An improvement in any area of your game can lower your golf score.
That could mean a new driver that is longer off the tee and more forgiving. It could mean irons that offer a penetrating flight on longer shots along with great spin on short ones. It could mean wedges that get effortlessly get you out of trouble spots around the green. It could mean a new putter that is more stable and allows for better results on off-center hits.
Of course, no equipment will make your swing better. That requires practice. Unfortunately, practicing golf involves time and/or space, two things many golfers struggle with. Practicing your full swing involves either an elaborate set-up somewhere in your home or a visit to the local driving range.
There is one part of your game that you can practice at home with minimal space and effort. That is putting, of course. The great news is that improving your putting is the best way to lower scores for a great many golfers.
At A Glance: Our Top Choices For Indoor Putting Greens
- VariSpeed Putting Green SystemBest Overall
- PROADVANCED ProInfinity Best Training Aid
- Putt-A-Bout Grassroots Best Budget Choice
There are a number of indoor putting greens that require little space, many of them quite affordable. Here are some of the best indoor putting greens money can buy.
Top Product Overview
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Top Indoor Putting Greens
VariSpeed Putting Green System
As you play different courses, you are likely to encounter greens that vary widely in their speed. That speed is measured by a device called a Stimpmeter. Readings of below 10 are slower, with faster speeds registering a higher number.
For some perspective, the greens at Augusta National, home of the Masters, are estimated to be about 12-13 on the Stimpmeter. This indoor putting green allows you to adjust the speed to four different settings, from 7.5 to 13.
It also allows for custom breaks to be added to your putts and shows traces of your putts.
This is a terrific indoor putting green, marred only by the raised lip surrounding the faux cup at one end.
Pros
- Variable speeds
- Traces your putts
- Allows for breaks
Cons
- Raised lip on cup
PROADVANCED ProInfinity
The best part of the ProInfitinity indoor putting mat is its ability to be adjusted in many ways. You can change the slope in five different ways at four different speeds.
Of course, that is not an infinite number of ways but it remains a good practice tool.
Unlike most other choices in indoor putting green, it has its cup in the middle of the long and narrow green. With its raised lip, that cup is ill-designed and ill-placed.
That’s a shame because this is otherwise an excellent training aid.
Pros
- Durable
- Highly adjustable
- Great training aid
Cons
- Cup in middle of green
Putt-A-Bout Grassroots
With a very simple and clean design, the Grassroots indoor putting green is made with PEP resin. That is a polyester material commonly used in clothing. Here it provides a stable and durable base to putt on.
The three raised cups at one end of the putting mat and kidney-shaped design allows for several different angles to putt from. The end with the cups is raised but not as sharply as many other putting mats.
This is a simple and effective design that would benefit from a bit more room behind the three cups. There is but a few inches behind. That’s a negative when practicing speed.
Still, for the money, this is a good option for an indoor putting mat.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Simple design
- Durable
Cons
- Little room behind cups
Big Moss Augusta
At 12 feet by 4 feet, the Big Moss Augusta is slightly larger than most indoor putting greens. Still, it’s not so large that it cannot fit easily into almost any room of your house. Maybe even the basement?
Two different cups are staggered at one end of the green. While those cups and the size of the mat offers up different putts to practice, the raised end of the putting mat is a concern. Most people find the putting surface mimics real putting quite well with the ability to change things up a bit with Big Moss’s True Roll gain.
The Big Moss practice putting matt isn’t awful but does not mimic real-world conditions. So, as far as the best indoor putting green – it does not win the prize by a long shot
Pros
- Larger than the norm
- Two different cups
- Easy to set up
Cons
- Creases may form
Abco Tech Golf
If not for a few design flaws, this could be an excellent practice putting mat. First, the good news.
The synthetic turf does a good job of simulating real grass. It is a nice surface to putt on. Also, the backing is substantial enough to deter creases from developing, a common problem area for portable putting mats.
Unfortunately, this indoor putting green from Abco Tech is so narrow that you stand outside the turf in order to putt. That is an unnatural position and less than ideal for an indoor putting green. Also, one end is raised to allow for the recessed cups. That, too, is not something you are likely to encounter on the course.
Overall, it is a reasonable training aid, but don’t expect it to be exactly the same as a real putting green.
Pros
- Nice synthetic turf
- Durable backing
- Two cups, one smaller that helps refine your game
Cons
- Too narrow
FORB Home
![FORB Home Golf Putting Mat (10ft Long) - Conquer The Green In Your Own Home! [Net World Sports]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/512-8BCmy8L.jpg)
This indoor golf putting matt comes in two sizes, 10 feet and 12 feet. The 50-millimeter foam base should prevent any creases from forming in this portable golf mat. And, it provides a more realistic putting green surface to practice on.
There are three different cups at one end of the golf mat, which is good. Those holes sit on an elevated surface, which is not so good. Still, that 2-inch incline is not as sharp as some other mats, reducing the ineffectiveness.
Pros
- Foam base is durable
- Three cups
- Easy to store
Cons
- Inclined at one end
PuttOut Pro Golf
There is plenty to like about this putting green. Printed alignment guides and a completely flat surface combine to give you a realistic and substantive practice experience.
