One of the favourite aspects of my golfing life is practising my putting on the lounge carpet at home. I guard against coffee tables and rugs infiltrating the arena and have long delayed the replacement of the carpet now that I have compressed the pile over time to get the right speed.
I like it because it is a flat neutral surface that you can practice those short range putts on and I usually do a drill involving holing out 3 balls from 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 feet using a hole shaped putting practice aid that really helps with the stroke and racking up the pressure.
Therefore when the PuttOut Pressure Putt Trainer turned up at Golfalot HQ it was right up my street because as you can see from the video below this review, it was created with the same principle of recreating the pressure of a putting drill, but with feedback as to whether you made the putt and also how you made it.
It features a parabolic ramp that folds flat so that it can be stored easily or put in your golf bag and the design background of inventor Martin Riddiford is clear to see in this functional and stylish shape.
The white circle is the same 4.25 inch width as a golf hole, although I would have gone for 4 inches to create more of a challenge and make the real thing seem bigger when you are on the course.
Hit the ball in the 'hole' and it should go up the ramp and back down again, running out to the distance past the hole the ball would have gone if it had missed, so you also get feedback on pace. Putt off line and it will fall off the edge of the ramp to show you have missed the putt.
It has a spiked rubber sole that can be used inside or out and the benefit is that it saves you going to pick the ball(s) out of the hole as the Pressure Putt Trainer returns it automatically if you are successful.
This works very well on the shorter 2 to 4 feet putts as you will hardly need to move your feet to retrieve the ball, so you may only need one ball. From further away it will require a couple of steps to get the ball, so additional balls can help here.
You can recreate most of your putting drills with the PuttOut Pressure Putt Trainer and the only real difference is that you don't have to change your stance as much if you don't want to, plus it probably saves a bit of time.
For hard core practisers, you can pop the Micro Target down to reveal a small hole in the centre of the ramp and the ball will stick in there if you get the line and the pace right.
This is not easy at any distance and I found the greater degree of difficulty really helped me focus on and improve the tempo of my stroke and the pace of the putt, which is something not many other putting practice aids can do.
For good putters this can become extremely addictive to try hole out in the Micro Target and it is a clever way of creating an advanced level.
Having been to more than my fair share of golf trade shows where every gadget known to golfkind is on display, the PuttOut Pressure Putt Trainer stands out as a well-designed, well thought out product that is simple to understand, easy to transport, can be used inside or out and will enhance your putting practice sessions.