5 Putting Training Aids That Are Actually Worth The Money

As a child, my erratic long-game left me heavily relying on chipping and putting.

I’ve roped in countless training aids in the last 29 years to refine my stroke, and in this post, I share my top 5 picks to help you reduce your 3-putts.

By the end of this post, you’ll understand how putting mirrors and gates together with wrist sensors promotes greater accuracy and control. In addition, you’ll learn how a lag circle aid can improve your distance control on longer putts.

 

1. EyeLine Golf Putting Alignment Mirror – Best Overall

How It’ll Improve Your Putting: Enhances your putter face alignment

Pros:

• Put a mirror on your stroke to see it more clearly
• Includes putter gate slots
• Alignment optimization guidance
• Moderately priced
• Easy to transport

Cons:

• I felt that the slots for restricting your stroke were too close to each other to achieve varying speeds
• Durability is in question

The EyeLine Golf Putting Alignment, which improves alignment, is a popular choice for both professionals and amateurs. EyeLine Golf uses a putting reflection to provide instant feedback regarding your putting stroke, and the alignment of the putter face.

This device is very easy to transport and install. After placing the device on the green, i used the guidelines provided to accurately position a ball in the strike zone. The alignment mirror is marked with a black line to indicate the center. I used my putter aligner as an extension of that line.

Once I was happy with my aim, the tee slots of the aid were used to create a gate in the impact zone. I narrowed the impact zone to train myself to make a more consistent contact, resulting in a clean rolling putt. I also placed an extra tee to the rear of the aid in order to control my speed.

Here’s a video demo of the product:

 

2. GoSports Align Putting Gates – Best Budget

How It’ll Improve Your Putting:Guides you in the right direction

Pros:

• Affordable putting aids
• Portable
• The package includes 3 gates of varying width
• Improves your accuracy from 3 to 20’
• Super quick to set up

Cons:

• For better accuracy, you still need to read the green before setting the gates
• Without tees, the gates are prone to falling over in a breeze.

GoSports Align Putting Gates provide a good, affordable option for the average budget-conscious golfer. The package includes 3 metal putting gate with varying widths from 3 to 20 foot to promote consistency.

I found the gates to be very useful for straight line and break putts. Once I had determined my line, I placed gates at three checkpoints between the ball and the cup. The ball dropped into the cup when it cleared the gates.

If I missed the cup even after my ball passed through the gates, then I knew I had not aimed correctly and I adjusted the position accordingly. The 2” gate best suits putts between 3 to 5’, while the 3” model is made for 6 to 10’ putts. Lastly, the 4” gate served me well on 11 to 20’ putts.

Here’s a video demo of this product:

 

3. PrimePutt Tour-Quality – Best Putting Mat

How It’ll Improve Your Putting:Indoor practice for short and medium putts

Pros:

• Premium quality turf
• Carry a speed from 9 to 11 on stimpmeter
• Includes 3 cups
• Includes a backstop which prevents the ball leaving the mat
• Available in 4 sizes

Cons:

• Priced at premium levels
• Alignment lines would be useful

We conclude our review of best putting aids by recommending our top selection for putting greens that you can use anywhere to practice your stroke. PrimePutt Tour Quality Mat is a premium mat with a smooth roll, stable surface and available in 4 sizes.

The compact 9’ x 1.5’ build will serve your needs if you have limited indoor space. I prefer a larger putting green. We loved trialing the 15’ x 3’ setup, which enabled us to work on short and medium-length putts in a living room.

PrimePutt recommends that the green rolls between 9 and 11 on the Stimpmeter. I can believe that. It was smooth as glass and rolled evenly, simulating the real-life experience of putting. The putting area is equipped with three cups, which provide a nice change of scenery. We also appreciated the backstop that confines the ball to the mat.

Here’s a video my colleague August recorded testing and reviewing the PrimePutt:

 

4. GoSports Lag Circle – Best For Lag Putting Training

How It’ll Improve Your Putting:Distance control for long putts: How to improve it

Pros:

• Enhances consistency in lag-putting
• Includes 2 circles for putting and chipping
• Reduces 3 putts to lower scores
• Promotes consistent speed, accuracy and consistency
• Easy to set up

Cons:

• Costly for circles
• It is not easy to fold away

You can reduce your 3 putts by lag putting efficiently. The GoSports Lag Circle ranks among the best training aids for putting to improve your longer shots. A 6’ and 3’ circle are included in the package and are easy to set up and start practicing.

I found the 3’ circle made more sense for lag putting practice, as anything outside of this radius is further than I want to be from the cup. Although nothing stops you from using the 6’ circle, I feel it is better suited to other short game training, like chips and bunker shots.

I placed the 3’ construction around the cup and focus on getting my ball into this zone. I also incorporate a game to my training routine so that I can practice with a goal. Every putt that ends inside the circle is a 2-putt. All putts that fall short or run past are considered a 3-putt bogie.

At the end of my session, I tally up the scores, and if I’m over par, I go again until I finish even for the session.

And here’s a video of this product in action:

 

5. HackMotion Plus – Best for Putter Face Control

How It’ll Improve Your Putting:For greater accuracy, the square face is encouraged.

Pros:

• Delivers detailed insights into wrist angles
• Promotes ulnar deviation to restrict freedom
• Encourages more accurate putts
• Instant feedback
• The application provides tutorials to guide you in your training.

Cons:

• Premium-priced products
• The application is only compatible with iOS and Android devices.

It is important to control your wrist movement during the putting motion in order to optimize your putter head’s path for a clean, accurate and rolling putt. HackMotion Plus measures the flexion, extension and radial and ulnar deviation of your wrists in order to determine the loft at impact and plane taken during setup.

I’ve learned the importance of ulnar deviation in controlling the putter face by utilizing the advanced analysis of HackMotion. It limits your range-of-motion, allowing you minimize wrist movement while generating the same deviation at address and impact.

If you notice that your graph is all around the place, then you are using an erratic and excessive wrist movement. HackMotion’s sensor helps you improve your stroke by guiding you through the fundamentals.

As shown in the image, you can also achieve ulnar deviation by holding your left hand in front of yourself and angling it diagonally towards turf. Repeat the position with your right hand. Your left-hand fingers should point diagonally right and the right hand fingers to the left.

Grab your putter first with the left, then the right. You will notice that your freedom of motion is limited, which is exactly what you want. This position helps you control the face of the club and limit wrist motion for a consistent swing.

Here’s the product in action:

 

FAQ

Are aids worth the cost?

Yes, putting tools are worth the investment because they improve your accuracy, speed control, green reading, and alignment. I find that they are very effective in training the average player to minimize wrist motion and square the putter’s face at contact, resulting in a clean and consistent roll.

What putting tools do the pros use to putt?

Pro golfers use mirrors and gates to help them focus on the correct stroke path. Tiger Woods is seen practicing with only 2 tees, which are not necessarily a tool for putting. This promotes contact with the center face of the club to improve accuracy and distance control.