Summer is here and the golf does not have to stop when you get home. This is the back-garden arsenal: golf beer pong for the barbecue, chip-and-score cornhole that secretly sharpens your wedges, exploding balls to ruin a mate, glow balls for when the session runs past sunset, and the foam balls and chipping net that let you swing properly without losing a window. Every bit of it works at a barbecue, a stag weekend or a random Tuesday evening. The handicap might not thank you, the group chat will.
PutterBall is golf crossed with beer pong: a fold-out 2x12ft putting green with six holes in a pyramid each end, two mini putters and two balls. It's a party and back garden game, not a serious practice tool.
What's great
As a party piece it genuinely delivers. Sink all six holes before the other team, cap each hole as you go, exactly like beer pong but with a putter, and it pulls people in fast. It folds down accordion-style with a handle so it's easy to lug to a barbecue, tailgate or mate's garden, and setup takes seconds. The reviewers I read rate it well (one hands-on test gave it 8.5/10), and most owners say it's good for adults and kids alike. It's a great laugh and a proper crowd starter.
Worth knowing
The flaws are real and consistent. Because it folds, the seams leave ridges that act like speed bumps and throw the ball off line, and it can take a good 15 minutes laid flat to settle (some turn up wrinkled or bubbled and never roll true). The mini putters are putt-putt cheap and too short if you're over about 5ft11, so bring your own. Worst of all are the durability reports: edges lifting and glue letting go after a single summer. Leave it out in heat or rain and it warps, so store it flat indoors. It's not cheap for what is a novelty either.
The verdict
A genuinely fun party game that earns its keep at gatherings, just don't expect a true roll or a tour-grade build. Treat it as a novelty, store it flat indoors, and use your own putter if you're tall. On that basis, I rate it.
A cornhole-style garden game where you chip foam balls at a fold-out target board with three scoring holes, using your own wedge from an included mat.
What's great
It nails the thing most training aids miss: you'll actually use it, because it's a game rather than a chore. Sixteen foam balls means proper multiplayer sessions without constant ball collecting, and the three-hole scoring creates real risk-reward decisions about which target to attack. The foam balls are garden-safe, so kids and non-golfers can join in with a spare wedge, which makes it one of the few golf purchases the whole household tolerates. It folds flat with a carry case, so it travels to barbecues and campsites. And underneath the fun, you are genuinely grooving landing-spot control, which is most of what chipping is.
Worth knowing
Build quality is fine rather than fancy; the fabric target and mat will fade and sag if left outside permanently. Foam balls spin and check nothing like real balls, so don't expect your course chipping to transform. Windy days make scoring a farce. And the included mat is small, so big swingers may want to chip off grass instead.
The verdict
The rare golf gift that gets used all summer. Buy it for the fun, accept the practice as a happy side effect.
Cheap novelty balls that puff into a cloud of white powder when someone smacks them, aimed at anyone wanting a laugh on the first tee or a stocking-filler for a golf mate.
What's great
When they go off properly, they genuinely deliver. A full-blooded driver swing turns the ball into a satisfying cloud of white "smoke" and the reaction is usually worth the few quid on its own. The better ones (Laughing Smith get singled out for this) look close enough to a real ball with proper dimples that your mate won't twig until it's too late, and the powder is harmless and washes straight off clubface, clothes and grass. Dirt cheap, no setup, and they make an easy gag gift that always lands a laugh.
Worth knowing
Two real catches. First, the "explosion" is hit and miss: plenty of owners report a feeble little puff instead of a proper cloud, and a soft or mishit swing barely sets it off, so the prank can fall completely flat. Second, they are strictly one and done, they can crumble in the bag if knocked about before the big moment, and despite the marketing they are NOT loud, so do not expect a bang. Cheaper or oddly logo'd ones can also be spotted on close inspection. Not for anyone wanting a reusable or guaranteed gag.
