The Floppy Indoor Practice Balls

There aren’t many practice aids these days that are designed to be used indoors, and even fewer yet that encourage you to make full swings indoors! To all the wives, girlfriends or significant others of golfers out there, I apologize in advance for this review. For all those golf nuts who are stuck in a snowy climate  and can’t afford a fancy golf simulator in their basement, I think I’ve found the ideal practice aid to help you get through the winter and keep things fun all year round.

It’s called The Floppy, and it’s a really simple idea that is perfectly executed. The floppy is an indoor practice ball designed to help people practice their short game without having to worry about breaking windows and making a huge mess. The Floppy is the same size as a regulation golf ball, has a woven fabric cover that goes over a proprietary liner and is filled with some sort of granular material to add weight and feel. The cover feels soft and pliable to the touch, but is durable enough to hit full wedge shots. Because it is soft it will bounce harmlessly off walls, windows and furniture.

I received a 4 pack of balls to try out and immediately found myself whacking it all around the house. While watching the weekend golf coverage, I used my Cleveland CG15 lob wedge (shameless plug, I know) to aim at various objects while messing around during the commercials (And when Johnny Miller was talking). While this ball isn’t as heavy or hard as a real golf ball, I think you get enough feedback from it to get legitimate practice value from using it. Although the makers claim it spins like a real ball, I wasn’t able to hit the low spinning chip shots that check hard. I can’t expect to spin this ball much either, considering this ball is made of cloth and plastic.

All you need to get some practice in with the Floppy is an open, carpeted area and a target. I used the Floppy to practice hitting pitch shots into a basket about 20 feet across the room, and just for fun, I set up a soda can on the top of the door jam and tried hitting it off its perch. I could see this ball being used outdoors too, but it was primarily designed for indoor use.

The Floppy is available online at www.thefloppy.com. For $19.95, you get a 4 pack which should last you a long time – that is, unless your kids find them! Back when I lived up North, I used to paint those solid white plastic balls orange and play in the snow, and more than once I destroyed the ceiling drywall in my basement when making golf swings. If I had the Floppy back then I probably would have caused less damage to my dad’s house. If you want to drive your Wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/sister/brother/housemates crazy and get some short game practice at the same time, pick up The Floppy! By the way, try not to take too deep a divot out of your living room carpet…

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