5 Best Indoor Putting Greens & Putting Mats in 2023

There is not enough time in a day to be able to practice golf. Golfers are constantly looking for ways to improve and become better, and the indoor putting green or indoor putting mats can be a perfect way to get this done. 

We have tested, reviewed, and analyzed dozens of indoor putting mats to come up with the top choices on the market.

These are the best indoor putting greens in 2023.

The Perfect Practice Putting Green is 9’6” long, and when you look at it, you may at first feel a bit overwhelmed. The putting green has quite a few markings and patterns on it to try and help make your putting practice more effective. This mat is excellent for the analytical golfer working on improving their game. 

In addition to having marks to help you work on aim and stroke length, the Perfect Practice Putting Green features a ball return that automatically rolls the ball back to you. With this return, you can stay in one spot and focus on what you are learning. 

These training aid-type putting mats will work much differently than the standard putting green. Expect to work on a more systematic type of stroke instead of a feel-based approach. 

The Boburn Golf Putting Green is a bit more money than our top two choices, but it is genuinely like a putting green in your home. This is one of the higher quality golf putting mats on the market, and it will feel as though you are putting on a real golf course green. The speed is about 10 on the stimpmeter, which should be perfect for helping you translate practice back to the course. 

The golf putting mat can work inside, or you can store it on your patio to hit a few putts before or after your round. With the elastic base being a bit higher and softer than other brands, the Boburn tends to stay in place even when you walk on it. 

There are three holes with the Boburn putting green, so you can practice from various angles and really feel as though you are making progress with your putting game. 

The Putt-A-Bout Golf Putting Mat is the best overall golf putting mat. When looking at these putting mats, you will notice that many are around 8 or 9 feet long. To be able to practice 10-foot putts really changes the functionality of this putting mat. 

When you practice with the golf putting mat, you will be able to stand on the surface while you putt and benefit from being on the same level as the golf ball. In addition, with the putting green being three feet wide, you can get some angle in the putts that you make. 

Even after using this mat for several months, we noticed no issues with wrinkling, bending, or breaking the putting surface material. 

The Abco Tech Putting Green almost made it to our top position, but we liked the realistic design of the Putt A Bout just a bit better. With the Abco Tech, you will get the convenient feature of the ball being returned to you using the Smart Ball Return System. 

Golfers can putt a ball up to the Abco Tech hole, and it will roll back even if you miss the putt. So if your time is limited and you want to just work on your putting stroke, this is a great option. The grass on the mat feels similar to a real putting green and will roll at about a 10 on the stimpmeter. 

This is easy to move around system and can be used both indoors and outdoors, although we wouldn’t recommend storing it outdoors.  

The SKLZ Golf Indoor Putting Green is very similar to the Putt A Bout; it is slightly shorter and has less cushion under the green itself. However, for those in the market for something affordable and easy to maintain, this is a great choice. 

There are three putts to choose from to help challenge yourself from different angles. You can improve your consistency, especially in that 7-foot and under range. The True roll surface helps ensure that the ball will roll the same way it does on the course. 

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How to Choose the Best Golf Indoor Putting Green

The best indoor putting green on the market can help you improve your overall abilities on the golf course and become a better player. The number one way to lower your scores is to work on your putting, and these greens give you the ability to do that any day of the year. Here are the things we recommend looking for in the best indoor putting greens on the market. 

Size of Putting Green 

The size of the putting green is likely your most important consideration. First, try and decide the area of your home where you plan to put this mat. Although most mats will come with a backing, you will need an even surface area in your home to place the mat. 

If part of the mat is over the carpet while the rest is on the floor, the overall functionality of the mat will be off. 

Then you must decide whether or not you want to stand on or next to the golf mat as you are practicing. If you want to stand on the mat, make sure that you have at least three feet of space on it; otherwise, it can be tight. 

Space/Layout

Most putting greens and putting mats will have several holes that you can hit to. The layout of the putting mat will determine how you can use it. Golfers are usually looking for something that allows several holes on one end of the green and then a place to set up and stand on the other end. 

Make sure that the area where you plan to set up your putting green works for both left-handed and right-handed golfers from a layout standpoint.

