Best Putting Mats 2024: Eliminate those three putts and make more birdies
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Roll out the green carpet and transform into the putting star your game deserves. Today’s Golfer takes a look at the best putting mats in 2024.
Jump To: Best Putting Mats | Buying Guide | FAQs
Putting green, driving range, practice net, chipping area, or stocking up on snacks at the pro shop? Choosing how to spend any spare minutes prior to your tee time is a decision that probably doesn’t get the attention it deserves. In an ideal World, we would have time for all of the above, but all too often the driving range and the pro shop probably get the lion’s share of these minutes with maybe the odd put or two if time permits.
Warming up sufficiently by building through a full range of motion should always be non-negotiable, however, how many times does your scorecard fail to reflect the quality of your ball striking, let down by a putter you keep telling yourself you will practice with more this year? Unfortunately becoming a better putter is unlikely to happen just because you want it to… you have to make it happen!
Best Putting Mats: At A Glance
Best for everyday practice – PuttOut Medium Putting Matt | Buy Now – US | Buy Now – UK
Best for distance control – Perfect Practice Perfect Putting Matt | Buy Now – US | Buy Now – UK
Even the truly golf-obsessed among us spend more time at home than we do at the golf course. So, if you want to give yourself the best chance of becoming a better putter, you need to find a way to practice putting at home. But like any of the best golf training aids, leaving them out of sight in the cupboard isn’t going to turn you from Stabby McThreeJab into Ben Crenshaw.
The putting mat is a fake piece of turf that can be rolled out anywhere you have enough space that better replicates the pace and feel of a putting green more so than your spongy living room carpet. While they all perform the same basic function, each model will vary in the features on offer such as alignment tools, pace guides, hazards, stroke support aids, and even contours.
Whatever aspect of your putting you want to prioritize, there is a mat for you. So, without further ado, here are the best golf putting mats that deserve a spot in your home…
Best Golf Putting Mats 2024:
A useful alignment aid for medium to fast-paced greens
Best for everyday practice
Rrp: $64.99
Rrp: $64.99
The 6ft mat is printed with alignment lines at 1ft intervals and pace targets, designed to enhance your visual feedback. The mat has been designed with usability in mind, rolling flat straight out of the packaging, and comes equipped with a black drawstring carry bag. While useful on its own, the mat can be combined with the PuttOut Pressure Putt Trainer, Putting Mirror, or Pro Putting Gates to create a complete putting practice package.
Pros
- Useful alignment and pacing markers
- Rolls out flat
- Choice of color options
Cons
- Designed for flat puts only
| Features | Alignment guide and distance markings |
| Size | 240 x 50 cm |
| Colors | Green, Grey, Blue |
| Stimpmeter | 10 |
A pro-endorsed mat to help to practice breaking puts
Another key advantage of this system is the gates which can be adjusted to make your target area smaller as your accuracy improves or as a training aid to keep your back-swing and follow-through aligned to the target. The mat is plain in style and will suit players who prefer less visual assistance absent of multiple pace and alignment markings.
Pros
- Physical gates to reinforce good technique
- Foam inserts to create a break
Cons
- More width would be useful for steeper breaks
| Features | Breaking puts and adjustable gates |
| Size | 240 x 46 cm |
| Colors | Green |
| Stimpmeter | Unknown |
A premium putting mat with expert tuition included
Best for faster puts
The visual aids are developed using input from world-renowned golf coach Cameron McCormick, Jordan Spieth’s longtime coach who also provides training exercises and instruction via the Wellputt App. This mat reads up to 11.5 on the stimpmeter, making it comparable to some of the faster greens club golfers will encounter. We really liked the 'safe zone' around the hole which provides a useful visual aid for ensuring you consistently leave putts within gimmie range.
Read putting guru Phil Kenyon's 5 steps to better putting.
Pros
- Well-thought-through visual markings
- Two rolling speeds according to play direction
- Useful accompanying App to use alongside the product
Cons
- Available space may be a limiting factor with bigger models
| Features | Multiple visual aids and an App with training exercises |
| Size | 396 x 50 cm |
| Colors | Green and black |
| Stimpmeter | 10-11.5 |
Multiple visual targets with excellent ease of use
The mat has printed alignment lines, multiple target spots, and colored zones to help with alignment and distance control. This is a durable and low-maintenance putting mat that rolls straight out of the box, giving you no excuses for not grabbing a quick 20 minutes of practice over your lunch break.
Pros
- Lots of visual markings
- Easy to use
Cons
- No physical hole at the end
| Features | Multiple visual targets |
| Size | 305 x 66 cm |
| Color | Green and black |
| Stipmeter | 9 |
A premium quality putting green with a real golfing feel.
Best for real feel
One of the biggest advantages here over many others is the presence of actual holes. Many golfers don’t get the same satisfaction from just putting to a target marked out by lines, in which case the slightly dipped holes on this mat may justify the extra investment. Other useful features included are the sloped pads that can be inserted underneath to create breaking puts and a moveable cup to change your direction of putting.
Pros
- Actual dipped holes to putt into
- Slope pads for practicing breaking putts
- Premium quality artificial putting surface
Cons
- No visual training aids
| Features | Slope pads, moveable cups, fixed sunken holes |
| Size | 366 x 152 cm |
| Colors | Green |
| Stimpmeter | 10 |
A quality-produced putting mat designed to perfect your pace
The mat itself is of exceptional quality, and the lazy golfer will be particularly impressed by the wooden ramp that returns your ball to you after every putt. There are two target holes, one the size of a normal golf hole and one that’s a bit smaller. Both holes are placed atop a slight incline, which is designed to encourage you to be positive with your pace and should stop you from leaving putts agonizingly short out on the course. There is also plenty of alignment and visual aids to perfect your start line and stroke.
