It looks the easiest, it could well be the hardest, but putting is arguably the most important to successful golf. The putter is the most used club in the bag, and is the only club used on every hole, so it's crucial you can roll putts well if you are to shoot the scores you desire.
Brands know this which is why many of them spend incredible amounts of time and money on creating the best putters for you whether they are blades, mid-mallets or mallets. Having a nice putter is only good if you know how to use it, and these putting aids can help you get that putting stroke working and shave shots off your scorecard in due course.
Why You'd Want To Buy A Putting Aid
So then why would you want to get one of the best putting aids out there? Well one of the best things about putting is, it is the one part of the game that can be practiced pretty much anywhere which makes a good putting aid one of the best golf accessories you can think about buying.
There are loads of different types of aid too so whatever you need to work on - whether that be feel, stroke, swing path, grip or confidence, there is something for everyone. If a player is looking to cut their handicap and shoot better scores, the easiest way to do that is to become a killer with the flat stick. These putting aids can help match all those variables together to create a solid, consistent putting stroke.
So what putting aid suits what you need to work on? A flat putting mat for distance control? Or a elevated mat with a hole to visualise that golf ball dropping into the cup? Putting mirrors are regular appearances on the practice greens on PGA Tour golf courses too, as pros look to perfect their putting stroke.
We have looked at what we think are some of the best putting aids below, all of which will conveniently store away and be used pretty much anywhere so you can practice anywhere too. This means practicing doesn't have to be an hour-long exercise. Take 10 minutes of your lunch break to hit a few putts and you'll be surprised at home beneficial it can be!
For more buying guides around putting and practice, check out our comprehensive pieces on the most forgiving putters and best golf training aids too.
The Quick List
The Perfect Practice Putting Mat is a great training aid that will help hone your stroke. The various lines do a great job of providing clear visual feedback.
A brilliant training aid that gives instant feedback on face angle. After only a few uses you'll be able to gain a clearer understanding of how you present the face at impact.
This is an exceptionally clever piece of engineering that provides golfers with the ability to practice all manner of breaking putts in their own homes at an affordable price.
This is one of most enjoyable and challenging putting aids out there. It's best use is to help with pace control and finding the 'perfect putt' is a great way to focus your practice.
The Pure 2 Improve putting mat comes in two large sizes - 3 and 5 meters - which makes this a great mat if you're looking to improve your longer, lag putts.
Here's your chance to work on a part of your game that you've likely ignored, the breaking putt, which makes up around 90 per cent of your work on the greens.
The mini series of golf lessons talks you through how to make the most of the mirrors and the feedback is immediate. The tips are simple but cover some obvious faults which make this a must-buy.
The PrimePutt golf putting mat is certainly up there among the best putting mats out there thanks to the use of premium materials. The tour-grade nylon turf represents real greens superbly well.
Best Putting Aids
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Top pick
When people think of putting aids, automatically most with think of the classic putting mat - and for good reason.
With Dustin Johnson's name on the box and after seeing several adverts for this mat, we tested the 9ft version to put it through its paces, and we were not disappointed. The mat does come in smaller sizes for those who might lack the space required for a full-sized putting accessory.
Mats often vary in speed – some are lightning quick while others feel like you’re putting on a wet green. This mat is quick, but not silly speeds. The incline before the hole encourages brave, well hit putts that will install confidence in the user over time, while various lines on the mat help create visual aids while practicing which help improve alignment as well as the start line of the putt and path of stroke.
There’s no need to break your back by continuously picking the ball out of the hole, either, with you ball conveniently rolling down the wooden runner on the right of the mat and back to your feet for you to line up and do all over again. To save it getting too repetitive, there are two holes to aim at which allows the player to play mini challenges. One hole is bigger than the other, so when you aim for the smaller hole and then revert back to the normal sized hole, it feels a lot bigger than it should (in the best way). It’s a great confidence building exercise.
Despite the length of the mat coming to 9ft, it is easily stored away and isn’t too big when rolled up.
- Read our full Perfect Practice Perfect Putting Mat Review
Most challenging
If you like a challenge while practising your putting, the Devil balls from PuttOUT could be the product for you.
