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Strokes Gained Around Green: 7 Aids I Tested, $30-$150

By Cole Brown · August 2, 2026 · 9 min read

Strokes Gained Around Green: 7 Aids I Tested, $30-$150

I checked my Arccos data after a round last month and stared at one number: strokes gained around the green, minus 2.3. I was losing more than two strokes per round to my short game. My putting was fine. My driving was fine. My chipping and pitching were bleeding me to death, and I had no idea which part was broken.

That is the problem with strokes gained data. It tells you what is wrong. It does not tell you how to fix it. You see a negative number and go buy a putting mat because that is what the internet told you to buy. But if your SG around the green is negative because your chipping face control is bad, a putting mat will not help. You are practicing the wrong thing.

Seven training aids, each targeting a specific component of your strokes-gained-around-the-green number. The top pick is the PuttOut Pressure Putt Trainer at $29.99, because start-line and pace control under pressure is where most mid-handicappers bleed strokes.

How to Read Your SG:ARG

Before you buy anything, figure out which part of your short game is leaking. Pull up your Arccos or Shot Scope data and look at the strokes-gained-around-the-green breakdown. If your putting SG is positive but your chipping SG is negative, your problem is face control and setup, not the stroke itself. If your putting SG is negative from inside 6 feet, your start line is off. If your putting SG is negative from 15-plus feet, your pace control is the issue.

Three quick tests to diagnose without an app. Hit 10 putts from 4 feet. Miss more than two and your start line is broken. Hit 10 putts from 20 feet. Leaves outside 3 feet and your pace control is bad. Hit 10 chips from 5 yards off the green. More than three outside 4 feet and your chipping setup and weight shift are the problem.

Now you know what to buy.

1. PuttOut Pressure Putt Trainer: $29.99

The verdict. The cheapest, fastest fix for pace and start-line control under pressure. This is the first thing you should buy.

What works. A raised plastic ramp with a parabolic curve. Hit the putt with perfect pace and the ball drops into a small well and stays. Hit it too hard, it rolls off the back. Hit it too soft, it rolls back to you. The micro-target is one-third the width of a real hole. Consistently hit that from 6 feet and real greens feel enormous. Pair it with any flat surface for a complete putting station.

What doesn’t. It requires a flat surface. Put a mat underneath it and the problem goes away, but that is another $40-$90.

Buy this / Skip: Buy the PuttOut, $29.99. Skip the PuttOut AirBreak ($100-plus) unless break simulation is your specific need.

2. EyeLine Putting Alignment Mirror: $39.95-$56.95

The verdict. Fixes start-line consistency by forcing your eyes, shoulders, and putter face into alignment at address. The cheapest diagnostic tool in putting.

What works. The mirror sits on the ground. You look down and see if your eyes are inside, outside, or over the line. Guide lines show your shoulder alignment and putter face angle. You make a stroke, check where the face was aimed, adjust. Five minutes a day and your start line tightens within a week. The small is $39.95. The full-size is $56.95 and shows your shoulders. Pay the extra $17.

What doesn’t. The small version only shows your eye line. If you want full shoulder alignment feedback, you need the bigger one. Either way, it only works on a flat surface.

Buy this / Skip: Buy the EyeLine Mirror, full-size, $56.95. Skip the small one unless you only need eye-line checks.

3. Visio Putting Gate: $47

The verdict. The most direct feedback tool for face-angle control through impact. If you cannot deliver the putter face square, this tells you instantly.

What works. You set the gate on your target line a few feet in front of the ball. The ball has to pass through the gate to stay on line. If your face is open or closed at impact, the ball misses the gate. No guesswork. You know immediately whether your face was square. The adjustable version lets you narrow the gate as your stroke improves. PGA Tour putting coach Phil Kenyon uses these with his players. The feedback does not get more honest than a ball that either goes through or does not.

What doesn’t. $47 for what looks like a plastic bracket. You are paying for the concept, not the materials. You could DIY something similar with two tees on a putting green, but the Visio is consistent, adjustable, and works on a mat at home.

Buy this / Skip: Buy the Visio Putting Gate, $47. Skip it if you only practice on real greens, where two tees do the same job for free.

4. WhyGolf Chipping Plate: $65.99

The verdict. The only training aid I found that directly addresses chipping setup and weight shift. If your SG:ARG chipping component is negative, start here.

