X-mas gift to lower scores

Last updated: 7th December 2012

A good putt is a combination of four elements: alignment, pace, roll and above all, the control of distance - and with this in mind a new product has been launched in the USA which is designed to help golfers of all abilities master these elements - and because of it, lower their scores

It is the Paceyourputt® mat designed and developed by Houston-based Peekace Inc. which offers its users a close-to-real putting surface and uses clearly-marked visual aids to help golfers to first understand and then to master all four of those elements.

Putting mats are nothing new to golf, but this one is, the difference being that it will finally teach you the skill of knowing how far to take back your putter on the back swing (for pendulum-type strokes) as well as to master the 'weight' you should use to regularly roll the ball the correct distances.

The Paceyourputt® mat displays lengths of backswing for the three key distances in putting : 3ft, 6ft and 10ft.

Visual aids from those distances will show you how far the putter should go back so that the ball regularly travels the distance you seek.

And you will have immediate feedback on your pace during follow-through. Indeed, a slight discrepancy in the distance travelled by the ball between two putts will usually mean they have been hit at different tempos.

So the second training mode of the Paceyourputt®, mat which comprises the six zones of drills, will help you develop a better feeling for your putts for, apart from mastering the length of your backswing, it is also important to get the right pace with your putts by mastering feel and rhythm.

As Peekace Inc claim the texture and rolling speed of this mat are close to real conditions, you are not expected to find conditions very different when you take your new-found skills out on to the course.

In short you should no longer find that getting the perfect distance a hit-and-miss thing - bearing in mind that the perfect distance, in the view of the new mat marketers, is "an average of 17 inches past the hole.

This practice will help you avoid late turns and deflections for softer putts dying at the hole and lip-outs that can occur when putts are struck too firmly

Peekace Inc. points out that the 17-inch rule is an average and that the correct distance in certain circumstances will vary depending on surface conditions (dew, dry conditions...) or types of grass (Bentgrass, Bermuda,Poa Annua etc).

The Paceyourputt® mat helps you out in this respect by displaying three zones representing those different conditions.

And knowing that an accurately-struck putt would have reached 17 inches if it hadn't found the hole is made possible because there is no hole in the mat, just a graphic reproduction which is exactly the same size as a real, live hole.

Now, if each of your putts can pass over the hole and stop an average of 17 inches past it, you can be pretty sure you have mastered this important skill and that you will find your putting has greatly improved when you next take it out on to the course - remembering, of course, that the greens of many courses differ slightly and that it will pay you to spend some time getting the feel of the greens before you tee off for your next round

With regard to the second training mode and it's six zones - these zones get narrower and narrower as you get closer to the edge of the mat and this should help you increase your feel for your putts

The Paceyourputt® rolling speed is 10 on the Stimpmeter which corresponds to the average speeds of most greens in North America and, according to the manufacturers, should be perfect for beginners, advanced amateur golfers and for Professionals.

However, Paceyourputt® mats are available on request at differing rolling speeds in order to meet specific types of grass in the area where you live.

For further details and instruction on using the Paceyourputt mat you should go to https://www.paceyourputt.com where you can also purchase a mat for $119.