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

Boomgolf Boomerang Putting Professional putting aid REVIEWED!

This post reviews the Boomerang (a.k.a. Boomgolf) putting aid. A tool that could turn your putting liability into an asset through pin point distance control.

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.

Quick Summary ($40 - $75 + delivery)

a great tool to groove a consistent and confident stroke. U get to the point where u can tell straight off the club if it's a good put.
Focus of the aid is on distance control over line. Don't make this your only putting aid.
Aim of the game is to put your first of 2 balls into the cup (a.k.a. lag putt) at the top of the ramp, and release both balls with your second put (a.k.a. matchplay) striking the first ball (see vid below).
putting support and advice from putting guru Alex Moore of Boomerang.
quick green/mat (stimpmeter 11-11.5 for both mat options)
various incentives to hit 'in-a-row' targets including hats, putters and $1000 cash
learning curve is not quick and enjoyable,it's frustrating,challenging but ultimately rewarding!
no scope for break-putting



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

Unboxing and first impression: As expected

The boomerang arrived in a standard transport package and when opened revealed 2 items, the boomerang unit itself and the St. Andrews putting mat as below. My first impression was- no real surprises the product was what I was expecting from the information I had seen to date - not tacky and cheap, a well designed and packaged product. The mat was rolled (beats folds/creases) which got me thinking about how well it would flatten out, more on that later.

Quality and aesthetics: An evolved product 

For the price tag I wasn't blown away by the product quality but not disappointed either, and you are actually buying more than just the product, your buying the opportunity to win some coin/prizes and also the support of the putting coach via video feedback and teaching of the boomtech method as part of the boom putting experiment (BPE), (post-review note: Looks like Alex Moore may have started charging for his coaching at the rate of $49.99 for 30 days). 

The boomerang unit has been precisely made (a necessity to allow fine tuning of the device for different settings,surfaces and putting styles.)

The boomerang ramp surface has a quality baize material that feels like a genuine 70s designer couch. The ramp and threaded/adjustable cup are plastic whilst the adjustable legs are steel. It's an interesting looking unit and on its own it's not immediately obvious what it actually is. The mat tends to give it away.

The St. Andrews mat purchased is probably the Lowest quality element of the package (their is a thicker premium offering, the Carnoustie mat, but this wasn't reviewed. It's marketed as the solution to slightly inconsistent surfaces such as hardwood floors ). 

Boomgolf Boomerang Putting Professional putting aid

Upon rolling out the mat for the first time there are some very distinct memory rolls in the mat. This can be remedied by reverse rolling the mat which had pretty immediate results as the mat is quite thin. The mat also had natural curves width wise towards the centre of the mat which tends to keep the ball on track (not ideal if you are trying to work on the line of your puts) and if the mat is upside down the width curve tends to the ball rolling off the mat prematurely (unless you are putting dead straight with robot like precision). I'm told further reverse rolling can rectify this issue.

The product has plenty going for it along with a few faults- Rest assured boomgolf haven't been resting on their laurels - this putting aid has been around since 1997 with various product evolutions/improvement getting it to where it is today. 


Advertised features: Distance over line
The following is the blurb from boomgolf.com:

"Known affectionately as the Boom, this is the golfing world's most challenging skill test. An inch perfect line and distance practice device, master the Boomerang and not only will you have extremely accurate line and distance control, but you'll also have genuine confidence as well.
The Boom is sure a tough test but, if it ever proves too tough, I'd me more than happy to teach you a little BoomTech. There're incentives for you to learn - An Instructor's Cap for five in-a-row and a Boomerang EZ-1 Putter for ten. There's even a $1000 PRIZE for anyone who can beat the eight year old record of 13 in-a-row.
It's not the money, normally, or even the tour quality feedback that gets you hooked on the Boom - it's almost always a competitive urge to beat the machine. Or, at the very least, beat your own personal record on the machine. I defy anyone to walk past a Boom without wanting to test themselves. If you read on you'll see there are plenty of reasons why you should try a Boomerang. Our guarantee is as good as any - Try it for 60 days, love it, or get your money back."

My opinion on the above:

• great for distance control, but the line of your puts tends to be influenced by the St. Andrews mat. Also the thin mat gives you not realistic parallel visual references that aren't available on real courses and greens (bear in my this is the case for most indoor home putting greens. More on puttability in the following section.
• You will not be successfully putting this thing 30 seconds out of the box(despite how easy the videos make it look). This thing takes time, effort and discipline....more below
• As claimed the unit is addictive and rewarding when you do start to get the hang of it (i'm yet to win a free cap but I'm on my way - the putter will be the next target).
• I sent a video away of my technique and sure enough a few days later Alex responded with a stroke-by-stroke analysis with some pointers for improvement.