They give immediate feedback on your face angle at the impact of your putt, with the ball designed with a flat edge impact zone to help the player feel the face angle delivered at impact and to promote the right feel to get the putter face as square as possible upon striking the putt.
The Devil balls, true to their name, have half the tolerance of a regular golf ball which makes these knee-knocker 3ft putts doubly difficult. During testing, we quickly gained a better understanding of face angle using this product which has helped on those short putts to save par. Not to discriminate for high-level players, PuttOUT present three difficulty levels of golf balls that slowly reduce the tolerance of face angle you can present for the ball to roll correctly. The alignment marker that comes as part of the set also works as a handy training aid to encourage you to hit up on the ball.
- Read our full PuttOUT Devil Balls Review
Best clever design
For a number of years, PuttOUT has been making some of the best putting mats that allow you to hit straight putts and work on technique and start line, which is a crucial element of putting practice. But they have also released a clever mat which helps players work on breaking putts as well, the AirBreak.
It features a flexible and strong EPP base which has 8 points of adjustment to allow the user to create breaking putts across the 8ft area. This is cleverly achieved by having 8 air pockets built into the frame, with players using the pumps and release valves to raise and lower the base which PuttOUT says allows users to create break in seconds. In testing I thoroughly enjoyed the AirBreak and found both the setup and usage really simple and intuitive. The flexibility of the base means that, unlike some other solutions, AirBreak doesn’t just pivot on a single plane, which allows you to create double-breakers
I also enjoyed was the automatic ball return. It is battery-powered, and holed putts are returned to your feet instantly, which is a great reward for a successful putt. Overall this is a clever design which all levels of player will enjoy using and practicing on.
- Read our full PuttOUT AirBreak Putting Mat Review
Best putting game
PuttOUT offer great range with their practice tools, and the Premium Pressure Putt Trainer is another example of that.
It is designed to simulate the exact conditions of hitting a putt by returning the ball the exact distance the ball would have gone past on a real green. The perfect putt will stay in the hole but this is a difficult and often frustrating task, it’s really difficult to do which can help focus the player while he or she practices if they can deal with the frustration.
It won’t return your ball all the way back to you, like the Perfect Practice Putting Mat does, but it still does a good job of rewarding good putts and punishing bad ones. We think the price is pretty reasonable as well, especially in the number of cool colors and special edition finishes you can get it in.
- Read our full PuttOut Premium Pressure Putt Trainer review
Best for pace control
A common misconception when practicing your putting is that you have to hole putts over and over again. Good putters avoid three putts more than they one-putt, so dialing in your distance control is the crucial first step to becoming efficient on the greens.
The Pure 2 putting mat, available in three or five meter sizes, is a great putting mat for those looking to improve their pace control on those longer, lag putts. The unusual feature of this mat is that there is no hole at the end of it, but in testing 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.
These mats do come at a premium price, especially the larger models, but the more you use it the better value for money you will get – and you should use this one a lot if you’re serious about improving your putting!
- Read our full Pure 2 Improve Golf Putting Mat Review
Best value
Gone are the days where putting mats are flat, straight and typically a bit boring. The Breaking Ball Putting Mat provides three revolutionary breaking balls that are weighted differently to replicate three severities of break. The green represents slight break, red medium and blue a heavy sloping break. The ball can be adjusted to slide right or left through the screw inside the ball.
This mat adds another dimension to your practice from home, allowing you to practise those 4ft tester putts from the comfort of your own home. The balls sound like they’d feel a bit weird to hit, but they don’t feel to alien to the sort you would us out on the course. This product simulates real putting really well, which is all you can ask for from a device you can easily use at home.
- Read our full Breaking Balls Putting Mat review
Best putting mirror
For any golfer looking for immediate feedback on their putting stroke, this mirror is a great tool to use. With two mirrors included in this set, one for full swings and one for alignment, along with a storage pouch and adjustable stand, this is one of the best value training aids we’ve seen.
For advanced visibility, both mirrors have a convex design, and one of the mirrors also features a number of alignment lines that can be used to ensure your putter remains square through impact, making it one of the best putting aids on the market.