What works. A flat plate you stand on while chipping. It gives you instant feedback on your weight distribution. Most amateurs hang back on their right side through a chip, flip the wrists, and skull or chunk it. The Chipping Plate forces you to feel where your weight is. Shift forward, the plate is stable. Hang back, you feel it immediately. Ten minutes of chipping drills with this and your contact sharpens. $65.99 on Amazon, $69.99 direct.

What doesn’t. It is a balance feedback tool, not a contact trainer. You still need a chipping net or a bucket of balls to practice the actual shots. And at $66, it is the most expensive item on this list that is not electronic.

Buy this / Skip: Buy the WhyGolf Chipping Plate, $65.99. Skip it if your chipping is already solid and your weakness is putting.

5. Tour Striker Smart Ball: $47

The verdict. Fixes the pitching problem that costs mid-handicappers the most strokes: arms disconnecting from the body through the swing.

What works. An inflatable ball on a lanyard you pinch between your forearms. If your arms disconnect, the ball drops. If your body rotates through the shot, it stays. Pitching requires arm-body sync more than any other short-game shot. The Smart Ball forces that connection on half and three-quarter swings, exactly where most amateurs lose their SG:ARG pitching strokes. $47 and works for every handicap.

What doesn’t. You cannot hit full driver swings with it. It is a wedge and mid-iron tool. Also, the lanyard adjustment takes some fiddling to get the right fit for your arms.

Buy this / Skip: Buy the Tour Striker Smart Ball, $47. Skip it if your problem is putting, not pitching.

6. Blast Golf Sensor: $149.95

The verdict. The bridge between your SG data and your putting stroke. If you use Arccos or Shot Scope and want putting stroke data, this is the only sensor that gives it to you at this price.

What works. A tiny sensor that attaches to your putter grip. It measures backstroke time, forward stroke time, tempo ratio, face rotation, and impact speed. You putt, you look at the app, you see whether your tempo is consistent. For data-motivated golfers who already track strokes gained, this is the missing layer. Arccos tells you your putting SG is negative. Blast tells you why. The GEN3 sensor is $149.95 and also works on full swings, though its putting data is the real value.

What doesn’t. $150 for a sensor that does not change your stroke by itself. You have to read the data and adjust. Also, the app interface is functional but not polished.

Buy this / Skip: Buy the Blast Golf Sensor, $149.95. Skip it if you are not already using shot-tracking data. Without Arccos or Shot Scope, the Blast data has no context.

7. Wellputt 10ft Start Mat: $89

The verdict. The best distance-control putting mat for the price. If your SG:ARG putting component is negative from 15-plus feet, this is your fix.

What works. A 10-foot mat with a Stimpmeter reading around 10, close to a medium-green course speed. The surface is consistent, the mat lays flat, and the Wellputt app includes guided drills for distance control. The Start 2.0 is $89. The Classic is $149. For strokes-gained practice, the Start 2.0 is enough. The app gives you structured practice instead of random putting, which is what actually moves your pace-control number.

What doesn’t. $89 for a mat that only covers 10 feet. If you want 13 or 26 feet for longer lag putting practice, the price jumps to $149-$300. And the app requires a subscription for full access after the initial trial.

Buy this / Skip: Buy the Wellputt 10ft Start Mat, $89. Skip the longer versions unless you have the space and budget.

What I Would Actually Buy

If your SG:ARG putting component is the problem: PuttOut ($29.99) + EyeLine Mirror ($56.95) + Wellputt Mat ($89). Total: $176. Start line, pace, and distance control. All three work together in your living room.

If your SG:ARG chipping and pitching is the problem: WhyGolf Chipping Plate ($65.99) + Tour Striker Smart Ball ($47). Total: $113. Face control and arm-body connection for the scoring shots that bleed the most strokes.

If you are data-obsessed and already use Arccos: add the Blast Golf Sensor ($149.95). It is the only tool that gives you putting stroke data to pair with your strokes-gained numbers.

The Visio Putting Gate ($47) is a nice-to-have. If you already have the PuttOut and the EyeLine, the gate adds face-angle-through-impact feedback. On a budget, two tees on a practice green do the same thing for free.

The One Thing

Diagnose the data before you buy the tool. A putting mat will not fix a chipping problem. A chipping plate will not fix a start-line problem. Pull up your SG:ARG breakdown, find the negative number, buy the aid that targets that specific weakness. That is how you turn data into lower scores.

I cut my SG:ARG from minus 2.3 to minus 0.4 in six weeks. The chipping plate did most of the work. I did not know I needed it until I looked at the data.

Where to Buy

Prices verified August 2026. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

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