We run through some of the best putting mats out there right now to help you perfect the most important part of the game.
Best Putting Mats
We don’t need to tell you why having good golf training aids at home has been vitally important over the last 18 months.
Putting on a good mat at home is probably one of the easiest and most affordable ways to practice golf in your spare time and putting is also one of the most important elements of the game to get right.
Your putter is the most used club in the bag, so feeling confident with it can be the best way to quickly take a few shots off your handicap.
The best putting mats will fit conveniently in an office space, living room or garage depending on where you have the most space and are a great way to encourage you to work on your putting stroke more often – even if its just 10 minutes a day.
Before buying a putting mat, think about how much space you have in your home to place one. They normally come in at around 6ft, but can vary to be much longer if you have the space.
Also think about how fast the greens are at your home golf course. Most of these mats run between 9 and 10 on the stimp meter so try to match the putting mat as closely to the greens you most frequently putt on.
Below, we’ve collated a list of the best putting mats out there right now ranging in price and size so you can find the putting mat that suits you the best.
If you’re after more practice accessories for the home or for the golf course, check out our lists of the best golf training aids, best golf nets and best golf simulators – if you’re looking to go all out on a home practice set up.
Best Putting Mats
PuttOUT Putting Mat
Our Pick
+ 6ft long with markers every 1ft
+ Great for perfecting your putting stroke
– Not as good without investing the full PuttOut Home Practice Studio
This putting mat is ideal for those whose home course has medium to fast putting greens. It rolls at approximately 10 on the stimp meter and is a great putting mat to help you work on pace control.
There are alignment tools dotted out at 1ft intervals on this 6ft mat and the cross you can see at the back of the mat is ideal for helping with keeping a straight, back-and-through putting stroke.
To get the most out of this mat, we’d recommend investing in the whole PuttOut Home Putting Studio which includes the excellent Premium Pressure Trainer as well as a putting mirror to help train your stance over the putter.
The matt on its own is still very useful though. It rolls at a nice pace and the alignment lines dotted over it create an ideal area to practice the most important part of your game. It’s our favourite on this best putting mats list.
PuttOut Home Putting Studio Review
Perfect Practice Perfect Putting Mat
Best For Quality
+ Lots of lines and checkpoints to hone your putting stroke
+ Quality materials throughout
– Need a flat floor with a lot of space to use
A product with the word ‘Perfect’ in its name this many times should instantly make you lethal with the putter on the greens, right?
Well, the Perfect Practice Perfect Putting Mat doesn’t fall too far short if you’ve got the space and time to use this excellent putting mat to the fullest.
We tested the 9ft version – which might be a bit long for some – but there is a shorter version available for those who are conscious of space.
The mat is relatively fast – quicker than the PuttOut Mat mentioned above – but not ridiculously quick. The slight incline toward the hole also makes you have to hit the ball nice and firm, a great way to practice putting pace which you can translate into more putts holed on the golf course.
Once a putt is holed, the ball conveniently comes back down the wooden runner on the right so you don’t have to march back and forth every time you’ve holed a putt. Quality wise, this is the best putting mat on the list.
Perfect Practice Perfect Putting Mat Review
Champkey Puttech Pro Putting Mat
Best For Pressure Putting
+ ‘Hazards’ behind the hole are good practice guides
+ Ball comes directly back to you
– Not the most premium materials
Despite the ‘hazards’ behind the hole on this Champkey putting mat looking slightly rudimentary, they actually provide a great practice aid when using the putting mat.
The slight incline towards the hole means you have to hit the ball hard enough to get to the hole, but obviously not too far that it lands in a hazard. This is great for practicing a good acceleration of the putter and encourages you not to jab or decelerate the blade.
At 9ft long, it’s a good size but you’ll have to have plenty of space to use it properly. No matter where the ball ends up – hole, water or sand – it will also conveniently roll back to your feet for you to go again.
Forb Home Golf Putting Mat
Best For Simplicity
+ Three holes to aim at
+ Rolls up easily and be stored away quickly
– No lines to help with alignment
This is an un-complex and easy to store putting mat ideal if you don’t have enough room to keep a putting mat out permanently.
This putting mat offers three holes to aim at, which is a great way to mix up practice so you won’t find yourself monotonously putting at the same hole over and over. Each hole breaks slightly differently and are slightly different distance away, so this adds to the idea of mixing up the putting practice.
The only down side to the Forb Home Golf Putting Mat is that it has no alignment aids – but this can also been seen a positive.
Indeed, if you want a putting mat to closely resemble the conditions out on the course, this is arguably the best model for that as plain green view can allow you just to focus on putting and nothing else.
