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Indoor Putting Green Guide: Three Solutions That Fit Any Golfer’s Budget
One of the easiest ways for any golfer to help improve their scores is by working on their putting stroke. This is one part of the game that you can easily practice in your home, and I wanted to create a resource of indoor putting green solutions that you can use.
First I’ll give you a rundown of a few products out there, and the budget required. Then I’ll give you some tools and drills that can enhance your putting practice at home.
Bonus Content: Check out our putting drills guide
Budget: SKLZ Accelerator Matt ($39)
This is a great option for golfers on a budget who want an indoor putting green. I’ve used this mat to practice my putting for several years. It’s durable, the speed is reasonable, and it offers multiple distances as well as nice visual cues. Best of all, it returns the ball to you easily so you’re constantly not walking around and picking up your ball.
Best Value: Perfect Practice Putting Mat
The Perfect Practice Putting Mat has taken social media by storm lately. It’s fun, addicting, and challenging. You can read more in my full review here. Overall, I think it’s one of the best values at $150 (use code PRACTICAL10 for a 10% discount) because you get a lot of premium features without having to spend hundreds of dollars.
Premium: Pro Putt Systems ($800 – $4,000)
If you’ve got a bigger budget, and you want to get the best, then I recommend checking out a company called Pro Putt Systems. They have a number of solutions for golfers who are looking for a commercial-quality indoor putting green. They have some out-of-the-box solutions as well as fully customized packages. Their greens are used at many high-end practice facilities, and have one of the better reputations out there.
How to Practice on an Indoor Putting Green
Once you have secured your surface, now it’s time to practice effectively. I believe the best skill to practice at home is your actual putting stroke. This means the path of the putter, your ability to strike the center of the face, and controlling how open or closed your putter is at impact. These are all crucial for speed control, and getting your putts started on the right line.
There are a few ways to accomplish this, and there are some great tools I would recommend.
Drills and Games
The most effective way to practice is always to create a challenge for yourself. This will put more pressure on each putt, and give more structure to your sessions.
One of the easiest games to play is simply assign yourself a number of putts you have to make from each distance. For example, you can start with three feet. If you make five putts in a row you can move back to four feet. See how many putts in a row you can make, and how far back you can move. If you miss, start all over again!
You can get creative, and come up with some games of your own. If you’re looking for ideas you can check out our library of games and eBooks available for our Insider members here.
Recommended Tools
If you are looking for actual help with the mechanics of your putting stroke there are a few training aids that I would highly recommend. These are products that I use during my practice sessions, and I believe they can help golfers of any levels.
TIBA Putt
This is a simple putting training aid that helps improve the path of your putting stroke. It’s inexpensive and will help add more structure to your putting sessions.
Purchase: TIBA Putt ($25)
The Pill
Another great, inexpensive putting aid that helps give feedback on your actual putting stroke. It also can be used with your wedges. This is one of the more creative designs out there and I recommend it for anyone who is serious about improving their putting.
Purchase: The Pill 3-Pack ($35)
PuttOut Pressure Trainer
This is a new product on the market that allows you to turn any part of your home into a putting area. Overall, it’s intuitive design gives you feedback on whether or not you made the putt, and returns the ball to you at the distance it would have ran past the hole.
Purchase: PuttOut Golf ($30)
Blast Motion
If you want honest feedback on your putting stroke I recommend this product because it focuses on timing. The app is nicely designed and presents info to golfers in a simple fashion. Their technology has been embraced by many teaching pros, and many professional golfers are using it as well.
Purchase: Blast Motion ($95)
Closing Thoughts
While artificial surfaces are nice, it is hard to completely recreate the feel of a real green. Controlling your speed on the golf course is one of the most important skills out there, and you will always be best served practicing on real greens. Here are some thoughts on how to do that properly.
That being said, an indoor putting green is a great tool to improve your game because it is convenient. Often times it is hard to travel to the golf course, and practicing at home is the best solution. All of the tools listed in this guide can help with that process.
Thanks for the amazing article. I am putting in a man-cave so this is right on point. I do have a question, and since I live in rural Idaho, it’s impossible to try any products first hand. First question is, would it be practical to put in the birdie ball as flooring for a 12×23 room. The cost seems fine, but I’m worried about the longevity. The cost on the pro-putt system seems prohibitive on a room that size. Are you familiar with MegaTurf? It seems feasible, and durable, but they don’t give me a stimp rating and without some testimonial, not sure I trust the performance.
Sorry – the other product I was considering was megagrass – not megaturf