Number of Holes

Most golf putting greens and putting mats have between one and three holes. We like the ability to putt to more than one hole as this will be more similar to natural golf course conditions. If a putting mat has more than three holes, it is sometimes nice if there is the ability to put a plug in to close a hole up. 

When this is done, you can then practice some longer putts and be able to try different angles. The number of holes that you choose is a personal preference, but look for something that has more than one, so you don’t get bored. 

Ball Return

The ball return helps golfers that want to stand in one spot and continue practicing and working on their game. Ball returns are convenient, but most putting green-type mats will not have them. 

With the ball return, try to consider how good it is for your game to stand in the same spot and take the same stroke repeatedly; sometimes, it pays to vary your stroke and the area you are putting from. 

Alignment Lines

Some indoor putting greens come with a clean slate, and others will have plenty of lines to help you practice. Overall you have to decide what type of putter you are. If you are like Bryson and need to know precisely how far you take the club back and how the ball will respond, the alignment lines can help. 

For more feel-based players, the alignment lines can actually become confusing or annoying. One trick of the trade is to purchase the standard green putting mat and then put your own lines down with tape or something that you can always remove if you no longer need them. You can even use a golf alignment stick to create a line for a point of reference.  

Additional Accessories For A Putting Mat

In addition to having a putting mat to work on your stroke, other accessories may make this process a bit more effective. Combining some of the best golf putting training aids with your putting green is a great option. 

The first is the Putt Out Pressure Putt Trainer. This product allows you to take even just a three or four-foot putt and find out if you hit the putt the way you should. The putter trainer will accept any putt that is hit well, and the ones you miss are rejected. This can be set up right on the golf putting mat to further enhance your training. 

In addition, the Eyeline Golf Putting Alignment Mirror is great for golfers working on both their setup and the path of their golf stroke. Golfers that struggle with getting their eyes over the ball or taking the putter back on an incorrect path will enjoy what this putting mat has to offer. 

Indoor Putting Mat vs. Green

Golfers often ask us whether or not an indoor putting mat or an indoor putting green is best. The indoor putting green gives you more room to practice a variety of putts from several different angles. 

The indoor putting green is almost like an actual golf course green, but the problem is that they take up quite a bit of space and are typically not easy to roll up or fold and put away. Essentially you will have to designate an area of your home to use this green. 

The putting mat is more of a straight putt practice where you can work on specific distances and practice the stroke and the speed control. The great thing about putting mats is that you can easily roll them up and put them away. 

Golfers need to decide based on the space they have in their home and the type of golf shots they need to practice. 

How big should a home putting green be?

If you choose a putting green instead of a putting mat, you will want at least eight feet of space, preferably ten. In addition, it is vital to think about width. The minimum width would be about three feet, with the better putting greens having around four feet of space. 

Without this much room, golfers will feel a bit stuck in their ability to move around the mat freely. In addition, left-handed golfers will also want to consider where they are standing and how that will impact their stroke. 

What putting mats do pros use?

Professionals likely have a putting green installed in their homes. There are full-size greens that can be installed to help golfers that play for a living or have the space and budget to do this. The full indoor putting greens allow for a bit more variety in the types of putts that are hit and the angles that golfers can putt from. 

If you have the room for a setup like this, there are local landscaping-type companies that will come and install something like this in your home. 

Do putting mats improve your putting?

Putting mats improve your putting if they are used the right way. Some golfers stand up there and haphazardly slap at putts, and this really will not get anyone anywhere. However, if you are smart about the way you think about the putts you are hitting and whether or not you are making a good stroke, putting mats can help you improve. 

We recommend doing some drills where you force yourself to make seven putts in a row before walking away from your putting green or putting mat. Doing this will mean that you can pull this information up the next time you are on the course and feel confident in your ability to make a putt of this length. 

Conclusion

At this point, you should feel a little more confident about your ability to choose a putting green or putting mat for your home. Hopefully, you can see that there are many different versions that will work for a wide range of players. The Perfect Practice Putting Mat is our favorite because it’s a great deal for a large putting surface area to leave in your home. For the golfer who knows they won’t have the space for this, look at the Abco Tech as an alternative.