Pure 2 Improve Golf Putting Mat
Best For Practicing Long Putts
+ Loads of alignment aids
+ Can try plenty of different drills
– No hole at the end
The Pure 2 Improve putting mat comes in two fairly large sizes – 3 meters and 5 meters – which makes this a great putting mat if you’re looking to improve your longer, lag putts.
There isn’t an actual golf hole at the end of the mat, but we found the big target area is great for practicing those longer putts where you are just looking to get the ball within gimmie length, rather than holing it outright.
The various target area and alignment tools on this mat allow for varied practice sessions with the putter to work on different elements of the stroke.
Aftermarket golf holes are available if you want to add one at the end for more focused practice, but we found this mat as enjoyable and varied to use without a conventional golf hole.
CS2 Putting Mat
Best For Practicing Breaking Putts
+ Extra accessories allow you to practice different types of putts
+ Foam inserts can mimic a breaking green
– No alignment aids on the mat
This clever putting matt comes with loads of extra accessories to allow you to practice different kinds of putt, all on one mat.
Two foam inserts allow you to practice breaking putts, which is ideal if you struggle with a specific type of breaking putt.
Adjustable gates allow you create smaller, more challenging targets for yourself. All in all, this mat allows you to try out all kinds of putts in a complete putting practice package.
Inesis Putting Mat With Ball Return
Best For Value
+ Two holes – one smaller than the other – allow for great practice
+ Two rolling speeds
– One of the rolling speeds feels too slow
Inesis are known for making high quality, useful golf products at a very competitive price and it has achieved that once again with this putting mat.
The name is fairly self-explanatory and the best feature about this mat is that it returns the ball to you, allowing for non-stop putting.
It has two different rolling speeds on either side – one of which has an alignment aid – as well as two different holes, one of which is much smaller than regulation to allow you to really hone in your putting stroke and accuracy.
We love the two different holes and the smaller one makes the hole out on the course look huge! We’ve got mixed feelings about the two rolling speeds though as one of them feels far too slow for what you’d have out on the course. However, if you find yourself playing on lots of different greens at different paces, this might be useful for you.
At this price, it’s one of the best putting mats out there.
Wellputt 26 Foot High Speed Practice Putting Mat
Best Premium Putting Matt
+ Great for practice long lag putts
+ Comes with an accompanying app with training excersises
– Need a lot of space to use this effectively
While the price of this putting mat might be eye-watering, there is some serious value for money here if you’re in the market for a premium putting mat.
This the the best putting mat to help with speed and accuracy control so, if you struggle mostly with pace out on the real greens, this is a great mat to help hone those skills.
Download the Wellputt app and a library of exercises and instructional videos will allow you to get the most out of the mat.
For us, the best part is the 3ft ‘safe zone’ it provides around the hole, giving you a great drill to practice lagging putts close to a gimmie length.
Additionally Wellputt make mats of varying sizes and designs too so they are definitely a brand to consider when trying to find a putting mat.
What to consider when buying a putting mat
Here are some factors you need to consider when looking at purchasing a putting mat. (Also if you want a new flatstick as well, check out our guide on the best putters too)
Size – As you have seen, the best putting mats come in a variety of sizes. If you want a long or short models, manufacturers have got you covered. The thing to be aware of on your end is how much space do you have? Because this will then dictate which model to go for. Also we recommend thinking about what kind of floor you will put the mat on because some types of flooring, like wooden floors, perform better than others.
Convenience – Linking with the above point, how convenient do you want the putting mat to be, primarily in terms of how easy is it to store and fold away. Some of the models above, like the PuttOUT Putting Mat roll up conveniently and easily in a bag, whilst others have the hole attachment which takes up a bit more room.
What do you want to practice – If you’re looking to focus on a specific part of your putting, there will be a mat for that. A long putting mat will obviously help you with pace and distance control whilst models with holes on will help you gain more confidence just by seeing the ball go in the hole more often. Alternatively if you just want to use the mat for fun, rather than intense practice, then go for a model with holes and fun little accessories too.
Durability – The good thing about putting mats is they should last a long time because all you are doing on them is putting. That being said there are still models out there which wear down too quickly which is why we have collated the models above because none of them should do that. Just be aware of cheap materials used on putting mats because they won’t perform well in the long term.
Price – No buying guide would be complete without at least mentioning the price factor. Some of the larger mats can be quite expensive, but there is good value for money to be had here as they last a long time.
If you enjoyed this guide on the best putting mats, check out the Golf Monthly website.
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