Best Putting Training Aids

Putting requires skills that are often overlooked or at least underdeveloped. With over half of a golf score typically coming on the golf greens, it is time to focus on improving putting. Below we recommend the best putting training aids for improving your score on the greens.

A couple of quick notes:

• All highlighted putting training aids have full posts dedicated to them. To read those reviews, click on the section title or product item name (printed in blue font)
• In this post, we will not discuss green reading or putting speed. We will focus on aids that help with the basics of a proper putting stroke

Best Putting Training Aids: The Golf Putter Wheel

In thinking about improving a putting stroke, the first questions could be: “How do I make perfect contact?” and “What is perfect contact?”

Perfect contact is when the face of the putter strikes the golf ball square to the predetermined putting path without imparting any sidespin.

The Putter Wheel is a great putting training aid in giving golfers immediate feedback on whether they hit the ball square and without sidespin.

The Putter Wheel is the same size and feel of a real golf ball with two sides removed, forming what looks like a wheel.  The aid is designed to hold true to the line if hit square.  If the impact is not square, the Putting Wheel will wobble off course giving instant feedback. We love “instant feedback” in all of our training.

The Putting Wheel can also be used as a head alignment aid for those who want to position their eyes directly over the ball.  The sides of The Putting Wheel have red trim.  If a golfer can see any red trim, it indicates that the golfer’s eyes are not directly over the ball.  Instead, the golfer’s eyes would either be inside or outside the top of the ball.  Again, instant feedback.

When buying the Putter Wheel, the wheels come in single, two, and three packs.  We recommend purchasing a two-pack or more.  A single Putter Wheel could get frustrating in terms of needing to fetch it continuously.

Best Putting Training Aids: Best Putting Arc Trainer

There is a long-standing debate on whether a putting stroke should be straight or slightly arced.

It is argued that a straight stroke path leads to squared contact every time. The challenge is that the body wants to rotate around its spine, especially on long putts. Thus, to hit a perfectly straight stroke, back and through, a golfer must make many micro-adjustments with arms, wrists, and hands to hold off the body turn.

On the other side, a slightly arced stroke, it is argued, better conforms to how the body wants to move.  The club tracks back inside the putting line, squares up at impact, and then back inside the intended line.

The Putting Arc is a training aid that helps golfers learn how to rotate their bodies to perform a proper arced putting stroke. The hands, arms, and shoulders rotate as one. This enables the clubface to square up on impact without manipulating the putter head with hands and wrists.

We recommend the following two Putting Arc models:

• The T3 model is 20 inches long and is highly portable. Given its comparatively lightweight, it either needs to be pegged to the ground or weighted down
• The MS-3D model is 33 inches long and weighs 4 pounds. Given its size and weight, it doesn’t need to be anchored to the ground and can be used indoors or out.

Best Putting Training Aids: Best Golf Putting Alignment Mirror

A golf putting alignment mirror is a great training aid with multiple uses. Two quick examples:

1. The aid’s mirrored and lined surface helps a golfer see how his eyes are positioned over the ball. Are the eyes directly over, inside, or outside the line of the ball? A golfer can also check to see if their putter head is squared to the ball
2. The Eyeline Golf Putting Alignment Mirror has strategically positioned holes into which golf tees can be placed for various stroke and gate training drills. For instance, a golfer can practice how far he takes the club back, ensuring a concise and confident stroke.  Or a golfer can set up gates for the club’s toe and heel to pass through to ensure the center of the clubface hits the ball.

We recommend the Eyeline Golf Putting Alignment Mirror as our top choice for this putting training aid.

Best Putting Training Aids: Best Automatic Return Golf Putting Cup

Our last recommended golf putting training aid is the JEF World of Golf Automatic Return Golf Putting Cup.  The picture and name of the aid tell most of the story.

We cannot always go to a golf green to practice putting.  The weather might be bad, or we might be stuck in our office or house for the day. The Automatic Return Golf Putting Cup gives us a simple and enjoyable way to practice putting when trapped inside.

While a simple concept, a few aspects of this automatic return putting cup make it a standout as a valid putting training aid.

• Instant feedback (and the penalty for a missed put). If the ball “enters” the cup appropriately, it returns directly to the golfer. If the putt is missed, the ball has to be retrieved
• The cup has a lip on its front edge to encourage golfers to exert enough force for the ball to reach the hole and go slightly past it. The putting experts recommend that a putt has enough pace to go 14 inches beyond the hole.  The lip encourages adequate force

Whether bought as a gift or for personal use, this putting training aid enables a golfer to practice without leaving the house.

As mentioned near the beginning of this post, putting typically makes up around 50% of a golf score. This stroke takes little athleticism and can be significantly improved through practice. Start now and lower your scores!!