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Putting is a vital part of golf and needs to be practiced consistently but it is not always easy for golfers to get to the course or driving range to put in some well needed putting practice as often as they would like.
Thankfully putting mats that allow regular putting practice in the comfort of your own home are a great option for golfers nowadays and the SKLZ Accelerator Pro putting mat is one of those on the market today.
But is it any good or are you better off choosing a different one?
As a whole the SKLZ Accelerator Pro Putting is cheap and provides golfers with a basic putting experience. And it is cheap for a reason. The ramp is made of a basic plastic material while the mat fibres provide a rough putting surface that makes the putting roll it delivers not as smooth compared to many of its competitors.
I am not always comfortable giving poor reviews of products as I am well aware it is not the easiest thing to produce a good quality putting mat and the SKLZ Accelerator Pro does have some strengths in addition to its flaws.
But I have tested it alongside a bunch of other putting mats on the market (including measuring their speed on a stimpmeter!) and think there are better mats out there to enable golfers to get in some better quality putting practice.
And in the remainder of this post I run through all the details of the SKLZ Accelerator Pro putting mat and assess it against categories including set up, features, build quality and of course price to explain how I have come to this conclusion.
Pro tip: Practicing on a putting mat is better for your putting stroke than putting on a home carpet. Check out the reasons why this is here.
Setting Up and Storing the SKLZ Accelerator Pro Putting Mat
When it comes to setting up the SKLZ Accelerator Pro putting mat the mat requires first to be rolled out and then the two pieces of plastic which form the ball chute return need to be attached to the main plastic ramp end of the mat.
The chute to return the ball to the golfer works simply after a putt is holed through the target hole half way up the ramp or is missed long over the back end of the mat.
While this set up process does not take very long it is not as straight forward as the set up process for other putting mats on the market which simply need to be rolled out to be ready to go.
The fixed plastic ramp end of the SKLZ Accelerator Pro mat also means it is not as easy as other mats to be stored away if you do not have the space or want to leave the mat out permanently.
As can be seen in the image below it is not particularly easy to roll the mat up tightly and neatly ready to be stored back in the box it came in and although clearly not impossible the storage solution for the SKLZ mat is definitely not the simplest when it is compared to other popular mats.
Quality of the SKLZ Accelerator Pro Putting Mat putting mat
When it comes to the build quality of the SKLZ Accelerator Pro putting mat its appearance and feel are reflective of its low end market price.
The ramp end of the mat that houses the target hole is made of cheap plastic as are the two plastic runner pieces which form the chute which return the ball to the golfer after a put is holed or missed over the back of the mat.
The carpet fibres of the putting mat surface are also rough to the touch and not as smooth as many of the SKLZ mat’s competitors.
While our tests showed that putts on the mat rolled relatively true its slow speed – we measured it at around 8 feet on the Stimpmeter – put it amongst the slowest putting mats we tested and provided proof of the roughness of the SKLZ Accelerator Pro mat when set against alongside its competitors.
[Note – to see our direct comparison review of the SKLZ Accelerator Pro putting mat to six of its competitors check out our post here.]
How Do You Use a SKLZ Accelerator Pro Putting Mat? Features & Usability
Like other putting mats the SKLZ Accelerator Pro putting mat has features built into and printed on to it to help guide golfers in their practice putting.
But how specifically do you use a SKLZ putting mat?
The SKLZ Accelerator Pro mat is used by placing a ball on each of the 3 feet, 5 feet and 7 feet spot markings and putting it into the target hole that sits on the ramp. Additional markings at these distances aim to guide and encourage an ‘accelerating’ putting stroke while a ball return chute then delivers the ball back.
While the putting mat itself measures over 9 feet in total length the mat markings guide you to put principally from these set 3 distances however you can of course vary the putting distances you choose to put from outside of these.
The arrow markings that aim to help golfers swing their putter with a shorter backswing than follow through putting stroke, and thereby stop players from decelerating when striking the ball, however only appear at the 3 feet, 5 feet and 7 feet distances and so the SKLZ mat is aimed principally to be used from these distances.
The mat also comes equipped with a ramp on which is placed the target hole for players to aim at.
This is again intended to encourage users to strike the ball firmly to ensure it gets up the ramp with the theory being that once a player then putts on a golf course green, where holes are typically cut on flat areas, they will have built up muscle memory to hit their putts with enough power to reach the hole.
After prolonged use of ramp putting mats I have personally found myself hitting the ball too far past the hole when I have subsequently played on a course but the use of a putting mat with or without a ramp is undoubtedly a matter of personal preference.
The short video below gives a short illustration of how the SKLZ Accelerator Pro mat is intended to be used.
How Much Does the SKLZ Accelerator Pro Putting Mat Cost?
When it comes to price the SKLZ Accelerator Pro putting mat is unquestionably one of the cheapest on the market.
Given how expensive golf can be as a sport this is clearly a pro when it comes to assessing the mat and for those relatively new to the game it is an option to help them practice their putting on a more consistent basis while not spending a small fortune.
So if you are interested in finding out the latest price of a SKLZ Accelerator Pro putting mat you can check it out on Amazon now.
SKLZ Accelerator Pro Putting Mat – Summary of Pros and Cons
The SKLZ Accelerator Pro is a basic putting mat that has markings at three different short putt distances of 7 feet and under.
Listed below is a summary of the mat’s pros and cons across a variety of categories.
| CATEGORY | PROS | CONS |
| Set up | – Straight forward to set up. | – Thin mat material does not always lie flat on being rolled out. |
| Build quality | – Ramp element made of cheap plastic – Rough textured surface results in much slower putts than other mats (estimated at 8 feet on Stimpmeter) | |
| Features | – Simple to use | – Only three mat markings at distances of 3, 5 and 7 feet. – No accompanying smartphone app to provide additional games & training drills |
| Storage | – Not straight forward to pack the mat up into the box after use. | |
| Price | – SKLZ Accelerator Pro mat costs approx. $50 |
[Note – To get a visual review of the SKLZ Accelerator Pro putting mat check out this video on our YouTube channel here]
Golfing Focus recommended training aids
Check out our complete list of top picks of golf training aids here. We’ve tested and used a bunch of training aids over the years and our selections are battle-tested and can be recommended without hesitation!
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