Pros
- Raised holes to encourage a good pace
- Alignment checkpoints
- Auto-ball return
Cons
- May be slightly quick for some used to slower greens
| Features | Alignment tracks, auto-ball return, two different-sized holes |
| Sizes | 274 x 15 cm |
| Color | Green |
| Stimpmeter | 10-14 |
Feel the pressure and nail your line to avoid this mat's hazards
Best for putting under pressure
The hazards sitting behind and to the side of the hole add a fun pressurized element to this mat and enable you to make up scoring systems for those who live in competitive households. This mat is also a great option for those looking to work on their alignment and distance control. There are alignment tracks printed onto the turf with added small, medium, and large gates so you can hone your accuracy. The raised hole will also ensure you accelerate through your ball and leave fewer putts short.
Pros
- Alignment guides and gates
- Raised hole to encourage good pace
- Fun use of water and sand hazards to add some pressure
Cons
- Not as premium quality as other models
| Features | Alignment tracks, gates, and hazard features |
| Size | 304 x 25 cm |
| Color | Green |
| Stimpmeter | 9-11 |
Best Golf Putting Matts: Buying Guide
If you’re reading this buying guide then that’s a great sign that you are taking your putting seriously and want to make sure you find the ideal mat that will take your flat stick game to the next level. Here are some of the key factors you may wish to consider before making your decision, and if you are looking to upgrade your putter at the same time, make sure to check out our guide to the best putters 2024.
Function
Are you looking to focus on one particular aspect of your putting, or perhaps need to make some incremental gains in a few different areas? Some mats have been engineered to help improve specific areas such as distance control, alignment, or reading breaks, whereas others will aim to achieve a hybrid of these functions. So thinking about what you need from a putting mat is a sensible place to start. Of course, it may just be fun, and therefore something with novel accessories or alternative designs might be more for you.
Ease of Use
As mentioned at the top of the page, you can have the best putting mat the World has ever seen, but if it lives in a cupboard then you’re not really giving it a sporting chance to improve your putting. Consider how much time you are likely to have available when using your mat. If you will typically be using the mat when you have a spare 10 minutes, then it’s important you opt for something with minimal set-up time so that you can just roll it out and get the putts rolling.
Space
The best putting mats on the markets come in a variety of sizes, giving you the option to practice putts within 10 feet through to longer putts of 25 feet plus. Consider where in your home the mat is likely to be placed and then take some measurements to ensure your choice of mat will fit comfortably. Note that your mat will perform betters on hard and flat surfaces than on soft, spongy carpets.
Budget
As with most things in life, you get what you pay for when it comes to putting mats. The more expensive putting mats tend to not only offer more features but also better quality turf. There’s nothing worse than unrolling your new putting mat to find it’s a fuzzy mess with more bobbles than that jumper your nan knitted you 25 Christmases ago. Premium putting mats tend to be more durable, too, meaning they could end up more economical in the long run, particularly if you plan to practice your putting regularly. That said, you don’t need to spend hundreds to get a good putting mat and start practicing your putting at home. We’ve found good options at various price points.
Best Golf Putting Matts: FAQs
Do putting mats help with putting?
Like any golf practice aid, putting mats are only worth it if you actually use them. So, if you are willing to put in some practice hours away from the course then putting mats can undoubtedly help with aspects of your putting such as alignment and pace control. With putting accounting for between 1.8 and 2.2 putts per hole depending on your ability, every bit of additional practice you get could make a big difference to your scorecard.
How can I practice putting at home?
Making putting a habit by practicing at the same time each day, perhaps a quick session during your lunch break or 20 minutes after dinner, is a more effective way of practicing than forgetting all about it for a month and then unrolling your putting mat for a three-hour session. Try to make your putting practice as enjoyable as possible through games and challenges. Anything that keeps your practice varied and engaging will be far more beneficial than aimlessly rolling the same putt over and over again without thinking.
What are the best practice putting mats?
The answer to this question will really depend on the main aspect of your putting game that you want to improve. All the models of putting mats featured in this guide will prioritize something slightly different, be it alignment, pace control, or even accessories to support your putting technique. Of course, the best putting mat is one that gets used regularly, so make sure you consider ease of use as well.
Do pros use putting mats?
Just because pros don’t always carry a putting mat around the globe with them, it doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t endorse the use of them for club players to help get some extra practice in. If you have time to get down to the practice green and hit a variety of puts then this will always be gold standard practice, however, this isn’t always practical with work and family commitments, so a putting mat is a fantastic next best option.
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About the author
Ross Tugwood – Senior Digital Writer
Ross Tugwood is a Senior Digital Writer for todays-golfer.com, specializing in data, analytics, science, and innovation.
Ross is passionate about optimizing sports performance and has a decade of experience working with professional athletes and coaches for British Athletics, the UK Sports Institute, and Team GB.
He is an NCTJ-accredited journalist with post-graduate degrees in Performance Analysis and Sports Journalism, enabling him to critically analyze and review the latest golf equipment and technology to help you make better-informed buying decisions.
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