7 Best Putting Mats (Review) in 2020

How We Chose Our Selection of Putting Mats

Brand - There is a variety of awesome and highly reliable brands that provide putting mats all for you. We don’t like showing loyalty to any one brand, so we’ve looked to select a fantastically broad range from as many brands as possible to help you find the putting mat you’ve always wanted.

Reviews - As much as we’d love to, we can’t try out every single putting mat in the time it takes to compile our lists and present them to you. Instead, we rely on the many, many reviews of the best putting mats to discover what makes a good putting mat and, more importantly, what makes a great one so you can be sure that we’ve only picked the very best for you.

Design - There are quite a few different putting mat designs that we’ve identified throughout our list all of which have their own specific benefits for golfers of different levels looking to improve different aspects of their game. This can include the ability to alter the green by inserting wedges, as well as ball return feature to help you maintain the correct stance between shots.

Quality - Obviously, we’re not going to recommend low-quality products and so we’ve strived to select putting mats that are of the highest quality to ensure you get many years and potentially thousands of individual practice sessions from one mat.

Price - We understand that not everybody can afford the premium picks, so we’ve hopefully selected a wide range of prices that means golfers of all budgets have a chance to perfect their short game.

Features To Look For In Putting Mats

Before buying an indoor putting green carpet, you’ll need to make sure that it has exactly what you need for you to get the most out of it.

Size - Greens all over the world vary in size, the largest one is found at the International Golf Club in Massachusetts, and is over 28,000 square feet. Your putting mat won’t be anywhere near that size and you want to make sure it will fit in your home. Larger putting greens give you more practice options but may not fit comfortably in any room in the house.

Speed - There are a variety of green speeds that help improve your putting skills. Some of the greens will have the option to practice with varying green speeds, whereas others will have one speed. Your choice will likely depend on the speed of your home greens, but it’s always good to practice with different green speeds to make you a more well-rounded player.

True Roll - True Roll is a feature of some putting mats that is designed to have a stimp reading which matches the feel of a real-life green. This helps to prepare you for the same kind of situations once you make it out onto the course.

Durability - Everybody wants to buy a product that will last them for a long time, and putting mats are no different. When buying your brand new putting mat, you want to ensure that it will last you more than a couple of practice rounds before a day out on the course. Materials such as PET resin is just one example of the type of material you should look for when seeking durability.

Quality - Don’t waste your money on low quality putting mats. If you’re serious about practicing your putting, quality is a must, it may cost a little extra, but this is easily justified.

Ease-of-Use - It’s not hard to figure out how to use a putting green, but ease-of-use is always something to consider when buying anything. Some putting mats will have different features that make using it easier for you, and should have straightforward instructions is they are customizable to give make the mat more versatile.

Extra Features - Putting mats are more than just simply mats that mimic the environment of a putting green. You can purchase mats that have extra holes, mats with built-in hazards, ‘long grass’ trim around the side for authenticity, ball return configurations, and markers that help you line your shots up properly.

Putting Mat FAQs

Q: What is a putting mat?

A: A putting mat is a mat that mimics the real-life environment of a putting green. This can include inclines, declines, as well as any hazards and customization that helps to fine-tune your short game without going to the course.

Q: How will a putting mat help to improve my game?

A: Putting mats can improve your game in a variety of ways. They can teach you discipline in your strokes, allowing you to fix hitting the ball too hard or too soft, as well as providing you a number of different scenarios that you might not get at your home course. The best putting mats will have an array of customization, speed, and distance options for you to practice with.

Q: What is the ideal mat size to go for?

A: Ideally, you want a mat size that will fit in your house, as this can be used all year-round. However, you also need to consider how useful the size of the mat will be. Putting mats are typically around 9 feet in length, which is an average-sized green on real golf courses. Mats that are too small could hinder your approach, while mats that are too big could cause you to overhit the ball once you arrive at the real thing.

Q: What is the purpose of the ball return channel?

A: The ball return channel simply makes life much easier for you as you don’t have to keep retrieving the ball from the hole well as helps you maintain the same stance when lining up the next shot. Along with this, it prevents the ball clogging up the hole, which could mean that even if you’re on target, the ball is unable to fit.

Q: What is the ideal surface to place the putting mat on?

A: The ideal surface for a golf putting green will depend on the mat itself. Many of them will be suitable for all kinds of surfaces and will even have materials on the base that keep it from shifting. The thickness of these mats helps prevent any warping of the shot, giving you the best results every single time.

Q: How can I care for my putting carpet?

A: Simple consistent cleaning and maintenance is the best way to care for your putting mat. This means you are careful not to damage the turf or around the edges - where it can curl if not looked after - as well as removing any debris and dust that could appear on the turf itself. To prevent this, you can roll the mats up and store them away, which shouldn’t interfere with the flatness once unrolled. This also protects them when transporting them.

Q: How durable is the putting mat?

A: Putting mats are designed to be durable for a long time, however, as we mentioned above, this will be affected if you do you not adequately care for it. That being said, if you do take care of your putting mat, you can expect a high-quality product to last anywhere between 10 to 15 years, and perhaps even more if you are especially diligent.

Sources

1. Stimpmeter - Wikipedia