Chicken Stick Review Thread

[ddec]

Earlier this week I was given the opportunity to review an interesting product called the Chicken Stick by Bad Chicken. This product is made to make your Wii sports experience, in particular golf, more realistic and enjoyable.

From the Company:

Features:

* Substantial weighted feel — when combined with the Nintendo Wii Motion Plus® and Controller, the Chicken Stick™ is weighted to feel like an actual golf club, further enhancing the player's golfing experience

* Golf Pride® grips — this top-selling grip has laid claim to more major wins than any other grip company

* True Temper® shafts — widely used by golf pros around the world, these steel shafts are the top-selling shafts in golf

My Chicken Stick arrived just the other day and I got right to testing. At first glance I thought the chicken stick was very light. For something that is supposed to feel like a golf club I thought it was going to come up short in that department. However, once I loaded in my Wii remote with Wii Motion Plus, the weight added up. When I started swinging it, it felt a lot more like a golf club than the original Wii remote did. I could actually play Tiger Woods while making a real golf swing! Now my only concern was if I could take a real swing without the Wii remote popping out and smashing in to my TV. So far that has not happened as the remote appears to be very secure in the Chicken Stick.

I have played a few rounds of golf so far with this product and intend to play many more over the next week. I will be updating this thread with some pictures and thoughts as the week goes on. If anyone has any questions they would like answered feel free to ask in the thread or send me a PM if you would like.

FINAL REVIEW IS ON PAGE 2 OF THIS THREAD

 

[clam fist]

I can't wait to see if your scores go up or down. Have fun.

 

[9-Iron Man]

Best of luck with the new gadget ddec! Looking forward to hearing more!!

 

[One-T]

cool Dean, how do you add spin to the ball now?

 

[RonInThornton]

That looks really cool, might have to get one after you post more reviews

I was so intrigued by this that I went and looked online and found several reviews, this was one of them if anyone is interested http://www.theoldmanpar.com/?p=915

 

[ddec]

cool Dean, how do you add spin to the ball now?

You have to do it the same way as before. So after you swing you have to slide your hands up to the controler part to use the directional arrows and shake the remote to add spin.

 

[One-T]

cool, does it seem like a pain in the arse?

 

[ddec]

That looks really cool, might have to get one after you post more reviews

I was so intrigued by this that I went and looked online and found several reviews, this was one of them if anyone is interested http://www.theoldmanpar.com/?p=915

It is pretty cool. I have enjoyed it so far, there are a few things I would probably change if I created Chicken Stick 2.0, but I love using it to play.

cool, does it seem like a pain in the arse?

It's different at first, however you get used it.

 

[One-T]

what about the actual play...did you put it on the hardest yet....that will really mess with your swing huh?

 

[Frankline]

I bought and really like it, now I only play TW11 TourPro settings because anything else I score -15 and that just isn't right. I have also been playing it with my six year old and now he does not argue when I take him to hit balls at the range. The funny part is trying to play Wii without it, just doesn't make sense any more.

 

[Hanks]

good stuff ddec!

 

[One-T]

I bought and really like it, now I only play TW11 TourPro settings because anything else I score -15 and that just isn't right. I have also been playing it with my six year old and now he does not argue when I take him to hit balls at the range. The funny part is trying to play Wii without it, just doesn't make sense any more.

very cool, thanks for sharing that info with us. Glad you are liking it.

 

[9-Iron Man]

I've been playing quite a bit of TW lately and am really thinking of getting one of these. Have you had a chance to play some more ddec? Does it play like a regular club would? Other than all the buttons being at the other end of the stick, are there any other disadvantages?

 

[ddec]

I've been playing quite a bit of TW lately and am really thinking of getting one of these. Have you had a chance to play some more ddec? Does it play like a regular club would? Other than all the buttons being at the other end of the stick, are there any other disadvantages?

Its nice to be able to take a regular golf grip and swing. I have been having trouble when trying to hit those 40-60% shots. I try to bring it like I would normally hit that type of shot and it comes out stronger. I'm sure that's just getting used to it. I am aiming to write a full review of it this weekend. Though with a trip to Scranton on Saturday to play golf with some fellow THP members it may get pushed back a day or 2. I am going to try to include a video of it if I can.

 

[9-Iron Man]

Its nice to be able to take a regular golf grip and swing. I have been having trouble when trying to hit those 40-60% shots. I try to bring it like I would normally hit that type of shot and it comes out stronger. I'm sure that's just getting used to it. I am aiming to write a full review of it this weekend. Though with a trip to Scranton on Saturday to play golf with some fellow THP members it may get pushed back a day or 2. I am going to try to include a video of it if I can.

Thanks ddec!! Looking forward to the review!! Video too?? Cool!!

 

[tdotsports1]

That's different!

 

[ddec]

loading my review right now. Sorry this took so long.

 

[Ole Gray]

Chicken stick huh DD? Sounds like something Kelly brought me home for lunch today :hungry:... Good job buddy and looking forward to the full edition of your review.

 

[White Rhino]

I know you said it was secure but I would be so worried about it going right through my flat screen I would not be able to swing it.

 

[ddec]

Chicken Stick Wii Review

Chicken Stick Wii Review

Chicken Stick Review​

Remember playing Tiger Woods golf on Nintendo Wii when it first came out at the tail end of 2006? Standing in front of your television taking a full golf swing and seeing your player mimic your moves and produce shot after shot. Though after a while it became clear that you could play golf on Nintendo Wii without really taking a normal golf swing. You didn’t have to take a real golf grip, the controller wasn’t the size of a normal golf grip, and you could even take your swings with only one hand. If only there was a way to really incorporate your normal golf swing in to your gaming experience. Enter the Chicken Stick by http://www.badchicken.com/.

