5 Putting Training Aids That Are Actually Worth The Money

Updated on July 19, 2023

My erratic long game as a youngster left me relying heavily on chipping and putting to save the day.

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:

• Efficient putting mirror to watch your stroke
• Includes putter gate slots
• Optimal alignment guidance
• Moderately affordable
• Easy to transport.

Cons:

• I felt the slots to restrict your stroke were too close together to achieve varying speed
• Durability is questionable

The EyeLine Golf Putting Alignment is a popular option among professionals and amateurs for its ability to improve alignment. EyeLine Golf employed a putting mirror to provide instant feedback on your putting stroke path and the alignment of your putter face.

This affordable device is easy to transport and set up. After placing it on the green, I positioned a ball into the strike zone, using the guidelines to set up accurately. A black line dissects the alignment mirror to signal the center of the training aid, and I ensured my putter alignment aid became an extension of that line.

Once satisfied with my aim, I decided to use the tee slots on the aid to create a gate at the impact zone. I trained myself to produce more consistent contact for clean rolling putts by narrowing the impact area. Finally, I placed an additional tee at the aft of the aid to restrict my backstroke for better speed control.

Here’s a video demo of the product:

2. GoSports Align Putting Gates – Best Budget

How It’ll Improve Your Putting: Guides you along the right line

Pros:

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

Cons:

• You still need to read the green before setting up the gates for better accuracy
• The gates tend to fall over easily in a breeze without securing them with tees

GoSports Align Putting Gates are a suitable, affordable option for the average golfer on a budget. The package consists of 3 metal putting gates with varying widths to promote consistency from 3 to 20 feet.

I found the gates were valuable for straight line and breaking putts. Once I had determined the line, I placed the gates at 3 checkpoints between my ball and cup. When the ball successfully cleared the gates, it proceeded to drop into the bottom of the cup.

However, if my ball went through the gates and still missed the cup, I knew I had aimed incorrectly and adjusted the positioning 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: Lets you practice short and medium putts indoors

Pros:

• Premium quality turf
• Carries a speed of 9 to 11 on the stimpmeter
• Contains 3 cups
• Includes a backstop to prevent the ball from leaving the mat
• Available in 4 sizes

Cons:

• Priced at a premium
• It would be nice to have alignment lines

We close our review of the best putting training aids with our top putting green selection to work on your stroke anytime, anywhere. The PrimePutt Tour-Quality is a premium build putting mat, which rolls smoothly, is stable and is available in 4 sizes.

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

PrimePutt suggests the green rolls at a speed of 9 to 11 on the Stimpmeter, and I can buy that. It was glassy smooth and rolled consistently, simulating a real-life putting experience. Finally, the putting green is fitted with 3 cups that provide a change of scenery. We also appreciated the backstop to confine 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: Optimizes your distance control on long putts

Pros:

• Boosts lag-putting consistency
• Includes 2 circles for chipping and putting
• Works to reduce 3 putts and help lower scores
• Promotes consistent speed and accuracy
• Easy to set up

Cons:

• Expensive for circles
• It does not easily fold away

Efficient lag putting takes your flat stick game to the next level, enabling you to reduce 3 putts. The GoSports Lag Circle tops the best putting training aids to improve your longer attempts. 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. Finally, I incorporate a game into my training regime to practice with a purpose. Every putt that finishes inside the circle is considered a 2-putt par. However, everything that falls short or runs past is a 3-putt bogey.

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: Promotes a square face at contact for greater accuracy

Pros:

• Delivers detailed insight into wrist angles
• Promotes ulnar deviation to restrict freedom of motion
• Encourages more accurate putts
• Produces immediate feedback
• The application includes tutorials to guide your training

Cons:

• Premium-priced product
• The application only works on iOS and Android, not Windows

Controlling your wrist action during the putting stroke is essential to optimizing your putter head path for an accurate, clean, rolling putt. The HackMotion Plus measures flexion, extension, ulnar and radial deviation of your wrists to identify the loft of the face at contact and plane taken from setup through impact.

I’ve learned the importance of ulnar deviation in controlling the putter face by utilizing the advanced analysis of HackMotion. It restricts your range of motion, enabling you to minimize wrist movement and generate the same deviation from address through impact.

If you notice your graph is all over the place, you are producing excess wrist movement and an erratic stroke. The HackMotion sensor guides you to develop a perfect stroke by better understanding the fundamentals.

Finally, to achieve ulnar deviation, hold your left hand out in front of you and angle it diagonally towards the turf, as in this image. Now, hold out your right hand and repeat the position. Your left fingers should point diagonally left and the right-hand fingers to the right.

Keep this position and grab your putter with the left hand, followed by the right. Notice how limited your freedom of movement is, which is what you want. This position will help you control the clubface and limit wrist action for a consistent stroke.

Here’s the product in action:

FAQ

Are putting aids worth it?

Yes, putting aids are worth it because they enhance your alignment, green reading ability, speed control, and accuracy. I find they are efficient in training the average golfer to minimize wrist action and square the putter face at contact for a clean, consistent roll.

What Putting tools do the pros use?

Pro golfers use putting tools like mirrors to focus on their stroke path, and they set up gates to promote the right line. Although not necessarily a putting tool, you can see Tiger Woods practicing with just 2 tees promoting contact with the center of the clubface for better accuracy and distance control.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.