SKLZ Accelerator Pro home or office putting mat REVIEWED!

You've come to the right place is you want thorough, consistent and comparable putting mat reviews. I know- Pretty specific for a website but it was born out of necessity. I wanted to improve my putting and there wasn't much apart from supplier marketing to compare products available.

This review covers the SKLZ Accelerator Pro putting mat with ball return. One of the most well marketed products in this field but how does it stack up? read on to find out.

Quick Summary ($40 - $50 + delivery)

It's a durable and well built product as you would expect from SKLZ and a product made in the USA. Hasn't curled up or frayed
Affordable but not cheap and nasty.
Easily stored
The putting for me was a little unrealistic due to the steep slope at the end of the ramp- this also effectively makes the hole larger (more puts go in than should in reality)
Painted markings are excellent for grooving consistent alignment with guides for the putter face and for back and through stroke guidance.
quick green/mat (stimpmeter 10-11 depending on surface placed on)


Basic concept video. Available here or browse other home putting greens/aids. 

Unboxing and first impression: Good (for the money-but?)

When you spend $50 on a product you can only expect so much. Even more so when the product is made in the USA. The plastic components do have a cheap and thin feel to them but this should be a problem unless you plan on walking on the ramp (don't). From the information and photos I had seen prior to seeing it in the flesh I was satisfied that quality advertised/shown online was what I received. 

The mat rolled out pretty flat first time, but as I've come to realise through reviewing these products - straight out of the box is pretty much worst case, they generally improve with time particularly if left out to flatten out. This imperfections do have a small impact on your putting (but no greens perfect). The puttability of this particular putting mat is covered later below.

The putting surface in consistent and appears to be pretty durable (time will tell) i've been using it for about a month now, on and off. It consists of a thin layer of rubber compound bonded to approximately 1/4" of the 'turf' - see below. The only quality/aesthetics issue I could identify was some imperfections in the rubber backing as below.

Puttability and Advertised Features: 

In a nutshell puts are very easy 

The following is the blurb from SKLZ.com:

"Drive for show, putt for dough. What percent of 7’, 5’ and 3’ putts do you make? Ask any pro, and they will tell you that the money is made at these distances. The Accelerator Pro Putting Mat with Ball Return let’s you practice three key putt lengths with perfect strokes on a high quality true-roll putting surface. The back and through-stroke alignment guides ensure perfect acceleration and distance control, while maintaining a square face to the target"

 Click for larger images

My opinion on the above:

• It's true - a put is worth the same as a 300m drive - and being able to consistently drop 3,5 and 7 ft putts is crucial to your game. The Accelerator pro DOES provide the opportunity to practice at these set distances and DOES allow you to improve your stroke and putter face alignment but it does fall down somewhat in my opinion in the true-roll putting surface department.
• The surface is quick (stimping about 10), and it is consistent (free from significant lumps/bumps) but for a product claiming to hone your puts at fixed distances - the ramp at the end of the unit to allow gravity return is the deal breaker.
• The ramp rewards you for over-hitting as the hole is on the 19 degree slope which effectively increases the size of the hole. Puts that would drop in on a flat surface at 7 ft come up short and don't roll back to you. Puts that would lip-out of the hole on a flat surface are swallowed by the angled hole.

OUT IN THE REAL WORLD

I found that the Accelerator Pro helped me with consistency but as with other quick putting aids -  when playing on the my local greens i was hitting short. As a result you have to overcompensate and your putting can suffer. If you play fast greens regularly this may be less of an issue for you but the psychological impacts of the ramp at the end of the slope is not ideal. It's excellent for grooving a consistent stroke, but in terms of course green judgement there is more to the picture.

Conclusion: A quality and affordable product, but not perfect.

SKLZ tend to offer well designed and quality products - This is such a product - but as with all products the Accelerator Pro has it's own pros and cons. 

For the money you pay you can easily get $50 value out of it through improvements in stroke consistency and putter face alignment. It's fun to to get on a bit of a roll, see how many in a row you can sink. 

As discussed the surface is durable and quick but the gravity return features means a ramp is necessary which impedes the real life feel and judgement of actually being on a real green. The slope effectively increases the hole size and tends to encourage over hitting. As a result it's not difficult to master for friends and family but you get the feeling your not really being challenged by the unit and therefore not making leaps and bounds in your putting game.

The Accelerator Pro is made in the USA, it's affordable but not cheap and nasty, and is easily stored. 

As if you need to be reminded but driving is for show and putting is for dough. The Accelerator Pro might not be the most comprehensive product on the market but it's hard to pass for the money. The proof is in the putting!

Available below or browse other home putting greens/aids. 

If you appreciate the value in this review please purchase through the always competitive amazon links as I receive a small commission on these sales that will help me continue to review putting and golf related products. 

3 reasons to purchase through Amazon

Amazon offers and enforces return guarantees
Highest standard of transaction security.
Opportunity to read further authentic, non cherry picked product reviews






NOT WHAT YOU ARE AFTER?? -have a look at the related reviews/products below

Alternatives:

SKLZ Vari-break putting mat (related review here)






Boomgolf Boomerang Professional Putting Aid  (related review here)


many more here

Other SKLZ resources/products: 
In a nutshell out