You will hit more putts than any other shot, yet it is the easiest part of the game to practise at home. These aids sharpen the three things that actually drop putts: a square face at impact, a repeatable stroke path and the nerve to hole the short ones. Roll a few balls in front of the telly and watch your scores fall.
A pocket-sized putting aid: a parabolic ramp with a micro-target that catches dead-perfect putts and rolls everything else back to you. Aimed at anyone who wants to practise short putts at home or on the range without chasing balls all over the carpet.
What's great
The genius is the maths. The ramp returns a "made" putt the same distance it would have rolled past the hole, so it quietly drills pace control on those knee-knocker 6-footers. It's daft simple, sets up in seconds, packs into a bag pocket, and the no-faff ball return means you actually keep practising instead of bending down every five seconds. Reviewers and owners alike (Plugged In Golf, Golf Monthly) rate it as the training aid they keep coming back to, and it's genuinely addictive chasing that "perfect putt" that sticks in the micro-target.
Worth knowing
It only trains line and pace, nothing about your actual stroke mechanics, so it won't fix a wonky path or face. It's short-putt only, no use for lags. The micro-target is brutally hard and some folk find that more demoralising than motivating. Biggest real-world gripe: it needs a true, flat surface. On lumpy carpet or a cheap mat the returns wander and the feedback turns to mush, so a decent putting mat is almost mandatory.
The verdict
For the money it's a cracking, honest little tool that makes short-putt practice fun and builds real pace control. Just know it's a supplement, not a swing doctor, and pair it with a flat mat to get the most out of it. I rate it.
The PuttOut Putting Mat is a roll-up indoor putting mat with printed alignment and distance guides, aimed at golfers who want to grind on short putts at home over winter or before a round.
What's great
The build is the standout. It's got a proper heavy rubber backing, so it unrolls dead flat in seconds with no books or weights needed, and it rolls back up into the bag just as quick. The surface gives a genuinely smooth, true roll, and the printed kit is actually useful: distance markers every foot, putter face and path alignment lines, and a ghost hole to aim at. Reviewers and long-term owners rate the durability highly, with some using theirs almost daily for years and it still holding up.
Worth knowing
It runs slower than the marketing says. PuttOut claim a 9 to 10 stimp, testers found it closer to 9, and on fluffy carpet it drops under 8, so put it on a hard floor or it putts dead. It's narrow (around 1 foot 8), so you stand off the mat, and at under 8 feet it's short, this is short-putt practice only. The real nag: putt the same line repeatedly and the ball wears a groove that subtly pulls your ball back into it. And note this is just the mat, the trumpet-shaped returner is a separate trainer.
The verdict
A well-made, honest little mat that I rate for short-putt reps, just keep it on a hard floor and accept it's a starter mat, not a slope-and-speed practice green.
A weighted practice ball with flat edges that exaggerates face angle errors at impact, so a slightly open or closed putter face sends it visibly offline.
What's great
The feedback is instant and impossible to argue with, which is the whole point of a training aid. Reviewers at outlets like Golf Monthly have praised PuttOUT gear for nailing simple, well-made practice tools, and this fits the pattern. The three difficulty levels mean it scales with you: start on beginner and a decent stroke still rolls it true, flip it to pro and even good putters get humbled. Because it's the same size and weight as a real ball, the stroke you groove transfers straight to the course. It also packs into a tiny pouch, so it actually gets used rather than living in the garage. Practice green sessions become weirdly competitive once your mates have a go.
Worth knowing
It's £25 for two plastic balls, and no amount of clever engineering makes that feel cheap. It diagnoses the problem but doesn't coach the fix, so you may end up frustrated if your stroke has deeper issues. A few owners also find the pro level so punishing that it knocks confidence rather than building it. And if you only putt a handful of times a year, this is overkill.
The verdict
A genuinely clever, pocket-sized putting truth machine. Expensive for what it physically is, but it earns its keep if you practise regularly.
A set of three powder-coated steel putting gates in decreasing widths (70mm, 60mm, 50mm) that you set just in front of the ball. Roll the putt through without clipping the posts and your face was square at impact and your start line was true. Miss the gate and you know exactly what went wrong. They work on a practice green with the feet removed or indoors on a mat with the weighted feet attached, and there is a slot for an alignment stick if you want to build a fuller drill.
What's great
The feedback is ruthless and immediate, which is the whole point. The three widths give you a real progression: start with the forgiving 70mm gate to build confidence, then work down to the 50mm gate where you need to be within half a degree of square to get through cleanly. Build quality is genuinely good for the money, the steel feels solid and the weighted feet keep them planted indoors. It packs into the pouch small enough to live in your bag, and it is equally useful for a two-minute pre-round warm up or a long practice session.
Worth knowing
It only trains start line and face angle at impact. It tells you nothing about read, pace over distance, or stroke path, so it is one piece of a putting toolkit rather than a complete fix. The narrowest 50mm gate can be genuinely demoralising if your stroke is not already fairly sound, and beginners may want to live on the wider gates for a while. The spiked feet bite fine on a real green but can be fiddly to get level on a thin indoor mat over hard floor.
The verdict
If you want the cheapest, most honest way to find out whether you are starting putts on line, this does exactly that and packs away to nothing. Just go in knowing it is a face-and-line tool, not a cure for three-putting from distance.