From the Company
The Chicken Stick™ is a Patent Pending golf club for use with Nintendo Wii® golf games. Fully compatible with Tiger Woods PGA Tour®. Length 24 inches.

Features:
• Substantial weighted feel — when combined with the Nintendo Wii Motion Plus® and Controller, the Chicken Stick™ is weighted to feel like an actual golf club, further enhancing the player's golfing experience
• Golf Pride® grips — this top-selling grip has laid claim to more major wins than any other grip company
• True Temper® shafts — widely used by golf pros around the world, these steel shafts are the top-selling shafts in go


About the Company
Before there was Bad Chicken, there were two old high school friends, Rob and Jordan. Both of them wanted to play golf but it was early winter in New Jersey and no golf would be played for many months to come. There were hours of Tiger Woods PGA Tour® on the Wii® but little satisfaction with the concept of swinging a brick shaped remote control. Something had to change or they would be forced to find another way to pass time.

With some confidence in the initial concept, they purchased a $3 sand wedge from a local thrift store. Then a trip to the hardware store for some sheet metal, shears, and lots of duct tape. After some literal blood sweat and tears in his garage, Jordan returned with prototype number one. It was not pretty but the result was amazing, a full golf swing in the comfort of the living room, while outside snow continued to fall. There were many contests with thrilled golfing buddies, rewards and various penalties doled out and the realism of a missed shot was aggravating like real golf.

After months of testing the Chicken Stick was launched at the E3 Expo. The Chicken Stick has grown with the Tiger Woods PGA Tour software with Wii MotionPlus™ and now provides a legitimate training device for practicing your actual golf swing in a zero impact environment in your home or office.

Initial Thoughts
When I first picked up the Chicken Stick I immediately thought about gripping a golf club. Fitted with a Golf Pride grip this provides you with the exact feeling you get when you grab a real golf club. There is a little hoop that connects to a long plunger that holds down the B button on the controller. At first it was a little uncomfortable to try and take my normal golf grip while pulling down the plunger, however as I moved my grip down about an inch it became more comfortable. The white plastic cradle that holds the Wii controller had me worried before I even took as swing. After spending good money on my TV, I was really concerned that my first swing would send me back to the electronics store in shame.

Loading the Wii controller in to the Chicken Stick was easy. There is a slot on the bottom of the cradle that allows you to loop the wrist band through. Once you do that you can just apply a little pressure to the Wii controller with your Wii Motion Plus adapter and presto you are ready to tee off.


"On Course Testing"
Time to tee off! I have my Chicken Stick loaded and ready to go. Just like before a regular round of golf I took a few practice swings. I did this for 2 reasons. One ,I did not want to swing and have the controller come flying out and hit anything, and two, because I was interested in seeing how it felt. I am glad I can report that the controller held its ground and the feel was fantastic. While the weight is not the same of real club, it is probably as close as you can get for a video game controller.

As I took my game to the course I was very excited to see how swings would translate to my in game experience. My first swing had a big draw to it, my second a big slice, I quickly learned that my swing is just as inconsistent with this as with a 6 iron. While it took some adjusting, I was able to hit draws and fades on command. The biggest difference I found was in the short game area. Taking those half swings seemed to be a whole lot easier with the Chicken Stick.

There were only two things that gave me issues while using the Chicken Stick. The first was the wrist band. Since the wrist band is left dangling through the back of the cradle I was getting a noise on every swing that was produced by the plastic clasp on the strap hitting ht plastic cradle. I was able to eliminate that noise by adding one piece of scotch tape over the strap. The other minor complaint was that when I would try to hit a low boring shot or a knock down shot, I could produce the swing, the golfer on the screen would mimic my swing, but the ball would still climb high like a normal shot. I don’t think this is an issue with the Chicken Stick, I think it’s more of an issue with the Tiger Woods game.

Conclusion
Bad Chicken has produced a fantastic product in the Chicken Stick. I was very excited to be able to test this product out and was not disappointed at all. In fact, I may need to purchase another one. Since the weather has turned cold up here, my time on the golf course has become limited. The Chicken Stick does what it was intended to do, it gives me the feel of swinging a real club inside my living room, instead of being out on the course. This truly enhances your game play experience. If you have a Nintendo Wii and enjoy playing Tiger Woods golf this is a worthwhile purchase for only $39. For more information on the Chicken Stick check out the website at http://badchicken.com.

 

[Ole Gray]

Great job DD! Very well written and man you covered all the bases. I am impressed with your write up skills there good buddy :good:

 

[GrantD]

That is awesome. It has some great reviews on Amazon too! That might be added to the Christmas list! uuuummmmm

 

[ddec]

That is awesome. It has some great reviews on Amazon too! That might be added to the Christmas list! uuuummmmm

I would throw it on that list!

 

[9-Iron Man]

Great review ddec!! This may be just what the doctor ordered for my swing for the winter! Colder weather has definitely settled in on us here in Edmonton. This is definitely something AdamsGirl and myself can utilize for the cold months ahead! And for only $40? That's a no-brainer!!

 

[ddec]

Great review ddec!! This may be just what the doctor ordered for my swing for the winter! Colder weather has definitely settled in on us here in Edmonton. This is definitely something AdamsGirl and myself can utilize for the cold months ahead! And for only $40? That's a no-brainer!!

I will be using this all winter long to try and keep my swing in some kind of form.