Another bonus of this training aid is the fact it comes with a selection of handy how-to videos from Me And My Golf, with the videos sharing advice for making the most of the mirrors and adjustable stand, including guidance on exactly which notch to set the stand to for different forms of training.
- Read our full Mini-Max Training Mirrors Review
Best premium materials
If you live in a country prone to wet weather, then a sure fire way to work on your putting regardless is a high-quality putting mat, and this PrimePutt model is an example of this.
Starting with the materials, it is made from a premium, nylon synthetic turf which felt heavy and robust. The brand claims this nylon mimics the feel and roll of PGA Tour greens at tournament speed, running between 10-11 on the Stimpmeter. In testing, we found it to feel very realistic and therefore ideal to help develop your stroke.
The mat comes in several different size options, ranging from a 1.5ft x 9ft single hole mat, all the way up to a 3ft x 15ft 3-hole mat. We tested the 3ft x 9ft length and found it to be a fair size to fit in most rooms. Our only criticism: it could be wider. Three holes feels a bit overkill as even when we were putting to the middle hole we found our heels hovering over the edge of the mat.
On the whole, it's a fantastic mat and undoubtedly one of the best putting mats we've tested. The sleek, wooden engraved back-stop collects balls without them bouncing back and really adds to that premium look.
- Read our full PrimePutt Golf Putting Mat Review
How we test golf gear
At Golf Monthly we test golf gear with the same ethos because we aim to be as thorough and transparent as possible because this will better inform us on the quality of products, and therefore we aim to inform you as well.
A crucial part of this ethos is simply by using the products properly, whether that be out on the golf course, or in the case of training or putting aids, on practice areas, driving range or at home. We feel this is a good way to see the performance of the products, test the manufacturers claims, and see what the product is like in the real world.
What makes our reviews worth your time is that they are made for golfers, by golfers. There no such things as 'buying a good review' here - if a product is good, we'll tell you how and why. In the same way, if a product is disappointing, we'll give our opinions as to why that is. With so many options for golf equipment out there, it is important to us that we help you find the right gear for your game and that begins with our rigorous testing and reviews.
How to choose a putting aid
Golf putting aids are evolving - gone are the days where its a simple flat mat with a hole in it. They now comes in many shapes and sizes, promoting different aspects of the putting stroke for you to work on. Here are some of the main things to consider before deciding which one is right for you:
Design
Different designs of putting aids do different things. If you want to work on the mechanics of your putting stroke, a mirror is the kit for you, whereas some of the putting mats listed above can help more with feel and pace control on the greens. Alternatively, if you want to add a bit of fun to your putting practice, there are models for that, too.
Durability
What is the point of paying money for a putting aid that wont last very long. Aids go through more wear and tear than you think, especially mats used at home that are rolled up and stored. As a result, it's important to choose one with sufficent durability to match your intended use.
Portability
The best devices are ones that can be transported. Staying in a boring hotel on a work trip? Bring your putting aid and hit putts for an hour! The competitor in you will thank you come Sunday when the putter catches fire in the club competition.
Where are you going to use it?
Have a think about where you want to use your putting aid. Indoors? Outdoors? On carpet? On wooden flooring? This will then dictate which models above you want to go for.
Price
Given the range of options, there are useful putting aids on the cheaper side of the spectrum, not just the more expensive side. Pick a sweet point for your budget and go from there to choose the aid that fits your game best.
For more golf gear buying advice, check out our guides on the best golf launch monitors, best golf simulator, or best golf rangefinders.
FAQs
What putting aids do the pros use?
When we have been out on Tour we have seen professionals using a variety of different putting aids. Some decide to simply use tees and alignment sticks whilst others use putting mirrors. We believe some also use putting mats and practice greens in their own homes as well.
How do you practice putting in golf?
There a variety of ways to practice putting these days because there are several different elements to putting. As such the answer to this question will entirely depend on what you want to work on. If you want to work on your stroke, then a plane device or mirror will do the job, whereas if you want to practice with games then an aid with a hole will work here. Additionally there are devices for alignment, pace control, posture and several other facets to putting as well.
If you want more buying advice, why not take a look at our guides on the best golf net, or best golf mat as well.
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