Are putting mats worth it?

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Many  new  golfers want to know this.”  Is Putting mats worth it?  Do putting mats improve putting? 

 Putting mats are beneficial because they provide more accurate feedback on your putting stroke. Mats are a superior alternative for developing the two basics of putting — straight hitting and distance control – due to the weave and pace of house carpets. Quality mats are available for less than $100, making them an excellent value.

Green synthetic practice mats are the worst thing for your golf game that I know of. You can hit six inches behind the ball and not even know it, because the ball still gets airborne. Practice nets are awful, too. Swing a weighted club instead.”- Lee Trevino

Do Putting Mat Improve Putting

As you can see, there are plenty of indoor putting greens and mats available to assist you improve your short game. If you have the opportunity to smuggle one into your house or workplace, take advantage of it. It’s a wonderful method to enhance your putting stroke, figure out your putter aim, or learn to regulate your putting speed by utilising these mats.

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From my very own Experience with Putting mats – I’ve had my 12’ BirdieBall mat (make sure to get the free 2’ upgrade) for about 3 months now and have put at least 15 minutes on it every single day before bed.

This practice has helped me in two ways:

I’m consistently striking the ball in the same place on my putter each time. I do a drill using quarters at the end of the heel and toe that give me feedback if I’m coming out to in, or in to out, so each time I’m sure that my putter swing path is the same. Essentially I now know I’m much less likely to push or pull my putt.

My confidence level that I’m going to hit my line is much higher after every Practice. So I spend more time reading a green and focusing on speed than I do my stroke mechanics.

Having said that, What the putting surface will NOT do is help you with speed, since all green surfaces are a little bit different, or help you with your green reading.

A little tip if you’re thinking about buying a surface. I took a sharpie and sectioned my green into 3 foot pieces so I can consistently practice from 3, 6, and 9 feet.

My putt out grooved almost immediately, it’s actually funny to watch the ball funnel back and forth to the hole. Kind of like a bowling ball in the gutter.

I got the Putt about par 3 Matt from Amazon and have liked it substantially better. 3 holes and a bit of incline and shape so can really vary things. Can also simulate small chip and roll into the matt.

That said I still like the putt out trainer so will use that on the other end of the par 3 Matt once in a while.

Is a Putting Mat preferable than carpet?

A better surface than carpets will aid in learning to putt straighter. On the golf course, every putt you make is a straight putt. The major reason for this is because even with a very accurate stroke, the ball will weave and wobble on typical residential carpets.

Do putting mats on carpet work?

 The putting greens can be used on carpet if it is tightly woven and does not have a thick carpet pad underneath (something like a Berber or office carpet would be ok).

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WHY SHOULD YOU PRACTICE YOUR PUTTING?

Having a golf mat enables you to put these tips into practice every single day. 

It’s easy to see how that will help you to shave strokes off your scorecard.

Simply put, your putter is by far your most used club. The par score on any given hole, according to PGA Professional Mark Blakemore, is based on two putts – roughly half of the total shots taken on the hole. 

Some may argue that it isn’t the most important aspect of your game – legendary coach and wedge master Dave Pelz, for example – but few would disagree that it isn’t right up there.

Despite this, most golfers prefer to spend time working on their longer clubs, despite the fact that they hit them significantly less – one of golf’s biggest problems, according to St. Andrews head pro Dave Erikson. 

So, why do so many inexperienced people make this error? Bobby Locke, a former South African professional golfer, may have summed it up best when he said,

“You drive for show and putt for dough.”

It may not appear as impressive to be able to consistently drain a six-footer or two-putt from distance as it is to be able to crunch your driver 10 yards plus your playing partners, but it is likely far more important.

Seriously, practicing putting should be a priority

Practicing putting should only be a priority if it is a glaring weakness in your game (Like very frequent 3 putts and averaging 2.0+ putts per GIR.) There have been multiple books about this topic.

As long as you are an ok putter for your handicap, your practice time can be better spent working on driving and full swing shots.

As 50% of your strokes are putts , You would have to putt really really really bad to have putting make up 50% of your total strokes.

That would mean like 40 putts if you shot 80, or 50 putts if you shot 100. That’s just not the case.

The actual percentage is probably closer to 40%, but then when you remove at least 10 putts per round that are just tap ins that you wouldn’t practice, then it only leaves you with roughly 25%.

All that being said, I do have a putting mat and use it almost every day for a few minutes, but that is mainly due to the weather preventing me from being able to work on my full swing as much as I’d like and because I enjoy hitting putts, not because it is a priority in my practice.

