BirdieBall Greens

[sp0rtsfan86]

My birthday came early February and I figured I'd get an indoor putting green for a gift for myself. The benefits were in theory great: putt whenever (2am practice session), increased performance on the course (I've hit this in my living room eight times so why not here on a course) and last but not least it keeps my ADHD at bay.
 
So when I set out to buy a green I had a few things in mind: I'm not spending more than 500 dollars. I don't have a large salary and don't want to break my bank. I want something with multiple practice holes so I'm not practicing the same 6 footer again and again. I want bang for my buck as well and probably the most important. I reviewed a few things online here and other sites as well. After a month of deliberation and self doubt I pulled the trigger on this 4X8X1 green from Birdieball.
 
A few notes because my situation is unique: They have a good amount of sizes so there's something for everyone. I didn't have room for anything over 8 foot, as my apartment as is barely fits the 8 footer. The green spends most of the time it's relegated to behind the couch or up against a wall so I have some room for furniture. Birdieball also have a massive one in case your man cave is empty and you want that in there.  
 
Mine was the optimal fit, just long enough I could practice 5-6 footers with ease and small enough I can fit in in the main room.  Another customization that you can choose to get the one inch version instead of the standard depth of 1/2 inch which adds a little depth for balls to "drop."  Also they have a 3 options for putting speeds which is really useful and the greens come standard with two speeds. More on it's effectiveness later. Below is the green.

 
Let's get to the review:
 
I've decided to categorize my review and assign 25 point to each: Materials/parts will be mostly first impressions and how the materials were shipped/handed to the consumer. Construction will look at how long it takes to get everything together and ease of instructions. Playing surface describes how well it simulates a putt. And the last category will be value/would I do it again.
 
Materials/Parts
 
As you can see, the putting green itself is a bright green. There's two sides, a fuzzy one and one that looks like a gym mat but is soft plastic to the touch. The one inch version comes with another entire mat that has both sides covered in the plastic. (That goes underneath the putting surface to add the extra half inch.)
The kit came with a few tools. Among them spray epoxy to combine the two mats, a hole cutter to cut the mat that goes underneath the putting surface (it doesn't come precut), cups, hole plugs (some 1/2 inch others the full inch (for when you want to putt over a spot), a smaller training hole and a few shims and end bumpers. A few flags came with the holes as well. They even through in a dozen birdie balls for whatever that's worth.
 

 
 
The green comes rolled up in a giant box with the other mat with the other supplies. The green itself is almost worrisome on delivery. It doesn't look like it's going to be a great product when you first see it. Out of the box, I almost felt underwhelmed... If this was a book, the cover would relegate it to nearly being sent to the fire. However, I had to go beyond the cover because I wasn't about to ship it back right away. I felt the putting surface  it and it all makes a bit more sense. The fuzzy side  feels like it can easily be putt on and suddenly the book is back on the shelf.
 
The green went promptly on the carpet and I took my first steps. It gives slightly... but not even enough I'd be worried. Almost immediately after I take my foot off it snaps back to shape. Total indent was less than a few millimeters. It gives but doesn't ever feel like your sinking in it.  First impression wasn't great but the second and third did more than just make up for the worry out of the box.
 
After I unraveled the undermat, I realized we might have an issue on our hands. The under mat, was easily 10 inches longer and was not cut to the same specs as the putting green. The directions online said they should be close to a match. That wasn't true.  Does it really matter? No, not really to be honest. It was just one of those oversights. It would have been nice to see everything seem like it belongs together rather than two distinct parts they threw together. Not the worst thing ever, but still was a disappointment when getting it out and setting it up for the first time.
 
The rest of the equipment was a mixed bag. The spray epoxy and hole cutters worked and seem like they are more than legit. I've actually wondered if I could cut my own holes out using the cutting tool if I ever get rich enough to own an outdoor real grass putting green. That's a plus. The cups don't look like they are the strongest, but also aren't totally weak. They held up to the accidentally full body weight test when I stepped on one assembling everything. The shims are very long, and also a half inch in depth. They feel too long and too deep to be effective when you first slip it under. It'd be nicer if they were shorter and had less depth, but the directions do mention that they are easily able to be shaved down. Just seems like another thing that could have been fixed on their end before it got to my door.
 
The flags are a joke--easily the cheapest and most useless portion of this entire purchase. I've kicked the mat and sent them flying out of the holes. They carry no weight so even a sneeze would topple them. (sort of kid, I sneezed and the force through my feet made one wobble.) They get a near 0 score, with the only reason they get any points is that they didn't come broken. If they had any weight I could see them being ok.
 
Overall the materials earn good grades. Out of the box, I was worried initially, but after playing and feeling with the materials for a few minutes, I realized that it wasn't a scam and that the material was pretty well thought out.
 

 
Positives were that the green does look and feel good. As for the negatives, the under mat being a few inches longer and wider is disappointing and the flags were a joke. 20/25
 
Construction: 
The one inch version requires a bit of work but nothing more than cutting holes and gluing the two mats together. Pretty simple stuff really.
 
The construction of the green was pretty easy-- the hardest pat was figuring out if I should cut the bottom mat because the instructions mentioned that everything should fit snuggly, but I decided just to leave it as is.. The instructions are all on Youtube, which isn't half a bad idea. Except for when my internet decides to cut off and restart. Boo TWC. Otherwise the gluing process was as easy as setting up the mats and working end to end. The Youtube videos show how to do it and how to make sure it stays.
 
The epoxy worked really well overnight. I've had the mats a few months now and never feel like they are going to rip apart. It held together after only a few hours when I got impatient for a few minutes although I let it sit most of the night undisturbed.
 
