Chip-Down Is A Great Yard Game For Golf Nuts

Golfers are always looking for something to help improve their stroke count and the fundamentals of their game like putting, wedge and iron play, and driving. And when they’re not at the driving range or at the course, golfers are, well, usually still daydreaming about golf.

Enter Chip-Down, a golf-inspired game that lets both golf aficionados and newbies work their skills and hand-eye coordination at home in the back yard or at a social gathering.

Chip-Down’s creator and company founder, Bernard Cohen, said that in the spring of 2020, amidst coronavirus stay-at-home orders, his company saw a 400% surge in sales orders. He thinks that general enthusiasm for golf and Spring 2020’s reduced access to the links might have a lot to do with it.

“I have been playing golf for as long as I can remember. It is a passion of mine and I will continue to play for as long as I can swing a club,” Cohen said.

He explained that the idea came to fruition on a family summer vacation four years ago. Despite the beauty of the beach, he and his father still couldn’t stop thinking about golf.

“My dad and I brought our golf clubs down to the beach to practice chipping off the sand. Later, we took a walk and I noticed the whole beach was lined with yard games. I wondered why there wasn’t a golf-inspired game.” Cohen said he immediately went back to their spot on the beach, “drew circles in the sand, and started chipping away. That’s when Chip-Down was conceived.”

As a game, Chip-Down is as simple as it sounds. In its design, Cohen replaced the standard golf ball with a badminton-style birdie, and also added a small turf tee-off square from which players can aim and shoot. The goal is to chip the birdie toward a target of concentric circles that are similar to what game enthusiasts would see on a Skee-Ball board. Just addyour favorite golf iron or wedge.

Cohen said that replacing golf balls with a birdie only made sense, stating it “prevents chasing after a ball.”

Scoring in Chip-Down is also simple. Hitting any part of the target on a fly without landing inside counts as one point, while chipping your birdie into outer section is three points. Landing your birdie in next middle section is five points, while acing the center hole, Cohen says, is called “downing it” (hence the name Chip-Down) and constitutes automatic win and game-over. Players normally compete up to a 21-point count.

Because of its easy set-up and the fact that the chipping birdie is soft, Chip-Down can be played indoors—yes, that means inside your house–as well as outdoors on grass, paved surfaces or anywhere you might want to venture a golf challenge. It also comes with a portable carry bag, so players can take it anywhere.

The game is available for purchase online at the company’s website and can be shipped direct to your home or workplace.

Read Frye’s golf interviews with Annika Sorenstam, Justin Rose and Greg Norman.