I'm all for practicing golf when you're supposed to be doing other things. Really. I am. You know, like when you know you should be mowing the lawn, but you found an old ball lying in the grass. Then, since the mower needed gas, you go to the garage and instead grab your pitching wedge. Then, you justify that you're "edging" when in fact you're only taking some practice chips in some tall grass. You know, like that.
Granted, it's good practice. We tend to chip out of tall grass a lot, don't we?
But bad practice makes bad play. I can't imagine a product that I would use less than this particular practice putting green. It's the Club Champ Expand-a-Green Modular Putting System. Let me start with some redeeming features:
1) It's fairly inexpensive for a practice green this size. (3' by 8' in one configuration.)
2) It's very portable and customizable.
3) You can use it indoors or outdoors.
4) The speed is fairly accurate to a well-kept course green (8 on the Stimpmeter.)
It is an interlocking green tile system that has several configurations with two regulation-size cups and flagsticks to create multiple pin locations. The concept is great. You can pack all the tiles into a small carrying pouch and set up pretty quickly. The website says it can actually float in the pool. Um... ok. So if Jesus shows up at your house, He'll have a place to practice where no one will crowd Him.
The item has so many good features, it's too bad it has one very large detraction.
You can't putt on a straight line with it. The seams of the tile pieces always make the ball jump and go offline. What's the point? If I want to practice badly, I can get some family time in and take the kids to Camp Putt minigolf. (I still can't get the hole in that stupid windmill on the first try.)
People may argue and tell you that real greens have irregularities too, and that this will truly help me get a more "real world" application. Sorry. Not at my course. If a green looks like this at my course I gripe about it to the pro and allow myself the biggest "gimme" anyone has ever seen.
Then I celebrate my birdie on that hole.
Sorry, Club Champ. I would rather spend the money and try out this one.
Find this Club Champ Expand-a-Green:
Find this putting green on eBay:
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