Office pro adjustable break putting green mat review (not a SKLZ product)

Hi and welcome to this review of the Office Pro adjustable break putting green. This product was purchased from a group buying website with a SKLZ vari-break putting green promotional video below it. I got a bit excited as these have been harder to find around these parts than you would expect. Unfortunately in my haste i failed to read words along the lines of "please not the aesthetics of the product may differ slightly from the video shown". So what i received was not a SKLZ product but an imitation of the product in the video. Nevertheless it was cheaper than the SKLZ product! Read on for the review of this product:

Quick summary:

• Perfect for home (indoor) and office use
• compact and feature packed (compared to others in the price bracket)
• affordable <$100
• adjustable break allows for challenging and multiple putting challenges (single and double breakers) 
• elevated hole for drop in putting
• easily stored
• doesn't roll out perfectly flat initially (improves over time)
• roll and feel not could be more realistic 

Purchase similar here or read on for details.

Unboxing and first impression:
The product arrived in a cardboard box which when opened revealed a what looked like a tent bag. The bag was made of nylon with no mention or sign of SKLZ branding or badging, this was when my first suspicions arose - Nevertheless the product looked professional. After opening the drawstring bag and unrolling the mat my suspicions were confirmed, not a single SKLZ badge in sight - oh well on with the review! The common issue with anything stored in a rolled form is the lack of flatness - this was this case with this product (more on this later). The product feel and quality are what you would expect for the money, certainly didn't feel 'cheap'.

Quality and aesthetics:
As you can see in the photo below the mat is made up of a composite of rubber backing with a felt 'turf' layer. The rubber backing isn't a given on putting greens in this price bracket and will help maintain the consistency of the surface over time. The mat feels, as you would expect, a little mass produced and lacking a sense of premium quality but certainly not less than you would expect for the money. 

As discussed in the videos in the following section when the mat was first rolled out ripples and ridges were present due to the mat being stored and transported in a less than perfect roll. This was disappointing initially but the ridges have really flattened out under the mats own weight given a few days to settle. 

Another useful feature is the white markings on the mat to allow practice at consistent and measured distances.


Puttability:
• Stimpmeter. I'm still in the process of sourcing a stimpmeter but the green speeds feel similar to the courses i play on here in Queensland. I'll update this post when I get my stimpmeter.• ripples a real obstacle to realistic putting (attempts to eliminate )
• ball rolls well when the mat flattens out, not skidding
• breaks allow for challenging putting and confidence building


This whole blog was born out of the need to improve my putting, and the difficulty I faced in trying to distinguish between the products on the market. Since using this mat at home for a few minutes here and there my putting has improved significantly. I'm consistently 2 putting where I was putting many more 3 putts in the past. So no doubt this green has helped but how much i can put down to the green and how much to the fact that i am just practising my putting more is hard to say.


As mentioned on opening and first use of the mat there were ripples and ridges in the mat that made putting frustrating and not particularly useful in practising under realistic putting conditions:


Ripples and ridges on opening:



I didn't do anything particularly intelligent to remove the ripples - just left the mat flat for a few days here and there (between times when my girlfriend insisted it was put away before friends came around- only for me to bring it out for guest entertainment!)


After a couple of days to flatten:



The adjustable break feature was easily the most entertaining of he product. Let's face it, putting in a straight line can be a little boring after a few putts, the adjustable break (vari-break in the SKLZ product) allows a huge number of varied putts. You can go for single break puts of varying difficulty by moving the ball position or the foam wedge underneath the mat.


Single break demo video:



For that extra challenge try double break putting (although not terribly realistic to 99% of real putting greens). This is achieved through using both foam wedges including the wedge from underneath the hole (does mean you lose the drop in put effect). 



Mentioning the under-hole wedge, this wasn't really a concern in terms of overhitting on real greens, it's a very slight gradient up to the whole. I tend to try and putt so the balls just drops into the hole.

 
Portability and practicality : 
• easily rolls up like a sleeping bag and slides into drawstring bag
• measure 
• easy to maneuver and would fit easily into a vehicle

Entertainment value:
• variable putting, single break, double break, 
• solo vs. Friends
 
SKLZ vari-break product comparison:
Below is the SKLZ promotional video for the vari-break product that the Office Pro appears to be emulating:



 
Conclusion:
Looking for a bit of affordable fun that you can easily put away to keep the family happy this is certainly worth considering . The surface leaves a little to be desired bit did improve over time. if budget allows for a little more than there certainly better options but for the money this is a reasonable offering.


If you are serious about improving the most important stroke in your game this green or similar is a an affordable and valuable step in the right direction.


The SKLZ version, although not reviewed yet, is likely to be a much more solid product. You can find it below or similar products in my store