The surface speed is 10 on the Stimpmeter, a nice number that is squarely in the middle of most courses. Five drills are included to help your practice.
If only the putting mat were larger. The length is less than 8 feet. That’s not great. But the real problem is the width. At less than 2 feet, that means you will be putting from off the turn. Even though it’s a slight difference, you will be standing below the height of the ball.
Still, this indoor putting green is a good practice aid.
Pros
- Markings lead to quality practice
- Drills guide included
- Flat surface
Cons
- Too small
SKLZ Accelerator Pro
Here is an excellent example of a practice golf putting green that could have been better, but for a fatal flaw.
Three alignment guides help you hit straighter putts. An automatic ball return is good for the lazier among you. It is 9 feet long, plenty long enough for indoor use.
But a sharp incline at one end to allow for the cup is completely unrealistic. You can practice your alignment pretty well here. But speed and line are both important. The ramp makes practicing speed less effective.
Pros
- Alignment guides
- Portable
- Automatic ball return
Cons
- Severe incline at one end
MESIXI Indoor|Outdoor
This is basically two practice greens in one. One on side is a green that is lighter in color, which provides more resistance than the darker side. Two cups on each side are intended to provide more precision to your putting stroke, as each is smaller than regulation.
An automated ball return makes practicing easier.
Unfortunately, there is a sharp incline before the cups that is the bane of putting mats.
Pros
- Two greens in one
- Ball return system
- Precision practice
Cons
- Too narrow
StarPro Professional
With five different holes, this green features a simple design that allows for putts from multiple angles. The putting surface has an awfully thin backing and the cups are raised slightly, but you can still get in some decent practice with this green.
Has a center focus target that helps with your alignment.
Pros
- Starball center target
- Multiple holes
- Nice size
Cons
- Cups are raised and not realistic
Not all of these putting greens are equal in effectiveness, of course. What that boils down to are factors that range from the design to the materials used to the overall size of the green. Let’s take a look at some of the most important design elements.
Materials
A synthetic grass material, plastics, foam, and rubber are all common materials used in the construction of putting greens.
The faux grass should, as much as possible, mimic the real grass you find on greens on course. It should also be durable enough to withstand repeated use. If it develops grooves or if the grass becomes flattened in spots, that will reduce its effectiveness.
Worse, it could harm your game instead of helping it, enforcing bad habits instead of good ones.
Plastics are sometimes used for the cups and for a ball return, if the green has one. To be honest, if you see plastics used in a putting green, it is almost always of dubious quality.
Foam and/or rubber are used for a backing on the green. This is important as it has two jobs. The first is to keep the greens from the grooves we mentioned above. Secondly, many of these greens are intended to be portable.
The last thing you want is for the green to develop creases where it is folded or rolled up. A good backing material will help prevent that.
Size
There is a Goldilocks element at play here. You want a practice putting green that is large enough to practice a variety of length putts. You don’t want it to be so large that it will not fit in your home. Not everyone has a large basement or other large room that can be devoted to practicing golf, even on a temporary basis.
In other words, you want a size that is just right. Typically, that means something that is long and narrow, roughly 9 or 10 feet long and about 3 feet wide.
Cup Design
This is more important than it might seem on first glance. Ideally, you want a cup that mimics conditions on course. That is usually not practical. There are three types of cups typically used in practice putting greens.
First, you sometimes see cups that are similar to those on course. The problem here is that you would need to have a putting green that is elevated to allow for such a thing. That is not practical for the indoor greens we are talking about. To pull this off, indoor or portable greens have a raised area at one end to account for the cup.
This is something you never see on a golf course and turns this from one of the best to the worst choice.
Second, you might see some kind of raised plastic cup that you are supposed to roll the ball over a lip and into a recessed area. Again, not real-world conditions. Also, this has the effect of stopping putts that are going too fast. This is also not a great choice.
Third, is a painted cup on the putting surface that you are supposed to aim for. This might seem counterintuitive but it is actually the best option. Putting guru Dave Pelz maintains the proper speed for any putt is one that will leave you about 17 inches beyond the cup. That is the perfect speed for both holding the line and allowing the ball to go in when it does not hit dead center.
It also leaves you a return putt you should make close to 100 percent of the time. If you have a painted putting surface on your practice green, you can perfect the speed of your putts, aiming to stop the ball 17 inches beyond the painted cup.
Three Putting Greens We Like
The VariSpeed Putting Green System is our choice for best overall. It allows you to practice at various speeds with a green that is made with high quality materials. Our only beef is with the raised cup. You can actually not install that cup if you would like.
The PROADVANCED ProInfinity Putting Mat is our top pick for best training aid. It is highly customizable for a variety of speeds and breaking putts. Again, a raised cup detracts from what is otherwise a great tool.
The best budget choice is the simple but effective Putt-A-Bout Grassroots putting green. It is the right size to fit anywhere and the raised end is more gradual than others that have an actual cup. It is far from perfect but offers good value for the price.