The hole cutter did a wonderful job of creating holes that were through and through. I did run into a small issues where the mat moved slightly and the under and upper holes didn't quite 100 percent match up. Still though the holes were pretty much spot on and the cups that fit under the support mat worked with them so it didn't really matter. I opted for 6 hole model so I usually have one or two plugged.
 
One note that must be made and was addressed by birdie ball: the pre made plugs don't fit perfectly to every cut. It's nearly impossible. You end up with plugs in your green looking like this:

 
Does it effect play? Yes, but only if you are choosing an angle that would bring that directly into play. But overall it's not the worst thing ever.
 
Overall: It's doesn't get much simpler. And they do tell you specifically the plugs are not perfect. Props for honesty and also for making sure you know beforehand what to expect, even if it might be a minus for the product itself.
23/25
 
Playing surface:
 
All that is good and all, but it won't matter if the surface plays like a rundown mini golf course. So for this product to be considered worth it there's a few things that must happen: It must simulate a real putting experience. That means no curves, lines, bumps or unnatural elements that would render the mini golf course analogy true. The putting surface also should translate from living room to course.  There's nothing worse than a putt thats that's hit perfectly but the hole won't hold the ball so that can't happen either. Last, the green should hold up to multiple uses. 
 
I'm glad to report to you it does it pretty well considering the price and the design. This statement does with a caveat: greens around Yuma stink for the most part, so it's tough to judge how accurate this green is to an actual green that's in great shape.
With that in mind, I can say it does produce rolls like a real green should roll like. The sound is like you are at a real quiet bowling alley where there are no pins. The ball does roll true and to this point I have yet to see any lines or unnatural curves with the greens that don't come from the floor below. I've even used a level to compare the ground to birdie ball and there wasn't a huge difference from floor to the putting surface. On carpet I have seen a slight give, but it feels natural. Even if the ball tends to fall to one side, it doesn't feel like the birdieball is the true cause of the issues.
 

 
 
I had a buddy of mine come over for cocktails and dollar putting games. We both felt it was a pretty solid replica of greens and rolled true enough that it was well worth it. Our contests of putting came down to skill rather than the green making it impossible to judge good putts from ones that wouldn't translate to the course. We never ran into an issue where a putt broke unnaturally or was thrown off by the green. That's a huge plus. Because of the size you can create multiple angles for putts and also change up from straight putts. That's pretty good considering I got only a 4 foot wide set up and the green wasn't super expensive. The extra holes from the 6 cup model really do come in handy.
 
Does the ball go in the hole and stay there on perfect putts? Sort of-yes. I prefer dying the ball into the hole while my buddy liked to hit the back of the cup. Smashing the ball into the back simply will not work on this green.
 
I'd say 10-30% of putts you knew would go into the real life hole bounce out of the birdie ball's cups. That being said, I have personally filled the hole with 4 balls with the fourth putt staying in the hole with the three others as well. So it is possible and does work most of the time. Ironically, putts that enter a side of the hole rather than enter dead center seem to stay in more often, which can be a slight quirk.  I've used it on tile for the most part and once on carpet and it seems like the carpet underneath does help with keeping good putts in. It's not perfect at keeping putts in the hole but it does do it often enough you can shrug off one popping out.
 
Here's a video of me making a putt in action (sorry but tiny video stretched out the video)

View My Video
The little hole trainer is interesting. It doesn't quite fit perfectly, but the ball generally won't be affected too much by the spaces that are caused by the difference in hole to pug size. There's been a few putts that do move unnaturally from the spaces but overall it does add a bit of value to the entire green. It works as a great test if I'm putting well or whether I'm on the struggle bus and adds a bit of challenge when you're playing horse.
 

 
The shims as one review mentioned can feel gimmicky at times. I'm sure if I shaved them down it would prove more natural but I'm lazy and they do provide a little extra challenge to the concept. Best way I can describe them: they are not great, but not useless. I've used them and felt like they play like if you had a pretty substantial hill or up and down in between you and the cup when you put them in the middle. I've yet to throw them at the back behind the cups to make it uphill or downhill but overall they're ok at best in their limited use. I don't use them often but every once in awhile just to try something different and see how I react to putts that have sidehills.
 
Does it hold up: 4 months in and it's pretty solid. I haven't had any major issues with it, and haven't really had to clean it yet. The two different speeds work as advertised. It was stored behind my couch for a month or so when I got too lazy to take it out and had to have it moved for convenience. You can't argue to loudly with how well it's held up to use when I've put it to the test. I've not had any problems with curving or bending for that matter either.
 
Overall it's pretty solid. Positives: rolls pretty true, no noticeable breaks or lines. Multiple angles mean not having the same 4-5 footer every time.  Negatives: ball doesn't always stay in the cup, shims are too deep to be really effective..
21/25
 
Value: For under 200 I have a green that I can use, store and know that it simulates a golf green decently. There's a lot of value in that. At times it does feel like that it isn't the most expensive green ever, but when you look at other options, it compares favorably when you consider the prices that others want to charge. Overall, I'm very happy with the product and would buy one again if I got a bigger place and could fit a large green inside. Otherwise I'm more than content rolling a few every night at 2am when insomnia creeps in with my current set up.
23/25.
 
Total score: 
Out of the box: 20/25
Construction: 23/25
Playability: 21/25
Value: 23/25
Total: 87/100

[mizuno_lover]

Great review sportsfan very detailed and clear.  Wish I had the room to get something like that.

 

Thanks

Greg

[Blade]

Excellent job! If I decide to get a putting green, I think that's the one I'll go with.

[Kenny B]

Nice review and pretty much spot on with my experience.  I only have a 2' x 9' Birdieball green because I have even less space.  I find it very handy to set up when the weather is too bad to go to the course.  I also bought the Birdie turf to chip to the Birdieball green.  It's a very nice mat that works, but a wider green would be nice.  Maybe someday.