The verdict
A proper cheap laugh that's worth a punt for the gift or the wind-up, just go in knowing it's single use and the big cloud is a coin flip, not a certainty. Hand it to someone you know swings hard and you'll get your money's worth.
Golf balls that light up so you can play after dark, either LED balls that flash on impact and run off an internal battery, or glow balls you charge up with a UV torch. Pure fun-round kit, not serious gamers.
What's great
For mucking about after sunset they genuinely deliver, and the main job (not losing your ball in the dark) is nailed. The LED ones flash on for roughly 8 to 10 minutes per strike with no torch needed, and decent ones run 40 to 70 hours total, so a pack lasts ages. The UV charge-up type are brighter and fly much closer to a normal ball, and a 15-minute charge gets you going. Brilliant laugh for a summer evening, wedge shots and putting in the garden, or roping the kids and the mates in.
Worth knowing
Don't expect proper golf. The LED balls feel like tapping a stone, putting is grim, and distance and feel are well off a real ball. Owners regularly report duds straight out the box that never light, balls that quit lighting after a few ground bounces, and on the impact-activated ones the timer doesn't reset when you hit it again, so it can die mid-hole. The surface scuffs and marks easily too. UV balls dim within about 20 minutes and need re-charging between most shots, which gets old fast.
The verdict
A proper novelty I rate for what it is: a cheap, daft night-golf laugh with your mates, not a ball you'd ever put in play in daylight. Buy a pack expecting a couple of duds, keep spares in your pocket, and don't overthink it.
A nine-pack of soft foam practice balls with Callaway's hex dimple pattern, designed for full swings in gardens and tight spaces.
What's great
These are the gold standard of foam practice balls and have been for years. Unlike airflow plastic balls that float anywhere, the HX balls give you genuine shot-shape feedback: slice your driver swing and they'll curve, flush a wedge and they fly straight with a proper-looking trajectory. Golf publications regularly put them top of home practice ball roundups for exactly that reason. They're soft enough to swing freely without fear, which is the whole psychological unlock of garden practice. The mesh bag is handy, the bright colours make them easy to find in flowerbeds, and nine is enough for a decent rhythm of hit, collect, repeat.
Worth knowing
They're still foam, so distance and feel bear no relation to a real ball, and anything beyond a gentle breeze sends them sideways. They compress and scuff with heavy use, so expect to replace them every season or two if you practise a lot. Dogs adore them, briefly. And at roughly £1.60 a ball they're pricier than no-name foam balls, though noticeably better.
The verdict
The best foam practice ball going. Cheap enough to not think twice, good enough to make garden swings genuinely useful.
A collapsible, spring-framed net that pops open into a freestanding target, usually with a couple of pocket holes to aim at. It's the cheap, grab-and-go way to practice chips and pitches in the garden without peppering the fence.
What's great
For what it costs, it does the one job well: gives you a target so you actually aim instead of just dinking balls around. Setup is genuinely a 5-second job, it weighs next to nothing, and it folds flat enough to chuck in the boot or behind a door. For grooving distance control on short chips and pitches in the garden, it's a proper handy bit of kit and stays put once you've got a few balls sitting in it.
Worth knowing
Be honest about the limits. It's so light it'll blow over or tumble in any real wind, so peg it down with the stakes (use them, or it's airborne). The classic gripe is folding it back into that little bag, it takes practice and will wind you up the first few times. Whatever balls and mat get bundled in are usually rubbish, treat them as freebies. And it's for chips only, do not hit anything full into it. Hitting the harder plastic-pocket types can also be surprisingly loud.
The verdict
I rate it for what it is: a cheap, portable target to sharpen your short game in the garden. Just peg it down, ignore the bundled balls, and learn the fold. Don't expect it to take a full swing.
An insulated zip sleeve from Pins & Aces that holds up to 7 cans and slides down a club slot in your golf bag, so you can smuggle a few cold ones onto the course without lugging a cooler box. Aimed at anyone who likes a beer (or seven) on the back nine.
