. If you chunk more than two chips per round, this will fix it faster than any lesson.
2. Tour Striker Smart Ball: $39
Best for: Mid-handicappers who flip their wrists through impact or let their arms disconnect from their body.
The Smart Ball looks ridiculous. It is an inflatable ball you wedge between your forearms and swing with in place. I laughed when I first saw it. Then I swung with it and realized my right arm was flying away from my body at the top of the backswing. Fixed it in two range sessions.
The feedback is immediate and physical. Arms stay connected, the ball stays put. Arms fly apart, the ball drops. For chipping specifically, if you flip your wrists through impact, the ball drops at contact. That is feedback a coach cannot give you in real time. The ball either drops or it does not.
At $39, the Smart Ball is one of the best value training aids in golf. It works for chipping, pitching, and full swings. It travels in your bag. You can use it at the range or in your living room. No batteries. No setup. Just inflate it to about 80 percent firmness and wedge it in.
The drill: Chip 10 balls with the Smart Ball between your forearms. Focus on keeping the ball pressed against both arms through impact. Then remove it and hit 10 more. The difference in contact quality will surprise you. Your body, not your hands, controls the club.
What does not work. The included pump is flimsy. Some users have reported the ball losing air after a few months. A soccer ball pump works fine as a replacement. Minor annoyance for a $39 tool.
Verdict: Buy it. You cannot find a cheaper way to fix arm disconnection and wrist flipping. $39 is a sleeve of Pro V1s and a coffee.
3. WhyGolf Pressure Plate: $100 Amazon / $100-$130 WhyGolf
Best for: Mid-handicappers who want one tool that fixes both short-game weight shift and full-swing weight transfer.
The Pressure Plate is the Chipping Plate’s bigger sibling. Same balance feedback concept (board tilts if your weight is in the wrong place) but larger (24 by 13 inches) and designed for full swings with irons and wedges. It comes with a Power Wedge accessory that elevates your trail foot for better lower-body activation.
At $100, it is the most expensive tool in this guide, but it covers the most ground: weight transfer diagnosis for both full swings and short game. The 4.64-star rating from 282 reviews on WhyGolf’s site is well-earned. Users report measurable clubhead speed gains. One verified review shows a jump from 97 to 101 mph and a handicap drop from 13 to 9.
What does not work. The plate is not wide enough for a driver stance. It is an iron and wedge tool only. Also, standing two inches above the hitting surface changes your contact point slightly. You will need a few swings to adjust.
Verdict: Worth it if you want one tool for both full-swing and short-game weight transfer. If you only care about chipping, save the $34 and buy the Chipping Plate.
What I Would Actually Buy
If you chunk chips and your handicap is 10 to 25, buy these two: the WhyGolf Chipping Plate ($66) + Tour Striker Smart Ball ($39) = $105. That is less than one round at a decent course and less than a single lesson with a good instructor.
The Chipping Plate fixes your setup. The Smart Ball fixes your connection. Together they address the two root causes of bad short game. No launch monitor. No subscription. No app. Just two tools that give you real-time feedback and a clear path to improvement.
If you have the budget and want the crossover value on full swings, swap the Chipping Plate for the Pressure Plate at $100. Total with the Smart Ball: $139. Still less than a driver.
Where to Buy
- WhyGolf Chipping Plate $66 at Amazon
- Tour Striker Smart Ball $39 at Amazon
- WhyGolf Pressure Plate $100 at Amazon
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