PuttOUT - Official MSG Forum Review by Steve Davies (DStar)
2nd August 2021
Into
I’ve been testing the PuttOUT large mat, pressure putt & alignment stick set for nearly a month. After a few evenings of initial testing to see what worked for me I came up with six tests/practice routines that I would use to complete the review.
These included using the gates & alignment sticks and the dreaded ‘Perfect Putt’.
The results can be found here: PuttOUT Test Results
Each session took around an hour to do and my aim was three sessions a week.
I have also recorded my progress when playing on the course but these numbers only give an indication of my number of putts per hole/round as I don’t have any data on putt distances but we have some really tough greens and, on some, a 2-putt is a welcome number.
Quality of components - 9
All of the products on test were very nicely packaged, clear/crisp graphics with instructions on use printed on each item. The individual items all felt well made and, as a set, blended really nicely together.
On opening the packaging the parts felt really nice. As an engineer by trade I am particularly interested in quality of fit and finish and, overall, this was excellent. The only issue in this area was with the alignment plane - when the sticks were inserted I found that they did not line up perfectly with the holes in the gates, it would fit but needed a little persuasion.
I had no issues with any items breaking or becoming unusable and I had my mat set up in our conservatory which gets very hot and I experienced no issues with the mat losing shape.
I really liked the bag for the alignment stick set as all of the components fitted well with a pocket on either side for a gate/feet set - very nicely thought out!
Ease of Use - 9
I’m a typical man! New stuff, take it out of the box and try to put it together..
The pressure putt is simple to use, folds out nicely and I liked the aluminium button for the perfect putt target.
The gates & feet go together and it’s obvious how these fit.
The alignment set took a little time to work out but then I read the instructions - easy peasy!
The mat rolled out flat 1st time and stayed flat throughout the test. I did hoover it before use, every time.
Basic Characteristics - 18
I found that as soon as the PuttOUT kit arrived I couldn't wait to try it. Having never used any training aids before I was keen to get it set up ASAP.
I still really enjoy the challenge of improving my putting and I am seeing some really good improvements in my game as a result of using the PuttOUT set regularly which means I will continue to use this equipment.
The tests I devised are working for me and, going forward, I will look to add in different tests to keep the practice interesting. I can see that doing the same thing over and over may lead to less use but I think there are enough options to keep me coming back.
I found that the mat is quite good for short chip shot practice too although I would use an old mat or piece of astroturf to chip off as I'm not sure how much use the mat could take.
I may add in a mirror as an alternative aid and will take the gates & pressure putt to the course to use on the practice greens to help improve further.
After a few hours of use I could really feel and see how my stroke and distance control was improving - this was backed up by my results on the course too.
It started to become obvious which putts were good and which were bad. The repetition has really made a difference to my putting stroke.
On the whole I found the kit easy to use and quite intuitive in how it can help improve my game.
I did find that the alignment plane didn’t really work for me but others may find that it does. I can appreciate the idea but found a better way, for me, to use the gates/sticks to help with my alignment.
On Course Performance - 30
I really do think that doing this test/review has made a huge difference to my confidence with the putter.
I now stand over the ball without the dread of not really knowing what I’m doing. I can line up the putt, make a good stroke and have faith that I’m doing it right.
I may not get the read right but the stroke is feeling so much better.
The numbers in my data don’t really show the full story as it’s hard to achieve a perfect putt. As long as I was scoring 5 or more on each test I was happy as that meant I had, effectively, holed the putt I was aiming for - a perfect putt was a bonus.
All of the kit on test performed flawlessly and I think that PuttOUT have produced a well thought out system that works well together (or on their own too).
One thing I would change would be to have two different sized gates as this could further increase the difficulty to help improve accuracy.
Personally, I wouldn’t buy the alignment plane. I would be happy with a pair of gates and sticks as, for me, these were the best aids in that particular set.
Did it help improve my scores? Even if the figures don’t show it I would say, without doubt, that this has improved my scores. Putting is a hard thing to quantify as it could be 2 putts from 8 feet or 2 putts from 30. We have large, undulating greens and I’m finding I am much less likely to 3-putt than I was before. I’m lagging long putts to a couple of feet for easy tap-ins much more regularly and I feel confident that I can do that on most putts.
Miscellaneous - 8
I thought the whole package was a very well thought out set. All of the items can be used together or separately which gives a lot of scope for finding the best way to use them for different people.
Everything came well packaged and presented and feels high quality.
Keep it or trade it - 18
On the whole I believe the improvements in my putting make this a sound buy. I will definitely be keeping it as part of my ongoing practice as I try to improve my game.
The items represent good value for money, maybe a little highly priced if I was buying but it is all very good quality kit. The mat, in particular, seems very durable and consistent as a putting mat should be.
I think the gates and sticks go well together but would add the plane as an option as it didn’t work for me.
I would also have two different sized gates rather than both the same size as that would give some variation on difficulty and further help with accuracy practice.
I would also change the printing on the mat slightly. As most people would probably use known distances I would change the small lines (either side of the 1’ markers) to have rings that are the same size as the gate feet. This would make it easier to line up the gates with the central line.
Who would benefit from this set? Me for a start! I think that any golfer looking to improve their putting would find these products very useful.
Conclusion
Overall this has been a great test. I’ve found the products easy and fun to use and will continue to use them. They can be tucked away fairly easily and the reinforced mat bag is a great touch as is the alignment stick set with pockets to keep all the bits safe.
The perfect putt is so hard to get but so satisfying when you do and it’s showing it’s worth on the course which is where it matters.
Thanks to MGS for choosing me for this test/review and if you need any information do get in touch.
Final Score - 92
Well done PuttOUT on a great product...
- kardboard.kid, gavinski91, Lacassem and 14 others
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"Hey mister, your clubs are the wrong way round"..
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