We’ve all heard the saying, “Drive for show, and putt for dough.” Improving putting is the best way for most golfers to lower their scores. And, what better way to do that than have a home putting green?
This article will explore some of the best at-home putting greens. Before we start, let’s highlight the difference between indoor and outdoor home putting greens. While we will explore both in this article, indoors tend to be significantly smaller and flatter, while outdoor greens tend to be much bigger and sometimes have a slope to them. Which type of at-home green you want to buy is mainly determined by space and budget.
Indoor Types
Indoor putting greens are your best bet for those looking to practice their putting in those cold winter months. Whatever size your budget is, this list is sure to include a suitable green for you.
With indoor putting greens, the primary keys are to find ones that are easy to put away, durable, and mimic those tricky, fast surfaces you’ll be playing outdoors.
Big Moss Augusta V2
The Big Moss Augusta V2 is one of the most traditional and sought putting green systems. This putting green kit comes with brake pads to replicate real-life breaking putts, and the putting surface will provide a true roll every time.
Big Moss Michael Breed Focus Point Training Green
Michael Breed, a longtime golf professional, made famous by his hit Golf Channel show “The Golf Fix,” came out with his indoor putting green that combines as a fantastic training aid. It focuses on the adage of “aim small, miss small,” training a player’s mind to focus on a tiny target. By putting to a smaller target that mimics a 2-inch wide cup (half the size of a regular hole), the mat, which also includes alignment lines to help with proper alignment, teaches you how to putt the ball precisely into a small area. When you take your putting out onto the course, the hole will look huge!
This indoor green is available at this link for $89.99. It is made out of 100% high-quality nylon and has a super-compact design. It is one foot wide and five and a half feet wide, and half of the mat can fold over for easy storage. And while you’re checking out the Big Moss brand, I’d advise you to look at the Big Moss Country Club 612 V2, which is one of the largest indoor premium putting greens available.
WellPutt
What separates the WellPutt mat from the average mat is that it provides the ability to hit longer putts indoors. It is 13 feet long, far longer than many of the other indoor greens on the market. And, like many of the different options available, it offers many aiming points so you can practice your precision and alignment. And the WellPutt app has free games and drills that you can use with your mat. And, despite its large size, you can still fold it up and store it efficiently.
The WellPutt Mat is available at this link. I’d be sure to check out the different sizes they have to offer: their putting mats range from 10 feet long to 26 feet long.
SKLZ Golf Premium Putting Green
Known for making training aids across many sports, SKLZ has once again created an award-winning product in their compact putting mat. Portable, lightweight, and easily storable, the green features three different holes and a slight upslope at the end of the mat to simulate an actual green.
You can hit putts up to 8 feet away, and the true-roll surface will make you feel like you’re on a championship course. Perhaps the price is most attractive for potential buyers: at just $39.99, the SKLZ golf putting mat beats out some of its competitors on this list by hundreds of dollars!
Perfect Practice Putting Mat
The ideal putting mat is the perfect practice golf mat used by PGA tour pros like Dustin Johnson to hone their skills. The velvet and felt putting green turf can create green speeds of up to 14 on the stimpmeter. Like many of the options listed, this mat provides plenty of lines and visual aiming points, so you always know where you aim.
The mat is slightly uphill as the ball approaches the hole, so you can be sure to practice making a confident stroke. And the most convenient part of the mat is that it includes an automatic ball return, making it easy to practice making a repeatable putting swing every time.
Outdoor Types
Now onto outdoor putting greens. While these tend to be slightly pricier than their indoor counterparts, the greens below will be a comprehensive list that can work for any budget. There are two main options for outdoor greens: buying large premade synthetic greens or contracting expert companies to come in and build a backyard putting green to your specifications. We will explore both options below.
BirdieBall
The BirdieBall Classic Indoor Putting Green is one of the best indoor putting greens on the market. It is lightweight, easily storable, and features two different speeds so you can practice into grain and down grain putts. Traditionally an indoor mat company, BirdieBall makes ultra-durable versions that work as outdoor putting greens. Their outdoor setup is available in many sizes, ranging from 25 inches to 7 feet wide and 8 feet to 18 feet long. And the company can implement contour shims, one of many unique putting green features that will create the perfect practice putting environment.
This backyard putting green comes premade, so all you need to do is set up the surface in minutes. It lays flat even if the surface under it isn’t perfectly level, so you can feel comfortable that the BirdieBall will serve as your best outdoor putting green. BirdieBall offers some of the best tour links quality surfaces.
Synlawn Golf
Developed with short game master Dave Pelz, SynLawn’s synthetic turf provides some of the best true roll technology. Their entire surfaces are nylon-based, which means a better roll, less maintenance, and a more realistic look and feel than many of the cheaper plastics often used. Their master putting turf delivers realistic feedback.
If you have the space and budget for it, you can add various features that allow for full wedge shots to be hit onto the green. Using what they term the Dave Pelz ShotStopper, this feature delivers a realistic check on all wedge shots, enabling you also to improve your wedge game.
Synlawn is available for custom quotes across the United States. For more information, visit this link to explore what Synlawn offers.
Southwest Greens
Endorsed by United States Golf Association champions like Justin Rose, Hale Irwin, and Annika Sorenstam, Southwest Greens sets itself apart by offering the most custom offerings in the industry. They have a close relationship with Jack Nicklaus’s design firm and even built an 18-hole public putting course that dedicates its green fees to Nicklaus’s Health Care Foundation.
Their pro-putting greens offer the best synthetic turf globally, which will outperform traditional grass in the short and long term. Although they may offer artificial putting greens, their turf delivers actual grass's authentic look, feel, and performance.
Celebrity Greens
Started by Southwest Greens founder Weston Weber, Celebrity Greens is the third big player in the outdoor greens industry. Weber is the Seth & Raynor of synthetic putting greens; he has designed thousands of custom indoor and outdoor greens and established some of the best putting greens for pro golfers.
They’ve worked with some of the best golfers in the world, like Jon Rahm, and deliver everything from putting greens to high-performance tee boxes, Celebrity Greens has dedicated itself to providing the best high-quality private golf complexes in the United States.
Recap: The Best At-Home Putting Greens to Help Improve Your Golf Game
Whether or not you need a putting green for your backyard, an office putting green, or just an artificial putting green, you’ll find some of the best options listed above. One last piece of advice: even if the cost of these greens may entice you to make a DIY putting green, it is highly risky, and you will likely pay the cost in the future, as making your practice putting green could lead to a lower quality surface and setup that requires more maintenance and thus high prices in the long run. If you want a putting green, consult this list for the best option for your budget.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.