One of the best ways to sharpen up your game this winter ahead of the new season is by working on your putting. The first thing you’re going to want to do is purchase one of the best putting mats and I wanted to test the PuttOut Medium putting mat to see if it could be considered one of these.
Watch: Best Putting Mats 2024
When thinking about whether putting mats actually help you get better at putting, it's important to remember that using a mat versus putting on your carpet is not only more run, it's also more realistic and there are usually lines and other graphics to guide you and give you feedback.
The PuttOut medium putting mat falls at the lower end of the price spectrum when it comes to putting mats - $59 to be precise. While it doesn’t have the slope and ball retriever features more expensive mats like the PuttOut Airbreak does, this mat is ideal for someone who wants to sharpen their skills with the flatstick without wanting to break the bank on a putting mat.
This mat totals out at 7ft 11” long and has distance markers displayed at every foot up to six feet. The mat is only 1ft 8” wide which does mean you don’t actually stand on the mat when putting but it’s not thick as the likes of the PrimePutt putting mat, so it didn’t feel as though the ball was considerably above your feet.
There are other alignment features on the mat to help you align the putter face square at address and there is a ghost hole feature to aim at. While this mat is perfectly usable by itself, it’s also great to lay some training aids on it to help with your practice. I threw down a putting mirror for some extra feedback and added the PuttOut Premium Pressure putt trainer - a little gadget that acts as a hole and gives you a more precise target to aim at.
There are many putting mats out there and they all run at slightly different speeds. To get the most out of your practice on a mat, having a good understanding of the general speed of the greens at the course you play most regularly will help you massively when it comes to pace control. The PuttOut medium putting mat is said to run between 9 and 10 on the stimpmeter but after testing I would say it runs closer to a 9. This could be because the surface is fairly new and the pile-cut nylon hasn’t quite bedded in and so after more consistent use and wear, I could see how the surface could compress and the speed could creep up to about 10 on the stimp.
Overall the PuttOut Medium putting mat has pretty much everything you need in order to sharpen up your putting this off-season. At just under $60 it’s very affordable and thanks to the durable rubber sole it rolls flat instantly after being removed from the handy drawstring carry bag it comes with. If you’re not fussed about extra features and just want a simple putting mat to tide you over, the PuttOut Medium putting mat is a great option.
