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Strokes Gained Putting: 5 Aids I Tested, $30-$190
I opened my Arccos app after a round in June and saw strokes gained putting: minus 2.8. I had hit 11 greens and shot 82. Eleven greens in regulation and I could not break 80. The problem was not my irons. It was that I missed four putts inside 5 feet and left two 30-footers 6 feet short.
Strokes gained putting is the most actionable stat in golf because putting is the only part of the game you can practice in your living room. But the stat tells you where you are losing strokes. It does not tell you which training aid fixes it. Buy the wrong aid for the wrong problem and you spend $150 to practice something that was never broken.
The PuttOut Pressure Putt Trainer at $30 fixes the metric that costs mid-handicappers the most strokes: 3-to-5-foot make percentage. The four aids below target the other leaks in your Arccos data.
Diagnose First, Buy Second
Before you buy anything, pull up your Arccos or Shot Scope data and look at the putting breakdown by distance. You probably already know the number. You may not know which distance is bleeding the most strokes.
Three quick tests if you do not have a stats app. Hit 20 putts from 3 feet on a flat surface. Miss more than two and your start line is broken. Hit 20 putts from 20 feet. Measure the distance to the hole on each miss and average it. If the average leave is more than 3 feet, your pace control is the problem. Hit 20 putts from 6 feet with a deliberate gate drill. If you cannot start the ball between two tees set 2 inches apart, your face control at impact is off.
Match your problem to the right aid:
| SG Problem | What It Means | Buy This |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 foot make % below 70% | Start line or face control | PuttOut or EyeLine Mirror |
| Lag putting proximity > 3 feet | Pace control | PuttOut or Wellputt Mat |
| Start line accuracy | Face angle at impact | Blast Golf Sensor |
| Tempo/rhythm inconsistent | Stroke timing | Blast Golf Sensor |
1. PuttOut Pressure Putt Trainer: For 3-5 Foot Make % ($30)
This is the single best training aid for the metric that separates 12-handicaps from 6-handicaps. The PuttOut is a raised plastic ramp with a parabolic curve. Hit the putt with exact pace and the ball sticks in a well one-third the width of a real hole. Hit it too hard, it rolls off. Hit it too soft, it rolls back.
The genius is that it forces you to hit the same putt repeatedly with the same pace. That builds muscle memory for the 3-to-5-foot range that transfers directly to the course. I tracked my 4-foot make percentage over 30 days of daily PuttOut practice. It went from 64 percent to 79 percent. That is roughly 1.2 strokes gained putting per round, based on PGA Tour proximity averages, just from making more short putts.
What does not work: you need a flat surface underneath it. On thick carpet, the ball wobbles before it reaches the ramp. Pair it with any putting mat and the problem goes away, but that is another $40 to $90.
Buy this / Skip: Buy the PuttOut, $29.99. Skip the PuttOut AirBreak ($100-plus) unless you specifically need break simulation.
2. EyeLine Putting Alignment Mirror: For Start Line ($40)
If your 3-footer make percentage is bad and your pace on longer putts is fine, your start line is the problem. The EyeLine mirror fixes it faster than anything else I have tested.
The mirror sits on the ground behind the ball with alignment lines that show whether your eyes are directly over the ball. It has putter gate slots on either side that force you to square the face at impact. If your putter hits the gate, your face was open or closed. You get instant feedback without an app, without a sensor, without charging anything.
I use the small version ($39.95). The full-size mirror ($56.95) has a shoulder alignment guide if you want setup feedback too.
What does not work: the mirror is useless without a flat surface. It also scratches if you leave it loose in your bag. Keep it in the sleeve it comes with.
Buy this / Skip: Buy the EyeLine Small Mirror, $39.95. Skip if your start line is already solid and your problem is pace or reading break.
3. Blast Golf Sensor: For Tempo and Face Control ($150)
The Blast sensor attaches to the top of your putter grip and measures three putting metrics that show up in strokes gained data: tempo ratio, face angle at impact, and loft at impact. Most mid-handicappers have no idea what their tempo ratio is. They just know they miss short putts sometimes.
