Will getting a putting mat help improve my putting skill?

Saw a wide variety of putting mats in the shops, from $59 all the way to $200+. Was thinking of getting one for home putting practice, but not sure which to get and what the differences are between the cheaper ones and the more expensive ones (some of them are in Japanese). Anyone can share your experiences with putting mats? Thanks

I got myself an el-cheapo putting mat for home use. I use it just to practice my putting stroke and remind myself of the putter's "feel". Nothing beats practicing on real grass, but for convenience's sake a mat at home is ok.

If 'Putting skill' equals putting stroke, strength control (speed), green reading, etc

Then a putting mat can only help with stroke

I also use a cheap one for practice at home. For me, I see improvement in my putting per round as I get used to the feel of my putter.

anyone tried carpets and yoga mats before?  worked fine for me. Speed of green on the day of play will vary anyway

An expensive mat doesnt mean it's good. A good mat doesn't mean it has to be expensive. Just get one of those with two holes. Helps you to check your line.

Your question - Will putting mat improve ones putting skill?

My answer is No! Putting mat only help you to smoothen your putting stroke and get accustom to your putter. Actual putting on the green has more variables at play - Green speed, green condition (grass length, grass growing against your ball forward move or away), ability to read breaks, ability to read line of putt accurately, reading speed accurately, lag putt technique, short putt technique, up slope putt technique, down slope putt technique, etc. etc. All these cannot be learned at home with a putting matt. Sometime it is tricky to read the line of putt in a large area versus in a home environment.

Thanks all for your replies. I guess as a beginner I will get the mat, if only to get a better feel for the putter and to practice my stroke (make sure straight etc.). You're right in that there's a lot of other variables on the course which the mat will not be able to emulate. CHeers

Actually I used to have a putting matt at home but then seldom used so I gave it away. Now if my putting in serious problem, I'll go Nsrcc for putting

I tried yoga mat before! Pretty cool actually, easy to store sumore. Just but a cup there as the hole. i guess putting mat only to get feel for putter and to get u to putt straight on target lor.

Turbo wrote:

Your question - Will putting mat improve ones putting skill?

My answer is No! Putting mat only help you to smoothen your put and get accustom to your putter. Actual putting on the green has more variables at play - Green speed, green condition (grass length, grass growing against your ball forward move or away), ability to read breaks, ability to read line of putt accurately, reading speed accurately, lag putt technique, short part technique, upslope putt technique, downslope putt technique, etc. etc. All these cannot be learned at home with a putting matt. Sometime it is tricky to read the line of putt in a large area versus in a home environment.

Those are probably lag putting skills where feel and distance control is much need. Short putting, without the correct speed the ball has a higher chance of lipping out, but then the mistakes is less as 10% of 5 foot is few inches but 10% of 50 foot is 1 feet over or short. I have the putting mat with the relative smaller hole which increases my chances of lipping out when my speed for a 5 foot putt is not right. 
I feel that it instill confidence as I always make those "straight" 5 footers on putting mat with small hole, but i also practice on green. 
I have use this drill where i have to consistently make putts from 1-10 paces- 1 pace about 3 foot from the hole. Whenever, i missed one putt, i have to make the next one or else i start from one pace again. If i make it, i continue till i missed two putts in a row. Up till now my best is making it up till 7 paces.
It works for me as my short-med putting improve which helps with my not-so-good chipping to save pars. But, lag putting hasn't been my forte as my speed control is like a high handicapper or probably worst and regularly have to make those par saving 5-8 footers is taxing.

Yes, putting mat sure helps. If you can't even putt on a flat surface, that means there are flaws in your fundamentals, and such flaws will magnify when you go on course unless you are damn lucky.

It does helps one especially a beginner into gettin his basic putting fundamental right with consistency.  
Then apply tat on actual putting green n begin workg on puttg strokes , yr tempo n line readg.  
You can go to MBGC, Seletar, NSRCC changi etc fr practice. 

Beginner as well as any other player to check on alignment and "compensation" on putting it straight

its good to have a putting mat at home to play around with... I don't often have the chance to practise putting on the real grass... so I bought synlawn mat to practise. Improvement?? better than nothing...

Nothing beats practicing on the real green. Problem with the mat is after a while you are used to the speed and slopes and when you play it is totally different 

Putting Matt only helps with your alignment.

Every green at different time of the day, the speed is also different.
( Some courses even have different green speed at different holes... )

The most important is how fast you can adjusted your stroke/control ( or feel ) to the green by observing how your flight mates' putt.

i bought a $15 putting mat as my coach suggested. the drill was in an hour, to get for eg 50 in a row etc etc. I found it useful in my short putts. also the hole i made it smaller by putting foam around. Didnt have the luxury to go and practice on putting greens so i made do with what i had! and my putting stroke got better!

Personally I don't think it helps.

I think it's a must for every golfer looking to avoid 3-putts.....it may not help with long putts or reading breaks but it definitely helps with your 5 footers and in....it helps with alignment and the mat with a slight slope is meant to make you more aggressive on short putts as most short putts are essentially straight putts (inside right, inside left) if you put enough juice on it.......

as crap as my putting is it was much worse before i got my putting mat.....

Any type of practise is good....the only challenge is to know how to practise.

I have a 5ft plus putt mat....I used it to train 50m putting

Duval, you need to play more. 

No use spending on putting mat if you ain't gonna use it. 

Hahahha