A good practice ratio is 65% full swing work, 20% short game, and 15% putting

WHY WILL AN INDOOR GOLF MAT REDUCE YOUR NUMBER OF PUTTS PER ROUND?

It’s simple enough: if you have an indoor golf mat nearby, you’ll practise your putting more frequently.

Few people will go to their local club to practise their putting. If you’re going to put the clubs in the car and drive down there, you might as well hit a few woods, right?

Having a golf mat in your home eliminates this issue, allowing you to spend a few minutes every day practising your putting from the comfort of your own home.

You won’t get the same amount of practise reading greens or adjusting for different speeds as you would with the real thing, but the amount of time you’ll put into developing a consistent stroke will knock a few numbers off your score.

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What makes a good Putting Mat?

Size: How much space do you have? A longer mat helps you to diversify your practise if you have a games room, man cave, or woman shed with plenty of floor area. 

There’s no need to worry if you’re setting up in a tiny space. There are mats available in almost any size to accommodate virtually any space.

Roll: If your ball leaps and bounces on the green, you may be inclined to blame it on your stroke. 

Perhaps it is. Maybe it isn’t. Choosing a putting mat with a smooth roll avoids this uncertainty.

Material Quality: Although this guide was written in the COVID-19 period, we want your putting mat to be an investment that will outlast stay-at-home orders.

Thinner mats tend to wear out faster and may develop holes within a few months. Thicker mats retain their shape and last longer.

Features: While some putting mats are simply “bland” pieces of artificial grass, they can nevertheless provide you an advantage over your friends. 

More sophisticated versions include a plethora of alignment aids, visual aids, and targets. 

Some include features such as varying speeds, ramps, games, the ability to generate breaking putts, and much more. Because no one mat provides a comprehensive set of functionality, you must prioritise your needs.

Portability: Your putting mat will need to be stored at some time.Yours is likely to wind up in a closet once we’re back on actual grass. 

Perhaps you should transfer it to your home office. If storage is an issue, look for a mat that folds up securely and is easy to travel.

WHAT TYPE OF GOLF MATS SHOULD YOU GET?

Golf mats come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and there is no ‘best’ type – it all depends on your specific needs. 

If you have a large enough space to lay down your golf mat, there are plenty of large mats – greens is probably a more accurate description – for you to practise on. 

If you have this luxury, these are fantastic because they allow you to practise putts of varying lengths to more closely mimic the situations you’ll face on the course.

For most people, the amount of space available inside for a golf mat is insignificant, so a smaller mat that can be easily stored is preferable.

You might be concerned that a smaller mat won’t allow you to practise the longer putts you’ll encounter on the course, but remember that a short putt is worth just as many strokes as a long drive, so you don’t want to miss them. 

If you want to get fancy, there are plenty of golf mats available that include slopes and inclines, as well as different holes. 

These are fantastic because they allow you to practise a variety of putts. If you don’t have the space or the budget for something like this, don’t worry – the main goal is to develop a stroke that allows you to putt confidently.

There are countless resources available to help you become a better putter, whether online, at your local golf club, or simply through advice from someone who knows. 

This Golf Digest article, for example, uses examples from real Tour professionals that can be easily applied to anyone’s game, regardless of handicap.

Is Putting Mats worth it?

Has indoor Putting Mats honestly help to Improve your game?

100% YES! You need to Practice putts every day on your Putting mats. 

Try out different things. Experiment!! . Find  your stroke by practice and  Repeat the stroke.

So, Take the stroke with you wherever you go. Use the stroke.

Even If I had a grass practice green in my backyard I’d also still have a putting mat indoors.

Quick Tips:

Get one wide enough for your feet to stand on. Long enough for ten foot flat putts.

You are practicing rolling the ball after hitting the sweet spot. You learn what it takes to roll it well every time.

Then you use the practice greens at the course to adjust for speed before you play.

Lots of things factor into that. Reading breaks is a whole different art. BTW,  My mat was about $80 on Amazon. Worth every penny.

Final Thoughts

Golf is a complex game with many components, and there is no single skill that will elevate you from an average to a brilliant golfer.

To do that, you must be at least reasonable in all aspects of the game, but if you’re like most people and just want to hand in a scorecard at the end of a round with a few fewer strokes on it, one of the best things you can do is improve your putting.

Sadly, despite this being fairly common knowledge, most people do not put it into practise, preferring instead to practise belting the ball wildly down the fairway. 

A golf mat will assist you in avoiding this snare. 

It will allow you to actively improve your putting by implementing tips and techniques that will translate to the golf course and have an immediate impact. 

Consider your last round and all the shots you left on the course due to missed short putts or three putts. Imagine them wiped away from your scorecard – that’s what a golf mat can help you with.