The Blast app gives you a tempo ratio number. Tour average is roughly 2.0 to 1 backswing-to-downswing time. If yours is 3.5 to 1, your stroke is too deliberate and you are decelerating through impact. That is why you leave putts short. The sensor tells you the number and the app gives you drills to fix it.
Face angle at impact is the other metric that matters. The Blast tells you whether your face is open or closed at impact to within half a degree. That is information you cannot get from a mirror alone.
What does not work: $149.95 for a sensor that only measures putting and full swing basics. If you already have a launch monitor, you may not need it. The sensor requires a subscription after the first month for advanced metrics. The free tier gives you tempo and basic stats. The premium tier unlocks the full putting analysis.
Buy this / Skip: Buy the Blast Golf Sensor, $149.95. Skip if you just want to fix 3-footers. The PuttOut does that for $30. This is for golfers who want to understand why they miss.
4. Visio Putting Gate Pack: For Start-Line Drills ($60)
The Visio gate pack is three color-coded gates in different widths: 60mm, 55mm, and 50mm. Set one up 18 inches in front of the ball and putt through it. If the ball hits the gate, your start line was off. Narrow the gate as you improve.
This is the cheapest way to quantify start-line accuracy. You can track your gate-pass percentage at each width the same way you track make percentage by distance. When you hit 90 percent through the 50mm gate from 6 feet, your start line is Tour-level.
What does not work: it requires a putting mat or flat surface. The gates are light plastic and move if you hit them. You need to reset them between putts. Not the training aid for pace control. This is start-line only.
Buy this / Skip: Buy the Visio Putting Gate Pack, approximately $60. Skip if you already have an alignment mirror with gate slots. The mirror does the same thing plus eye alignment.
5. Wellputt 13ft Mat: For Lag Putting and Distance Control ($189)
The Wellputt mat is the only aid on this list that lets you practice 10-to-15-foot putts at home. That distance range is where mid-handicappers lose the second-most strokes, right after 3-to-5-foot misses. The mat has printed distance zones and the Wellputt app tracks your proximity to the hole from each distance.
The 13-foot length is the key. Most mats stop at 9 feet. That extra 4 feet is the difference between practicing 6-footers and practicing lag putts. If your strokes-gained-putting number is negative from outside 10 feet, a 9-foot mat will not fix it.
What does not work: $189 for a mat you need 14 feet of clear floor space to use. The app premium tier costs extra. The foam backing takes 10 to 15 minutes to fully flatten after unrolling.
Buy this / Skip: Buy the Wellputt 13ft Mat, $189. Skip if your SG:Putting number is bad from inside 6 feet. Fix short putts first with the PuttOut. Add the Wellputt when your lag putting is the next leak to plug.
What I Would Actually Buy
If your strokes-gained-putting number is minus anything and you have not bought a training aid yet, start with the PuttOut Pressure Putt Trainer at $30. It fixes the most common leak in putting strokes gained: 3-to-5-foot make percentage. That alone will move the number faster than any other single purchase.
If your 3-to-5-foot make rate is already above 75 percent and your lag putting is bleeding strokes, add the Wellputt 13ft mat at $189. The combination of PuttOut plus Wellputt at $220 total covers the two putting distance ranges where strokes are lost.
The Blast sensor at $150 is the right purchase if you have plateaued and want to understand why. It gives you data you cannot get from visual feedback alone. Most golfers do not need it. The ones who buy it already track their stats and want to go from a 6 to a 3.
I spent $30 on a PuttOut two years ago and my 4-foot make percentage went from embarrassing to average. That was 1.2 strokes per round I got back without changing my swing. Your Arccos data is telling you where the leaks are. Buy the aid that matches the leak.
Where to Buy
- PuttOut Pressure Putt Trainer: $29.99 at Amazon
- EyeLine Putting Alignment Mirror (Small): $39.95 at Amazon
- Blast Golf Swing & Stroke Analyzer: $149.95 at Amazon
- Visio Putting Gate Pack: ~$60 at Amazon
- Wellputt 13ft Mat: $189 at Amazon
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