As If Putting Isn’t Hard Enough Already, But This Idea May Help
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2025-06-06
By Gord Montgomery, Senior Writer, Inside Golf
There’s good news and bad news on the putting scene here. First, the bad: As if this part of the game isn’t hard enough, Andrew Chamczuk wants to make it even harder. As for the good news: This idea only takes place on the practice green and, hopefully, in the long run, will make your putting better.
Chamczuk has come up with what he calls a “hole reducer,” meaning that the 4.25-inch target you normally aim at while warming up is now anywhere from slightly to significantly reduced as you hone your skills
“The hole reducer, I saw a file for it online, but I didn’t like how it was, so I recreated it from the ground up,” by reducing the aid’s thickness, among other things,” Chamczuk explained. “I did design this from scratch. The rationale behind them is that it is even more of a precision target.”
The reducer fits down inside a hole on the practice green. “It sits flush with the ground. The set includes a 50% hole reduction, which is extremely difficult,” since you have only an error margin of 1 cm. “The 65% hole, which is personally my favourite to warm up with pre-round, is a challenge, and it’s a significant difference when you get on the course. The other is an 80% hole, which is pretty easy but still a challenge. You’ve still got to be precise!”
The other end of his work involves what is called a “ghost hole,” and no, that’s not as scary as it sounds.
Chamczuk explained, “Graham Nelson, the head teaching pro here (at the Stony Plain Golf Course), wanted me to design them for him so he could use them. They’re a great practice putting aid.”
That request came after Nelson laid eyes on the Hole Reducer idea. The Ghost Hole is the same 4.25 inches as a regular hole, with the idea here being it gives a person practicing their putting the opportunity to knock their ball into an actual hole-sized target rather than just aiming at a stick in the ground or a different coloured piece of grass if no actual cup is available. In aiming at something other than a hole, when your putt misses the actual target, it leaves you guessing as to whether or not the ball actually would have gone in.
Andrew Chamczuk Shows Off His Honed Putting Skills By Using His Hole Reducer Aid, Which Has Shrunk The Actual Cup Size By Up To 50 Per Cent, Meaning Your Aim Has To Be Dead-On To Sink That Short Shot. (Photo By Gord Montgomery/Inside Golf)
“It’s a substitute for a real golf hole, the same size,” Chamczuk said about the Ghost Hole. “With my set, though, I’ve made three of them with three different sizes. One is the regulation size of the hole. One is 10% bigger than a regular hole and one is 90% the size of the hole. The reason I designed the big one is for junior golfers or beginners to get their confidence up and then go progressively down.”
As to why he ventured down this road, he said, “The reason I thought of the idea, I’ll start with the small one first (the Hole Reducer). I’ve found it really good when you’re warming up, putting before a round of golf. It’s better, in my opinion, to have a small target because when you go out on the course, the hole is going to feel bigger. Maybe make it feel easier to putt because you think the hole is bigger than you’re used to.”
Chamczuk not only designed these practice aids, but he also makes them himself on his 3-D printer and is willing to share them with every golfer looking to improve their putting game. He has a deal with his home course in Stony Plain, where they are sold in the pro shop. He also has an email address for anyone not living close to Stony Plain who is interested in purchasing one.
As for being in the pro shop, Chamczuk explained, “I showed Jeff (Executive Pro Cuthbertson) and he really liked them. He wanted to try them right away. He bought one (Hole Reducer) right away,” after trying it out.
For more on the combo Hole Reducer and Ghost Hole, contact Andrew Chamczuk at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Each Hole Reducer and Ghost Hole set sells for $49.95 (plus shipping if necessary), but that cost can be recouped quickly once you start draining putts from all over and taking money out of your playing partners’ pockets!
Ghost Hole, a putting aid developed in England, has actually been improved by an Albertan, who has an extreme love for golf. Andre Chamczuk, from Stony Plain, undertook the challenge of revamping the putting aid already on the market to make it more user-friendly. In essence, more wallet-friendly after the weekend round with your buddies.