Best Indoor Putting Green Review

Below is an informative video with a review of the 5 types of indoor putting greens you can buy, explaining the pros and cons and costs of each:

• Flexible mat greens
• Foam rubber backed greens
• Ramps with fabric
• Platform greens
• Our synthetic turf with StarBall Cups.

The video let’s you decide which kind of putting green is best for you.

Only one of the 5 kinds shown is made by StarPro Greens…

We only make Synthetic Turf with StarBall Cups.

 

The other 4 kinds of greens are made by our competitors.

After watching the video click to see these putting greens:

• 3′ x 10′ 5-Hole Pro-Am Turf Putting Green – $109.99
• 6′ x 12′ 5-Hole Pro-Am Turf Putting Green – $245
• 5′ x 12′ 5-Hole Pro Turf Putting Green – $349

Transcription of Video: Best Indoor Putting Green Review

If you are planning on buying an indoor putting green in the next year or so, this video will help you understand the 5 different types of greens that are available in the marketplace today.

And hopefully, by the end of the five minute period, you’ll be able to make a decision on what type of green is best for you, what will be the best to lower your score, or be the most fun for your family.

We’ll compare 5 types of indoor putting greens:

1. First the flexible mat.
2. Then the synthetic turf with StarBall cups.
3. Third the platform greens.
4. Fourth the foam rubber backed greens
5. And finally the ramps with fabric.

First we’ll review the pros and cons of each of the 5 different types of greens.

Then at the end of the video, we will compare the cost per square foot of the different types of greens, so you can make a decision that makes sense for you.

The first type of green that we’re going to review is the…

Flexible mat greens

The advantages are:

• It putts true. The ball reacts like it’s on a putting green.
• The textured sides curl just slightly, which causes the ball to go in the hole easily.

The problems are:

• When it’s rolled up and stored in a box, and you unroll it later, it’s hard to lay flat because the styrofoam has memory.
  The mat moves when you walk on it.
• When you step up to address the ball, and this is kind of disconcerting, the ball will actually move if you put your putt head behind it.
• And It leaves indented footprints where you stand, which take a few minutes to go away, so you can’t really play back and forth on this green.

The second type of green that we want to review is the…

Synthetic turf greens utilizing the StarBall practice cup

These affordable greens use a needlepoint nylon turf, that is reasonably inexpensive. If you want to use a more expensive turf you can go with the pro greens, which are a heat set kinked nylon for indoor or outdoor use.

The advantage of this type of green is…

• It lays perfectly flat, even after being stored. There are no ramps, folds or platforms.
• 2. It has five holes so you can putt to different targets from all over the green in all different directions.
• 3. It has 5 StarBall cups that stop the ball in the regulation size hole.
• 4. The ball rolls true at country club speed.
• 5. The green actually has a 5-hole tournament play pattern and 5 family golf games.
• 6. You can use them indoors or patio and poolside.

Problems:

• It lacks a deep hole for the ball to drop into, unlike greens that are on a raised platform. It does have the StarBall, which is quite accurate, but the ball doesn’t actually drop into a full hole.

The third type of green that we’re going to look at is the..

Platform greens

These greens are constructed out of modular platforms, either rubber or plastic, with the turf laid across the top of the pieces.

Advantages:

• The ball drops into a hole because of the raised platform.
• 2. The platform edge stops the ball from rolling off the green.
• And 3. They’re attractive.

Problems:

• First and foremost, the cost. These are 3 to 6 times more expensive than your typical indoor green per square foot.
• 2. Standing on a raised platform doesn’t feel realistic
• And 3. You can’t play at the sides of the green without your feet being off the platform, so you have to kind of use the center of the green, not the entire green.

The fourth kind of green we’re going to review is the…

Foam rubber backed green

These greens have a wedge of foam rubber, or a mat of foam rubber, glued to the back side of the green, which enables a shallow hole to be created.

Advantage of these greens:

• They have a good quality turf with a shallow hole.
• 2. They do have an attractive finish. They’re good looking greens.

Problems:

• You shoot only in one direction. There may be more than one hole but typically the ball’s going in the same direction.
• 2. You get one shot. If you miss the hole you can’t put out, because to move up to put out, you’d be standing on the styrofoam wedge, and the ball moves.
• 3. The green doesn’t lay flat after being stored rolled up. The foam has memory.

The last kind of practice putting greens we’re going to look at are the…

Ramps with a fabric attached to them

These greens are made with a pressed plastic ramp that has a hole in it, and then a fabric draped over the entire thing. These are the darlings of the big box retailers, like Golfsmith or Sports Authority or Dick’s.

The advantages of these greens are:

• They typically come in beautiful boxes.
• They’re cheap for such a pretty box.
• They’re a great child’s toy (5 and under).

The problems:

• Many of them never lay flat ever. And I was actually at a PGA show one time where the manufacturer’s rep told me they didn’t expect the owner, the golfer if he got one as a gift, to ever open the box.
• 2. Golf play on the fabric isn’t realistic is a problem.
• The biggest problem is it’s bad practice. It’s bad practice because the ball has to accelerate up the ramp. A real golf shot would be slowing down as it approaches the hole. These have to accelerate to get up the ramp.

We’ve reviewed the five different kinds of putting greens. Now let’s take a look at…

The cost per square foot of each of these greens…

so that you can make a value judgement and a comparison.

Flexible Mat	$4.71
Synthetic Turf with StarBall Cups	$3.70
Platform Greens (includes shipping)	$17.81
Foam Rubber Backed	$6.57
Ramps with Fabric	$6.07

Note: prices = average of 3 samples of each type

As you can see, the platform greens are the most expensive by a long shot.

For many golfers, the best value is the synthetic turf green, which offers realistic 5-hole play because the quality of the putting turf is where they have invested their money.

This is the only type of greens made by StarPro Greens.

I hope this presentation has been helpful and informative.

For more information on our greens, please go to StarProGreens.com

Thank you for watching.