Hireko’s Dynacraft Avatar Chipper

Dynacraft Avatar Chipper

One of the fastest ways to improve your scores is to improve your short game. Your average amateur misses a lot of greens, and then has to scramble for par or bogey.

Most players, when faced with a shot around the green automatically pull out a wedge. But while that may be the club of choice for pros, there are better options for amateurs. Chipping is one. Putt before you chip. Chip before you pitch. Pitch before you lob.

I’m generally good chipping with my irons. But like any other shot, there’s a trick to it. And you need to practice.

Another option is to get a specialty short game club—a chipper. You could leave out that lob wedge that you can’t hit most of the time ... or a long iron that you never really use (for me, that’s a five iron. For some reason, I’m never at five iron distance). You’ll use a chipper a lot more often.

The Avatar chipper has several features that make it practically foolproof. First, the unique gooseneck hosel design works to help prevent shanks—Hireko claims that is shank-proof. The non-offset design makes it easy to get the ball going straight. A wide sole prevents catching the turf.

To use it, just place the ball in the middle of your stance and take a normal putting stroke. The ball will pitch up and then start rolling.

I have a (now unavailable) version of this and when my short game is not working, often will stick it back in the bag. A chipper like this is very versatile, and you can use it from a variety of distances.