A putting alignment mirror that reflects your eyes and shoulders back at you so you can see whether your setup actually matches what it feels like. PuttOut now sells it as a Mirror and Adjustable Gate Set: the mirror plus two magnetic guides for the stroke path and an adjustable gate with several width presets for start-line, breaking-putt and target work. The mirror also pops out of its rubber case as a 1mm version when you just want the bare essentials.
What's great
The feedback is immediate and unforgiving in the best way. Line your eyes up over the ball, check your shoulders are square, set the face to the printed line, and any little drift shows up instantly. The magnetic guides are genuinely sturdy and the gate gives you several drills rather than one, so it earns its place in the bag for longer than most aids. The spiked rubber base grips carpet and short grass well, and the whole thing folds into the travel bag so you can take it to the club.
Worth knowing
Despite the scratch-proof talk, the mirror surface scuffs more easily than you would hope. A few months of the magnetic guides and putter head brushing across it leave visible marks. It does not really hurt how it works, but it nags at you for the money. Speaking of which, it now ships as the gate set near 50 pounds rather than the older standalone mirror around 30, so check you actually want the gate and guides before buying. And like any mirror trainer, it tells you what your setup is doing, not whether your stroke or read was any good.
The verdict
If your bad putts start before the stroke even begins, this is one of the few aids that keeps paying off. Buy it for the honest setup feedback, accept the surface will scuff, and know you are paying for the full gate set rather than the mirror alone.
A 3m roll-up putting mat from WellPutt, the entry 10ft First model in their range. The surface is printed with alignment and stroke-length markers and pairs with a free app that walks you through drills built around setup, start line, pace and consistency. It is a structured practice system more than a novelty mat.
What's great
The roll is the standout. It is among the truest and most consistent of any home mat, running at a realistic medium-to-fast green pace rather than the dead, draggy feel of cheap fabric mats. The on-surface markers actually teach something: eye position over the ball, square face, repeatable backswing length. The latex backing lies properly flat on hardwood or tile and does not creep about, and the whole thing rolls up small enough to stash behind a sofa. The app is a genuine bonus, not filler.
Worth knowing
There is no hole or cup, so all your feedback comes from start line and pace, not the satisfying rattle of a ball dropping. Some golfers find that less motivating and less realistic over time. The surface is deliberately quick, so if your home greens or your course run slow it can flatter your pace and take adjusting to. At 0.35m wide it only suits straight putting drills, not breaking putts. Pricing also bounces around between roughly 75 and 89 depending on promotions, so it is worth checking before you buy.
The verdict
If you want to actually practise putting indoors rather than just putt at a target, this is one of the best mats at the price. Buy it for the true roll and the coaching app, and add a separate return cup if the missing hole bothers you.
A premium roll-out putting mat with a wooden frame, two hole sizes, alignment "train track" lines and a gravity ball return, fronted by Dustin Johnson. Aimed at golfers who want to grind their short putts at home or in the office.
What's great
The thing genuinely earns its keep on the short stuff. The surface is fast and smooth (roughly tour pace), and the ball return means you can fire off dozens of reps without ever walking to pick balls up, which is the real reason you actually practise. The alignment lines are great for grooving your start line and stroke path, and the two holes (regular plus a smaller one) let you ramp up the difficulty as you get sharper. Plugged In Golf, Golf Monthly and Practical Golf all rate it highly, and the wooden frame feels properly made rather than tat. Setup is about a minute once it has flattened.
Worth knowing
It is not for everyone. It only does dead straight putts inside about ten feet, so there is no break, no lag work and no speed control over distance. The surface is so smooth it punishes any tilt in your floor, so you NEED a properly level hard surface (carpet introduces random breaks, hardwood is best). It takes around 24 hours to flatten out of the box, the ball return geometry favours right handers, and it costs a fair bit more than the cheap mats. If your floor isn't flat, skip it.
The verdict
I rate it for what it is: the best home aid going for drilling confidence into short, straight putts, as long as you have a flat hard floor and accept it won't teach you break or pace. If you want all-round green practice, this isn't it.
A flat aim-line board you set down a foot or so behind the ball. You place two of the supplied steel marbles to form a narrow gate just ahead of the ball, line up the printed aim line to your target, and putt. If your start line and face angle are square, the ball rolls cleanly through the gate. Push or pull it even slightly and the ball clips a marble, which rattles away and tells you instantly that you missed. The board also has dots for checking your eye position over the ball, and it doubles as a green-reading reference because every putt has to start on a straight line first.
What's great
The feedback is honest and immediate in a way a mirror never is. A mirror tells you your setup looks right; the marble gate tells you whether the ball actually left the face on line, which is the bit that decides whether putts drop. It is dead simple, packs flat into a carry case, and works on an indoor mat or the practice green. Narrowing the gate as you improve gives you a built-in difficulty dial, so it stays useful long after the early wins.
Worth knowing
It only trains the first few inches of the stroke, so it is a start-line and contact tool, not a distance or long-lag trainer. The loose marbles are easy to lose and a pain to chase on a real green, especially in any breeze or on slower carpet. It rewards a straight putt, so if your intended putt has real break you have to aim the board at your start line rather than the hole, which trips some people up at first. And the board needs a genuinely flat, true surface to give clean readings.
The verdict
One of the most honest putting aids going for short-range start line and strike, because the marbles cannot lie. If your misses come from starting putts off line it is well worth the modest outlay, just know it does nothing for distance control and keep a few spare marbles handy.