The website is loaded with good content from tips on the putting aid setup (more to it than you think) to amateur through to pro demo videos, along with extensive FAQ. There's also plenty of customer reviews proclaiming the benefits of the unit, but as ever take these with a grain of salt and form your own opinion (using review sites like this!). I found the following customer comment helpful:

"I think the boomerang makes you come up with a putting stroke that gives almost perfect distance control, so after working the boomerang for a couple of weeks now, I opened up The Dave Pelz Putting Bible after sitting on my bookshelf for a few of years. He writes about:

1. Stroking v. hitting
2. Straight back straight through v. swinging door
3. Extension of the follow through is the best way to control the putt
4. Lagging is the key to eliminate 3 putts
5. Most telling of of all - distance control is 4 times more important than the line Funny - this is all what the boomerang is all about. Getting hung up on boomerang games is a way to market the product, but to some extent help to learn a stroke that will give you control over distance. I have found that after working with the boomerang that I was able to translate it nicely on the course yesterday (3/13). I didn't even think about 6 - 8 footers just stoked the ball and watched the majority of them drop in. Lag putts were mostly inside of 2 feet... "D C Bogeyman" - 4GEA GolForum 

Puttability: Infuriatingly Challenging 

This home putting aid makes you work at it to even get to point of 1 boomerang(catch-release) in a row. It is rewarding -  if you can resist kicking it out the window in the first hour of use.


THE SETUP
If you don't invest the time to set the unit up correctly your experience it will be made more painful and less rewarding (let alone impeding your ability to win stuff). I won't go into detail here, you can read the detail of the boomgolf website if you go ahead with this aid (sorry fellas you will need to read the instructions). In brief there a few key points to consider:
- The flatter the surface the better feedback you receive on your stroke
- The higher difficulty you choose (via the slots on the back of the unit) for more amplified issues with your stroke will become
- The cup depth is adjustable - this is critical. The deeper the cup the easier your first lag put will be, but the harder the matchplay/release put will be. 


ACTION
The video below shows some of my key observations about this putting mat/aid.
- The green is pretty quick (stimps above 11) so consider this when you consider the courses you play on most.
- Bulk putting! Possible to get 90 puts in a 15 minute session(that's hundreds in an hour). 
- The width curves in the mat tend to keep the ball on track
- It's HARD. It took me a few hours to even get a single catch-release let alone 2 in a row. 
- Having goals to get multiple boomerangs in a row adds an element of pressure that as we know is present in comps or with playing groups.
- You need to have 2 different strokes, the 1st/lag which needs to be inch perfect to stay in the cup, and a 2nd matchplay stroke which is hit firmer to release the 1st ball. This makes it even more challenging as you are constantly alternating between the strokes.

My setup, demo of 2 in a row!

OUT IN THE REAL WORLD
I found that the boomerang helped me with stroke consistency but when playing on the slower greens available in my area i was hitting short consistently and when overcompensating for the slower greens my technique suffered. For this reason I think it's much more suitable for those playing on faster greens. Putting up the ramp at the end of the mat also interfere with your natural judgement of a green (there is a table on the boom golf website to translate the difficulty setting of the boomerang to a real world distance).

By Alex's own admission you shouldn't solely practice on the boomerang. You need to mix it up obviously on real surfaces but with other practice aids. It's great for grooving a consistent stroke, but in terms of real world green judgement there is more to the picture. There are plenty of other putting mats with variable breaks and even green speeds. The boomerang comes into it's own for technique consistency, rapid feedback and the sheer 

number of puts you can cram into a given time.

BOOMGOLF SUPPORT AND BOOMTECH

I fired off the demo video above to Alex at boom golf and promptly received some feedback on my efforts on improving further. Everyone's stroke is different so I won't go into the details but if your serious about improving your putting with a new technique - consider Boomtech through Alex. Try and find that kind of support from any other putting mat/aid provider.

Conclusion: A key part of the putting picture

The big picture is improving your putting.It's gotta be the most critical stroke in your game.

In my opinion this is only one tool in your putting kit-bag in terms of real world green judgement there is more to the picture. You need real world practice and a large home putting mat to work on line and break puts. The boomerang comes into it's own for technique consistency, rapid feedback and the sheer number of puts you can cram into a given time. The coaching support is also a defining feature.

If your serious about improving your game the boomerang will go along way to improving stroke consistency and distance control. 

Available here 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 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)











SKLZ Accelerator Pro Ball Return Putting Mat 

many more here

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 

Received first putting green for review today

Received my office pro adjustable break putting green today. I have to admit when i purchased it the website had a video of the SKLZ vari-break putting green so that is what I assumed I was getting. It appears to be a takeoff of the SKLZ product and there is no official badging so I may have been scammed. I'll be sure to discuss this in the review of the product.

Cheers

Practice/indoor putting greens review project - Post 1

Hi - my name is Travis - When I find a problem or something annoys me I like to solve it.

I am a keen-as-mustard golfer (we won't talk about ability at this point) and an Engineer.

The problem I encountered was not having consistent and thorough reviews of practice,artificial, indoor/outdoor greens(call them what you will ) - (what do you call them?).

So I am setting out to solve that problem to make the pre-purchase research experience easier - one green at a time. Hopefully i can improve my putts per round as we go!

SKLZ range

Big moss range