Birdie Balls & Birdie Ball Putting Mat

[Matt Saternus]

Just a quick little review:

 

I bought a BirdieBall putting mat for myself in November because I wanted to see if it was quality enough to buy one for my dad for Christmas. They were having a sale where a 4'X10' (roughly) mat was only about $40, which was pretty cheap, IMO. I ended up liking it and buying one for my dad. We both use it quite a bit. The mat becomes flat pretty quickly and rolls fast and true. My only complaint is with the cups. If you put them in "over the top" of the mat, the lip deflects putts away and the cup isn't deep enough to hold the balls. If you put them in under the mat, then they move out of position anytime you move the mat. Given the price, it's a minor complaint and I have solved the problem by just leaving them out and propping up the "target" end of the mat against a wall to add a little depth to the cups. Overall, this is not a good looking mat (it looks like a big piece of styrofoam), but it does exactly what it should do and I'm happy to have it during the rain & winter weather.

 

Along with each purchase, I got 10 Birdieballs. For those that don't know, Birdieballs are restricted flight "balls" which are actually more like hollow cylinders. Due to the snow on the ground, I hadn't had a chance to take them out for a test until this past weekend. I was having a lot of trouble hitting down on the ball after an entire winter on the mats, and so I went down to the park with my pitching wedge to work on it. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I can say unequivocally that these are great! With a pitching wedge, I couldn't hit them more than 30 yards, so you don't need a ton of space to use them (I will report back later with distances for longer clubs or you can check their website, I'm sure it has this info). The BBs fly true with regard to trajectory and left/right, which is a really nice feature. The best thing (and only thing, really) is that you hit them just like a golf ball. When you first look at them, you'll wonder how you could hit it like a golf ball and make it fly, but trust me, it works. If you're like me and surrounded by ranges with nothing but mats, I would definitely recommend picking up some BirdieBalls and find a park where you can hit them instead. I worked through my "thins" and shot a career best 78 the next day (my first ever sub-80 round)! That's the best endorsement I can give them.

[GolfSpy_X]

Nice review I quite possibly could have 5,000 of these balls stashed away. Maybe we could do some contests for them if people are interested.

 

Just a quick little review:

 

I bought a BirdieBall putting mat for myself in November because I wanted to see if it was quality enough to buy one for my dad for Christmas. They were having a sale where a 4'X10' (roughly) mat was only about $40, which was pretty cheap, IMO. I ended up liking it and buying one for my dad. We both use it quite a bit. The mat becomes flat pretty quickly and rolls fast and true. My only complaint is with the cups. If you put them in "over the top" of the mat, the lip deflects putts away and the cup isn't deep enough to hold the balls. If you put them in under the mat, then they move out of position anytime you move the mat. Given the price, it's a minor complaint and I have solved the problem by just leaving them out and propping up the "target" end of the mat against a wall to add a little depth to the cups. Overall, this is not a good looking mat (it looks like a big piece of styrofoam), but it does exactly what it should do and I'm happy to have it during the rain & winter weather.

 

Along with each purchase, I got 10 Birdieballs. For those that don't know, Birdieballs are restricted flight "balls" which are actually more like hollow cylinders. Due to the snow on the ground, I hadn't had a chance to take them out for a test until this past weekend. I was having a lot of trouble hitting down on the ball after an entire winter on the mats, and so I went down to the park with my pitching wedge to work on it. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I can say unequivocally that these are great! With a pitching wedge, I couldn't hit them more than 30 yards, so you don't need a ton of space to use them (I will report back later with distances for longer clubs or you can check their website, I'm sure it has this info). The BBs fly true with regard to trajectory and left/right, which is a really nice feature. The best thing (and only thing, really) is that you hit them just like a golf ball. When you first look at them, you'll wonder how you could hit it like a golf ball and make it fly, but trust me, it works. If you're like me and surrounded by ranges with nothing but mats, I would definitely recommend picking up some BirdieBalls and find a park where you can hit them instead. I worked through my "thins" and shot a career best 78 the next day (my first ever sub-80 round)! That's the best endorsement I can give them.

[Matt Saternus]

5K??!?!?! You definitely should get some of them out there.

 

I wasn't going to plunk down the cash to try them, but now that I have, I will pay to replace them if they break. It's a solid practice tool.

[GolfSpy Dave]

I found a box of these at a thrift store with the launch mat included. Haven't hit them though. Did you use the mat, Matt?

[mcbush25]

I have been using Birdie Balls for the past few years. I use them at home and they are a great training aid. They fly far enough to see the ball flight and not long enough to get out of my yard. They are really responsive to your swing as well because when you mishit one it will hook or slice like a real ball.

[Matt Saternus]

I found a box of these at a thrift store with the launch mat included. Haven't hit them though. Did you use the mat, Matt?

 

I did not use the mat, as I don't have one.

[PingManKMB]

birdieballs are legit!

[GolfSpy Tim]

I got some birdie balls a few weeks ago and have found them to be GREAT when sitting at a tee waiting for the group in front of us to get off/far enough down the fairway.

 

Gives me something to swing at and see a flight path.

[mudfish]

well, now I need to look into getting some of these... sounds like a cool thing to try out...

[mudfish]

Nice review I quite possibly could have 5,000 of these balls stashed away. Maybe we could do some contests for them if people are interested.

yea... I'd go with that... count me as interested...

[sparnar]

i recently ordered my birdieball putting green, and the folks over there were kind enough to throw in a sleeve of 10 birdieballs at no extra cost.

 

at first, my focus was on trying out the putting green, and i love it thus far.

 

yesterday i thought it was time to try out the birdieballs. i was a little tentative, because i have a very tiny (miniscule, in fact) garden, and didn't think it would be worthwhile to try them in there.

 

but i just felt the urge to hit something yesterday afternoon. out came the bb's and my lw + sw. i managed to hit some chip type shots, and even some lobs with the lw.

 

eventually i really wanted to hit a full shot to see what the flight is like. i took my lw and lined up a tree just on the other side of my wall, and hit the ball halfway across the narrow road.

 

i did manage to hit a window on one shot, and there was no danger of any damage, which is also a big bonus.

 

looking forward to practising with these even more.

 

what i like about the bb's, is that, as a high handicapper who regularly lapses in concentration, i am not at all afraid to hit one in the teeth. no damage can be done with these.

 

i am also keen to see whether playing some chip shots regularly in the yard, leads to more confidence when addressing these shots on the course.

[bstone21]

Been hitting these for years. I will hit them out in the field and my chocolate lab will chase them down and retrieve them. I like how you can work them with a draw of fade.