What's great
It nails the one job it set out to do: it's dead simple and it disappears into the bag. The non-stick exterior is a genuinely smart touch, it won't grab or gum up your rubber grips like a cheap neoprene one does. Owners consistently say cans go in cold and come out cold for a standard round, and the build quality feels a cut above the random no-name sleeves. The combo version with the refreezable ice pucks is the one I'd actually rate, reviewers reckon drinks stay colder for longer with the pucks than with the insulation on its own.
Worth knowing
Be honest with yourself about what this is: it's an insulated sleeve, not a proper cooler. On a baking hot day the standard version alone won't keep cans frosty for all 18, you really want the ice puck combo for that. The big real-world gripe is length, it's clearly built around slim cans, and owners with full-size cans (Coors and the like) moan that the last couple of inches stick out or go unused. And "fits most bags" is doing some heavy lifting, a few people found it awkward with certain bag styles. No ice space built in either, so without the pucks you're relying on insulation alone.
The verdict
A well-made, genuinely discreet way to get beers from fridge to tee box, and for the money it does exactly what it says. Just buy the ice puck combo, check your cans fit (slim cans love it, tall cans less so), and don't expect cooler-box performance in a heatwave.
A slim, soft insulated sleeve (roughly 16 by 6 by 2.5 inches) that slots into your golf bag and holds six cans, aimed at blokes who want a couple of cold ones on the back nine without lugging a proper cooler.
What's great
The shape is the clever bit. It is thin enough to drop into a stand or carry bag pocket, and the side zip means you can grab a can without hauling the whole thing out, which is genuinely handy mid round. Build is decent for the money: heavy-duty zips, a heat-sealed leak-resistant liner, plus a removable padded strap and top handle if you want to sling it separately. CaddyDaddy have been making these since 2002, so it is a proven design, not a gimmick. Loaded with your own ice or a couple of decent ice packs, it holds cold well for a full 18.
Worth knowing
The honest gripes are real. The free ice pack it ships with is wafer thin, will not keep six cans cold on its own, and some owners have had it split and leak after a few uses, so budget for proper ice packs. With loose ice it can weep a little, so a ziplock liner is a sensible move. It has no rigid structure, so a full six cans is a tight, heavy squeeze and it slumps rather than standing up on its own. And six cans is the ceiling, so for a fourball it falls short.
The verdict
A smart, well-priced way to keep a few beers cold and within reach for one or two golfers. I rate it, just bin the included ice pack and use your own.
A novelty bathroom golf set, the classic gag gift: a thin putting mat that wraps round the base of the loo, a tiny extendable putter, a couple of balls, a cup and flag, and usually a "Do Not Disturb" door hanger. Aimed squarely at white elephant, Secret Santa and stocking-filler territory for the golf mate in your life.
What's great
For what it is, it genuinely lands the laugh, and that is the entire job. Setup is nothing, you drop the mat round the toilet, plant the cup and you are putting in seconds, and it fits most standard loos fine. Owners consistently say it is a reliable crowd-pleaser at parties and gift exchanges, and the kids tend to love it too. As a cheap, low-effort gift that gets a proper chuckle on the day, it does exactly what it says.
Worth knowing
Do not mistake this for actual putting practice. The putter is a flimsy bit of extendable plastic, the mat is thin with no real roll, and the balls are too light to behave like anything resembling a golf ball, so it teaches you nothing about your stroke. Novelty wears off within a few uses and then it lives in a cupboard. Quality is hit and miss across the many near-identical listings, and a recurring gripe is parts (usually the putter or balls) turning up missing in the box, so check the contents before you wrap it.
The verdict
I rate it for exactly one thing, a cheap gift that gets a laugh, and nothing more. Buy it as a gag, not as a present someone will actually use twice, and give the box a quick check for missing bits before you hand it over.
