Artificial Putting Greens vs. Putting Mats for the Aspiring Golfer

Hitting the green consistently is a dream for many amateur golfers. But between work, family, and other commitments, squeezing in practice time can be a challenge. Training aids like putting mats can help tide you over in between visits to the golf course. But if you’re looking for serious practice that will translate on the fairways, an artificial turf putting green may be a smarter investment for you. Here’s why:

What Are Putting Mats?

Putting mats are portable training tools designed to mimic a putting green and help golfers improve their putting skills.

Putting mats come in various sizes with some featuring inclines or multiple holes to simulate different putting situations. Higher-end mats may even have ball return systems and alignment lines for a more advanced practice experience.

While putting mats offer a convenient way to practice putting, they may not be sufficient for serious training due to these limitations:

• Limited Speed and Feel: Putting mats often use artificial turf that doesn’t perfectly replicate the speed and responsiveness of a real green. This can make it difficult to accurately gauge distance control and feel.
• Lack of Break Simulation: Most putting mats are flat, unlike real greens, which can have slopes and breaks that affect ball roll. This can hamper your improvement because  they don’t accurately replicate the challenges you’ll face on the course.
• Limited Putting Variety: Putting mats typically offer a uniform surface, reducing the variety of putting scenarios you can practice.
• Wear and Tear: Frequent use can lead to mat wear, affecting ball roll and potentially even damaging your clubs. And since they can be rolled up for storage, this can create wrinkles and other issues if the owner is not careful.

The Artificial Putting Green: A Realistic Golfing Experience, Right at Home

Artificial grass putting greens offer a superior practice environment for several reasons, including:

• Variable Terrain: Unlike flat putting mats, artificial grass greens can be constructed with slopes, breaks, and undulations that replicate real-world putting scenarios. This allows you to practice handling putts with varying degrees of break, essential for lowering your score on courses with diverse green complexes.

• Realistic Feedback: Artificial putting green turf provides a more dynamic putting experience. The combination of textured fibers, appropriate infill materials, and proper green construction results in a surface that closely replicates the speed and responsiveness of bentgrass, giving golfers valuable feedback on their putting stroke and distance control.
• Texture and Imperfections: Artificial grass putting greens can be designed with different textures and imperfections to simulate the variety of surfaces found on real greens. 

This allows you to practice putts that might “grab” slightly or have a faster initial roll due to a different texture.

• Flexible Green Size: Putting greens can be built larger than most putting mats, allowing you to practice longer putts and putt from different distances and angles. 

• Stimpmeter Rating: This tool measures green speed. Many artificial grass greens can be constructed to achieve specific Stimpmeter ratings, allowing golfers to practice putting on surfaces similar to actual courses they might play. This is particularly beneficial for golfers who frequent courses known for their fast greens.

• Durable Construction: Artificial turf installation in San Antonio TX is meant to be part of your landscape and the same goes for putting greens. They’re highly resistant to wear and tear from both practice and daily foot traffic.

 

Finally, artificial grass putting greens offer a fantastic way to refine your short game at home, but the beauty lies in the ability to personalize your practice space. Here are some of the many ways you can customize a putting green to your playing style:

• Size: Go beyond the limitations of putting mats. Artificial greens can be built in various sizes, allowing you to practice full-length putts or create a putting complex with multiple chipping areas.
• Shape: Don’t be confined to a rectangle. Consider a green that wraps around a corner, incorporates a dogleg, or mimics a specific hole you find challenging.
• Fringe Areas: Replicate approach shots by including fringe areas with a different pile height or texture to simulate rough around the green.
• Surrounding Landscape: Integrate your putting green with your existing landscaping for a seamless look. Consider adding sand traps, water features, or decorative borders.

Learn More

Putting mats may be convenient, but when it comes to serious golf practice, they’re nowhere near the level of artificial putting greens. If you have more questions about our putting greens, please message us or call 210-876-4779 today to book your FREE consultation.