Did you know that improving your putting is one of the quickest ways to shoot lower scores and have more fun on the golf course?
Just think about how much your handicap would improve if you could simply eliminate all 3 putts during your rounds. How nice would that be?
The problem is that most golfers have busy lives and simply don’t have the time to constantly drive to the nearest golf course just to practice their putting stroke. Thankfully, there are lots of practice putting greens on the market that can help with that.
If you’re not sure which putting green to buy, I’m doing a 3 part series on a variety of different ones. In this review, I’ll dive into what I like and don’t like about the BirdieBall Putting Green. After reading this, you’ll be able to decide if it’s worth a shot.
Quick Overview of The BirdieBall Putting Green
A lot of folks may be familiar with BirdieBall because of their main product, the reduced flight practice golf ball. This was a fantastic invention because of its maximum flight capacity of only 40 yards. The company has been making popular golf training aids since 2003.
The BirdieBall putting green comes in a variety of different sizes and speeds. The company offers 15 different pre-built putting green packages as well as customized options. You can also decide if you want a practice putting green for indoor or outdoor use.
The BirdieBall putting green was named the Best Putting Mat of 2022 by My Golf Spy, which is a prestigious honor. The one I tried out was the 4 x 12 Classic Slow putting green. BirdieBall’s goal is to give golfers a practice green that feels as close as possible to the real thing.
What I Like About The BirdieBall Putting Green
There’s quite a bit to like about the BirdieBall putting green. The company has evidently spent a lot of time and resources on research and development. Here are some of my favorite features of the BirdieBall Classic Slow.
- Shipped Securely: The BirdieBall was sent in an oversized box with plenty of tape to hold everything in place. All of the pieces were easy to find, and everything arrived as it should. This was nice to see because I’ve had negative shipping experiences with other companies.
- Arrived Quickly: This was another added bonus. Everything was shipped securely, and the package arrived in only a couple of days. It was refreshing to get something quickly in today’s age, where shipping delays are all too common. BirdieBall also gives you free shipping on all orders over $100, which is a nice added bonus.
- Instruction Booklet: BirdieBall included a handy little instruction booklet that quickly explained how to set up the practice green. This made installing it a breeze! Again, this may sound elementary, but I’ve received products with no setup manual in the past. As you might imagine, that’s a major headache.
- Great Size: I loved the overall size of the BirdieBall mat I tested. If you have the room in your home or office, I highly recommend going with the 4 x 12 size.
- Bumpers: The set came with rubber bumpers to place on the sides of the mat. This keeps your golf balls from rolling off and also helps to smooth out the surface.
- Hole Depth: I liked how deep the holes were with the BirdieBall. Sinking putts into these holes felt more authentic.
- Cups at Both Ends: This is probably my favorite feature because it saves a ton of time. With other brands that have cups on only 1 end, gathering all your golf balls and carrying them back to the other side can take a while. You don’t have that headache with the BirdieBall mat. This means that you can practice more putts in half the time.
- Competitive Price: Another thing I appreciate about the BirdieBall putting green is its reasonable price. Are there cheaper putting mats out there? Of course. However, most are half the size of the BirdieBall mat, and most of them only come with 1 cup.
What I Don’t Like About The BirdieBall Putting Green
Like with most products, there are some drawbacks to the BirdieBall putting green. Here are some of the areas in which BirdieBall could show some improvement. This part of the review may seem a little bit harsh, but I believe in giving feedback that’s 100% honest and transparent.
- Bubbles After Laying: The instruction booklet warned that it’s common to notice some air pockets after laying the putting mat out. While that may be true, these didn’t go away after several hours. This was a bit disappointing.
- Slick Surface: BirdieBall claims that this is their “slow” putting surface, but I didn’t think there was anything slow about it. The golf balls roll well on it, but it honestly felt like I was putting on a tabletop. Even the fastest natural greens in the country aren’t quite this fast.
- Surface Material: This goes along with the slick surface but is worth mentioning. BirdieBall uses a particular type of Styrofoam-like material that they claim feels more like an authentic putting green. This gives the putting surface a spongy feel that I didn’t care for.
- Leaves Footprints: I noticed that there were several footprints left over from where I took my putting stance. Again, BirdieBall claims that this makes it more realistic, but I’m not so sure I agree with that logic. Do any of your playing partners really ever walk in the middle of your putting line? If so, maybe you need a new group of friends.
Overall Rating and Thoughts: 5.0 out of 10
After carefully weighing out all factors, I’ll give the BirdieBall putting green a 5 out of 10 rating. The overall size and the fact that there are holes on both sides of the mat are huge pluses in my book. I also appreciate how easy this mat is to set up and the tips that the instruction booklet gives.
The main negative that keeps my rating from being at least a 7 instead of a 5 is the putting surface. The putts simply roll way too fast on this mat, which I feel would limit how much a golfer could improve their overall putting stroke. I also didn’t like how the spongy material didn’t smooth all the way out, even after several hours.
One way to smooth out the putting surface and possibly get rid of all the air bubbles would be to get some double-sided carpet tape. You can use that to tape down all of the edges of the putting mat. I’ve used that trick with other brands in the past, and it’ll give you a purer roll.
Another thing that would make this practice putting green better is heavier bumpers. Any extra weight would help keep the mat flat. This would also lead to a more authentic roll of the golf ball.
Lastly, another way to improve this practice mat is to brush the grain with a coarse broom. Be sure to brush gently because you don’t want to damage the material. This will help slow down your putts, which is definitely needed with this practice green.
The BirdieBall putting mat is a solid overall product, and any kind of putting practice is better than none at all. This mat is a better choice than some of the nylon options on the market.
However, if you’re serious about improving your short game and lowering your handicap, there are some better putting mats out there.
Watch my review comparing the BirdiBall vs PrimePutt vs Wellputt, or click into each putting mat’s written review below:
August Noble
August Noble was first introduced to golf at 7 years old. In 2013 he started seriously working on his game and was able to reduce his handicap from 19 to 3.4 in less than two years. He’s been helping other golfers do the same ever since.
