These days, you don’t have to play 18 holes or head to the range to work on your golf game—you can practice in the comfort of your own home. There are a whole host of different training aids out there—one of the most popular of which are mats; more specifically, practice putting mats.
The benefit of owning one of these is that you can practice at home even when it’s too cold or dark to play, or if your course is shut because of bad weather. Quite simply, if you want your putting stroke to stay finely tuned throughout the whole season, you need one of these.
Many of the products we’ve featured below don’t just help you to work on your putting stroke, but they also feature games that add a bit of pressure to your practice.
As well as putting mats, several other mats are available that allow you to work on your full swing. Here’s a selection of the best golf practice mats currently on the market.
Perfect Practice Perfect Putting Mat (standard edition), RRP $174.99
The Perfect Practice Standard Putting Mat is 9ft 6” long and has been designed to produce genuine 10-14 stimpmeter speeds with no skipping or skidding.
The precise track lines help users to visualise the path of their ball. Should it roll off-course, the feedback allows golfers to adjust their alignment and stroke. The mat, which is trusted by some of the best golfers in the world, also features two hole sizes, which are designed to strengthen precision training.
Champkey Speed Control Putting Mat, RRP $59.99
This putting mat has a lot going on, although it’s not as complicated as it looks. It can be adjusted to run at four different speeds, allowing golfers to practice on greens that represent the closest speed to their home course or wherever they’re about to play. Users can create slopes, too, with a simple adjustment to the mat, and there are plenty of exercises and fun games to play.
PuttOUT Medium Putting Mat, RRP £69.99
Designed with usability in mind, the PuttOUT Medium Putting Mat is easy to assemble and roll up for storage. With its thick rubber backing, it rolls flat straight out of the packaging. It also comes with its own carry bag, so it’s easy to take with you wherever you need to practice. It runs at 10 on the stimpmeter and features alignment lines and a target hole.
Me and My Golf Breaking Ball Putting Mat, RRP from £99.99
For those unfamiliar with Me and My Game, this is PGA Pro duo Piers Ward and Andy Proudman. The pair have built a huge following on their social media channels—and have also created an online shop full of training aids, including this innovative putting mat.
It comes with three different weight-biased golf balls—slight, medium and heavy braking—allowing you to practice breaking putts at home. If you’re consistently starting the ball on the wrong line, you’re not going to enjoy much joy on the greens—but this mat also features start lines to help your set-up and get you holing out more often. You can choose between 7.5ft (£99.99) and 11ft (RRP £139.99).
SKLZ Accelerator Pro, RRP $59.99
Featuring a true-roll surface similar to an actual green and an up-slope to the cup, the Accelerator Pro helps improve every aspect of your putting stroke. It’s a clever piece of kit that features precise alignment guides at 3, 5 and 7 feet that help golfers square the clubface and produce a more consistent stroke. Meanwhile, the ball return allows users to train more efficiently without interruption.
Me and My Golf Dual-Turf Hitting Mat, RRP £39.99
This hitting mat has been designed to simulate both rough and fairway grass. It’s perfect for anyone fortunate enough to have an indoor golf studio. For those golfers who hit a lot of balls into a net in the garden, this mat is also going to give your grass some relief.
The beauty of the two different types of synthetic grass is that it allows you to work on your strike from various lies. The mat measures 32.5cm wide by 62cm long and comes with three rubber tees (7cm, 5cm and 3cm).
SKLZ Launch Pad Mat, RRP $49.99
This multi-purpose, portable mat allows you to hit full shots from two different surfaces: clean fairway (0.5” tall) and rough (1.5” tall). It also comes with a 2” tee and a 1” tee, allowing you to hit different shots with different clubs through the bag.
Champkey Pro Hitting Mat, RRP $99.99
The CHAMPKEY PRO is available in two sizes: 3ft x 5ft and 4ft x 5ft. It comes with two alignment sticks—a useful addition that ensures you keep working on your basics as you hit balls.
What’s more, you receive four rubber golf tees which allow you to work on each club in the bag. The synthetic surface simulates hitting from a real fairway, and whilst there’s no alternative ‘rough’ area to hit from, this is still a very good training aid.
