***If you’re looking for the most recent reviews for 2023 gear, we will be updating this page in the summer after we’ve had a chance to review them!
If you’re in a hurry and just want to find the Best Indoor Putting Green in 2022, then we recommend the Big Moss.
If you are like me, you just love the game of golf. A round with friends, for business, or with family is something that both brings you closer together and allows you to have fun. An indoor putting green is something that can improve your golf game when used correctly, but just as importantly can transform your office or a room in your home into a place of social interaction and fun. It is important to find the best indoor putting green to help improve your stroke or make your office an even better place to do business.
In this article, we’re going to be reviewing the following indoor putting greens:
Why purchase an indoor putting green?
Putting is the most important aspect of lower scores on the golf course. No matter the course, your putter will be your most often swung club in every round. You may use your driver 12 times, your wedges 18, but you will always putt more than 25 times per round. With that said, an indoor putting green can help you improve the one thing that can lower your score the most.
If you follow this guide and find a good putting green that replicates the real thing, you can really perfect your putting form. You can add hills, undulations, and different distances that can really help you.
How to choose the best indoor putting green
The three major things that you are looking for in an indoor putting green is how “true to life” the surface is, how solid the construction is, and the size of the putting green. Additional features like distance markers and alignment guides can also add to the effectiveness of the putting green. You have decide what is most important to you and to the space that you are using and make your decision accordingly.
Of all of the features mentioned above, the idea of the putting green being “true to life” is probably the most important feature. If you just purchase a mat or vinyl pad, then you are really just using it to take up space. If, however, you really want the putting green to increase your putting ability, it has to feel and play like a real green.
What is the best way to use an indoor putting green?
There are many things that an indoor putting green can be used for, and each of these things are great. Whether it be for social reasons, time constraint reasons, or game improvement reasons, an indoor putting green can really improve your home or office. It can also be a great way to show your personality and your love of the game of golf. But hopefully it will help you avoid the dreaded 7 putt:
Game Improvement
The best reason to purchase an indoor putting green is to help improve your golf game. If you could just take one stroke off the front and back nine of every round, your have improved your handicap immensely.
Games that you used to lose could turn into wins and those annoying and embarrassing three putts can become a thing of the past. I remember driving the green on a par 4 and thinking about how I would at least birdie the hole and have bragging rights for the round. Unfortunately, four putts later, nobody remembered the great drive, just the missed opportunity.
Time Constraint
Maybe you do not have time to get to the driving range and practice green. Work, family, friends, and other social obligations have made it where just squeezing in a round of golf or two every month is about the best you can hope for. When this is the case, it can be frustrating to see your scores go up as your feel and putting goes down. Having a putting green at your disposal is the perfect way to work around the inevitable time constraints that come as your life gets busier and busier.
Social
The social aspect of adding an indoor putting green to your home or office cannot be overstated. They lead to fewer awkward conversations and more visitors coming to take a few swings with you.
It is the perfect way to get to know people and takes a lot of the pressure off of making conversation or finding something to do as you work up to a sale. While this may not help your golf game, there is something to be said for the social improvements an indoor putting green can have on your life.
Is an indoor putting green like the real thing?
Unfortunately, nothing is like the real thing. Being out on the course and having the wind, the environment, the poorly cut grass, the sun burnt greens, and the slight movement caused by the hill that you could not see is different than any indoor putting green could ever be. But you can get pretty close. And while all of those small but important aspects of putting exist in real life, a putting green can improve your muscle memory and get your putting stroke to be as consistent as it has ever been. It is not the real thing, but it is better than nothing.
Best Indoor Putting Greens Reviewed
The following are five of the best indoor putting greens on the market. They are a good sample of what is out there and include some of the features that you will want to have when purchasing your next putting green.
Tour Links
The Tour Links indoor putting green is quickly becoming known for the training aids that come with it.
The string guide allows you to follow the club head down the path, the stroke groover block allows you to work on consistent club head acceleration, and the hash mark allows you to work on proper head and body placement. These are just three of the six training aids featured on the Tour Links putting green. There is, however, a focus on aids at the expense of feel and size.
Pros
- Six great training aids including the string guide, hash mark, and additional hold location.
- You putt on the green rather than off to the side.
- You can add subtle breaks and speed changes with the contoured mat.
- Easy to store and sets back up quickly and easily
Cons
- It is one of the more expensive indoor greens.
- Shorter and not as wide as some of the other greens.
- The feel and texture is not as good for the price.
SKLZ Accelerator Pro
The SKLZ Accelerator Pro is just like the putting green your grandfather used to use.
It is long and skinny with a slope right at the hole. There is a ball return feature that happens whether you make the putt or not. It has some training aids, and it comes at a great price.
Pros
- Easily the least expensive option.
- The ball return feature is perfect for using just one ball and not losing momentum.
- Split up into 3, 5, and 7 foot increments so that you can practice different speeds and distances.
- You can slope and “unslope” the cup to practice different speeds.
- Good feel and texture for the price.
Cons
- Limited to straight-line, short distance putting.
- Not as many training aids.
- You putt from off of the green.
- Shorter and narrow than some other options.
Putt-A-Bout
This is the first putting green on the list that gives you a few different angles with which to work by offering multiple hole locations.
It is not the traditional long and skinny indoor green as there is some width and texture on the backside. It is a smooth surface that mimics the feel of a well manicured green.
Pros
- Great feel and texture for an indoor putting green.
- Kidney shape provides for multiple angles to 3 separate holes.
- It is a big surface.
- You can putt while standing on the green.
- The “sand bunkers” on the back help to catch misfires and errant shots rather than having them slide off of the green.
- Great price
Cons
- It does not include a ball return feature.
- There are no training aids, it is simply a blank putting green.
Big Moss
The “Big Moss,” like its name suggests, is a huge indoor putting green that covers more surface area than the other products on this list.
There is also a chipping mat that comes with it that can be placed anywhere off of the putting green allowing you to work on your short game around the green. The chipping mat adds a few feet to the already large nine foot by three foot putting area.
Pros
- A large surface to start with that is made even larger with the chipping mat.
- A wall around the back of the green to catch errant shots.
- The simplicity of just one hole while having the size to provide multiple angles and distances.
- The flag is an added touch.
Cons
- Does not provide the same feel and texture as some of the other choices.
- The chipping mat can only be used in certain circumstances.
VariSpeed Putting System
The VariSpeed Putting System is large and somewhat busy, but a great training aid.
There are adjustable speeds depending on where you putt, you can customize breaks and subtle movements, and it even folds up for easy storage. It is a great option for practicing or just having fun with friends. It does not attempt to replicate real greens, but to be an aid that helps you perfect your putt.
Pros
- You can actually change the speed of the green.
- Great texture and feel for a felt mat.
- You can change the breaks and movement on the mat.
- The best training aids of any of the greens on this list.
- When you roll it out, it is 10 feet long, but it is simple to store and folds up well.
Cons
- Does not replicate a green and does not even try to.
- More of a training aid than a putting green.
- The customization options sound better than they perform.
Our Choice
The Big Moss indoor putting green is the clear winner out of this group. It is the most true to life and has great feel and size.
The chipping mat was a great addition as it allows you to work on all aspects of your short game rather than just your putter, and especially if you have the room to work with it. There are others that have more training aids, but if you are looking for the best actual putting green, the Big Moss set itself apart from the competition.