You’re all familiar with that magic ball tube – the one that holds 25 to 30 golf balls, which you can empty in one go at the edge of the chipping green, and which then automatically collects all the balls without you having to bend down, thanks to a ratchet mechanism.

I don’t own that sort of tube ; I’ve never had one. Not because I’m trying to save money – I imagine it isn’t very expensive – but because it doesn’t suit the way I train.
I’m not saying it’s not good to practise with this sort of tube. It just doesn’t suit my approach, that’s all. Why ?

Because to improve, to practise effectively, I need to put a certain amount of pressure on what I’m doing. It seems to me that when you have 25 balls on the ground and you want to chip towards a hole, there’s relatively little pressure – in other words, you’ll end up doing 10, 20 or 25 chips. And when you’ve finished, you might be satisfied that a few balls are close to the hole, or even that one has gone in. But if you do the same exercise with just two or three balls, the pressure is much greater. If you look at the percentage of balls that end up near the hole, out of three balls I’m satisfied if two of the three land within 20–30 cm of the hole.

Anyway, what I’m saying is worth nothing ; I’m no pro.

So why am I telling you about this tube today ? Well, because this magic tube is my friend. It keeps me supplied with practice balls. But how so ?

Quite simply because I’ve watched people practising with these famous tubes of balls. Out of the 25 or 30 balls they’ll hit, there’ll inevitably be one or two that might be mishit, fly right across the chipping green and end up hidden in the tall grass or under the fallen leaves on the other side. And once you’ve finished playing 25 balls, it’s hard to remember the exact trajectory each one took. So inevitably there are times when people with ball tubes, when they go to collect them, only pick up 23 or 24 balls from the chipping green.
‘And the 25th – where on earth could it have gone ?
I did see a ball go off to the other side at one point, but where exactly ? Right, I’ll go and look for it.”

Except that he doesn’t necessarily look in the right place, and after a while he gives up and finishes his practice session with one or two fewer balls than he started with.

Every morning, it’s part of my little training routine to go and rummage around with the tip of my sand wedge in the grass and leaves along the edge of this chipping green. And it’s extremely common for me to come away from there with 1, 2 or 3 extra balls.

My record this year is 5.

Most players practise with balls that aren’t quite brand new. So this provides me with a good supply of practice balls.

But every now and then, some people have the bright idea of practising with balls fresh out of the box. So I sometimes find balls that are perfectly suitable for playing on the course. Thank you, magic tube.

Fans of the ‘magic tube’ have another unbeatable argument for old-timers like me : it saves you from having to bend down to pick up the balls, which is easier on the back. A good point !

But not having a ‘magic tube’ to collect my three practice balls has another small advantage. When I’ve just finished chipping, I make a point of retrieving my two balls from the green by lifting them with my club and trying to flick them into my left hand with a bounce or two. It’s a very difficult exercise for me because I’m really not very dexterous with my hands, let alone with a club.

But I know – and this has been confirmed by several pros – that it’s an exercise which is extremely beneficial for improving dexterity and proprioception. And yes, simply juggling a ball with the tip of your club can be an excellent exercise for improving your swing. Think about it.