Putting: The average player takes approximately 2/3rds of his/her total shots from less than 100 feet from the hole. If you keep this in mind, isn’t it clear that you will not be able to score well without putting fairly well?
If it is so important to scoring and a very large part of the total number of shots you take on the course, it makes perfect sense that one should be practicing his/her putting more often than not. Taking it a step further, putting can be practiced without ever leaving your home.
The Puttist came to the Bunkers Paradise testing center recently and I was excited to take a gander at a very unique way to practice your putting. I am a firm believe that having a solid and consistent putting stroke is essential to lowering your scores. The putter is the one that drops the ball in the hole, is it not? So let’s get to practice our putting and STOP THE 3-PUTTS!
Take note too that The Puttist was a Finalist for New Product of the Year at the 2012 PGA Show!!
What is Behind the PUTTIST?
- Uses digital sensor technology to measure putting distance & accuracy
- Allows you to adjust green speed to Slow, Average or Fast
- Has guides on the putting mat help you align your stroke
- Enables you to practice 6- to 45-foot putts in a 5-foot space
- Trains your muscle memory to consistently hit putts of any distance
- Makes training fun with four skill games
- Displays your PUTTIST game scores for you to measure improvement
- Is exceptionally portable so you can take it anywhere
The Puttist is really a great way to practice your putting away from the course and even on the putting green at your nearest local practice putting green. It allows you to not just putt into a cup, but there are several training ‘games’ that you play to keep you sharp with immediate feedback that is spot on every time. So you will enjoy both a normal mode (putting with immediate feedback for 6 to 45ft putts and a game mode that allows you to really check in with an array of putt).
All of the PUTTIST Games are based on the reality of Putting that “a short putt is a failed putt.” PUTTIST is designed to recognize a successful putt as one that reaches the target distance or exceeds the target distance by not more than 2 feet.
The actual putting distance will be displayed on the LED display and both LED lights will flash to indicate a successful, straight putt. The LED display will disappear downwards for a putt which is too short and upwards for a putt which is too long.
LOOK/FEEL
The Puttist may look a little scary, but it is not at all. The Puttist has a very well made carpet type putting surface that when it is securely placed on a flat surface it putts like a real green. Even when you brush our hand across the surface, I am amazed at how real it feels. There are other products out there, but this one feels the absolute best.
When you place your ball on the mat, you will see many numbers, arrows, lines and a box at the target in. In can look and feel a little overwhelming, but trust me, every detailed line/arrow/number is there for a reason and will assist in eliminating the horrid 3-putt. Once you understand the reasons behind each marking, it becomes like riding a bike and the look and feel is second nature.
Overall the look and feel is in perfect balance and outstanding no matter where you place the Puttist. I am impressed with the realness of each putt I take and the true roll you will get on each stroke.
PERFORMANCE
The performance of the Puttist is spot on when it is securely fixed to a flat surface. Simply put, when you secure your Puttist, you will get the best most accurate natural roll with each stroke.
What is great is the Puttist includes a carpet fixture to secure the mat in your carpet without damaging it as well as a reusable non-slip pad to ensure the mat will not move during your practice putting sessions. This was very helpful for me since my pups like to chase the golf ball I stroke and end up ‘pushing off’ matt and running away with the ball…the putting mat stayed perfectly in place.
The Puttist is extremely easy to set up and roll up and store—nothing easier. It is quite portable too. It comes in a box for protection upon arriving at your home, but I found a little duffle bag of mine to carry it around to the course, my office and Bunkers Paradise’s testing center.
What I found in the main body (the digital indicator box) was a fairly simple feedback that once you read the instructions you are quick to understand what the numbers, flashing lines and letters mean. The small manual explains what every mode and feedback means and is easy to digest after a once through. You will need to read the short manual so you get the most out of the Puttist—no worries, it’s an easy read and a good resource to keep with your Puttist.
The power button on the back of the main body doubles as power and mode conversion allowing you to toggle between all the games you can play to improve your putting. Again, once you understand the different games that assist in ‘killing 3-putts’, it is easy to switch between games without the need for the manual.
One really cool thing is you can adjust the stimpmeter! WHaaaat?! Yes, there is a Green Speed Setting that allows you to select the green speed you need: Fast , Average and Slow. Now you don’t find a practicing putting mat that can offer that, can you? Awesome!
Overall, the performance is amazing in that over a couple of days in the Bunkers Paradise testing center and using every mode available to test my putting skills, I was able to go out and can a few long putts and stood up to every putt that was 30ft and it with confidence. Never a 3-putt in my round and only had 30 putts for the day in 18 holes.
One last thing I like and can see as extremely useful is the ball position (the spot where the Puttist has you place your ball) and the markings left and right of the ball…really give me incredible feedback where my feet are located in relation to the ball. In other words, I can see exactly where the ball is positioned with my feel—great feedback!
Final Thoughts
The Puttist is really an amazing product to improve your putting. The plethora of challenging games allows you to know exactly where you stand in putting skills and what you need to work on to eliminate 3-putts.
Its ease of use is very important to me and most golfers as we want instant feedback with something that we don’t need 5 Doctorates to understand. You will need to read the simple manual, but it won’t take but a moment and you’ll be ready to get your putting in shape.
Finally, the roll you receive from the Puttist is almost as though you are on the green and it will allow you switch between green speeds settings so you will be ready for fast and slow greens!
So, I am hooked and I love putting in my home and office when the weather outside is less than ideal. It also gives me a little break and a fun one at that. Oh, and my almost 4 year old loves it and has been practicing her putting as well.
Well done Puttist.
‘keep smiling and always believe’
