Do Office Putting Sets Help Your Putting?

Golf, it will come as no surprise to anyone who has swung a club, is a, sport that requires a lot of practice, time, dedication and occasionally money to improve and master. However, not everyone, us for example, has that time, money or resources to hit the course on a regular basis. Office putting sets have become a popular alternative for golfers looking to improve their putting skills while they’re at work. We look at if they can actually help your Putting game, as they certainly wont help your chances at keeping your job!

For those with limited time Office putting sets may help with basic putting practice, but they are limited in terms of providing accurate feedback and replicating real-life course conditions. It’s better to practice putting on an actual course or a high-quality indoor putting green if you have the opportunity.

But do these office golf putting sets really help your golf game? We take a look at how they may help, and the disadvantages they may have as well.

Do Office Putting Sets Help Your Putting?

We take a look at the pros and Cons of using an office putting set in the sections below, we have also included a table if you are short on time and just want the whistle stop version at the end.

The Pros of Using an Office Putting Set

An office putting set can be a useful tool for improving your putting in golf, but it is important to note that it is not a replacement for practicing on an actual golf course. Here are some potential benefits of using an office putting set:

1: Convenience:

There is no need book a tee time, load the car up, rally the friends or anything similar with an office putting set. Even if it is blowing a gale, or 3 feet of snow you can play, or putt at least, a round. it can be put together in a few minutes, or if you have a house big enough, be left up for you to use whenever you have a few free minutes jsut like VR Headsets and golf games which we discuss here.

The old saying goes that practice makes perfect, but as a teacher ( when i’m not on the course) I prefer the saying “little and often”. Golf, at least on a full size course takes me 4 hours on a good day and finding that time can be a challenge. ( you will notice the Pitch and Putt articles on the site and can start to understand why we know so much about them!)

Being able to practice putting, even if there are obvious drawback, helps with muscle memory, power transition and loads more, and being able to do that when you have a few spare minutes is obviously going to help. The fact that it can be packed up and brought to the office and home is even more convenient, unless you have cash to spare and have one in each!

2: Repetition:

We hinted at in above, but golfing is a repetitive sport at least in action if not results, and although driving has a lot more than go wrong than putting, putting still is where many golfers fall down. (not literally) Being able to practice the actions needed to improve your putting, with multiple balls and a putting mat, allows you to practice your stroke repeatedly in a short period of time.

This can help ingrain good habits and muscle memory, leading to more consistent putting on the course. Office putting sets can also help improve your putting technique and accuracy. By repeating the same motion over and over again it means it becomes second nature when on the course.

3: Feedback:

If you decide to splash out a little, then some office putting sets come with built-in features that provide feedback on your putting stroke, such as alignment aids or a digital scoreboard that tracks your progress. We have an article on some the essential and optional features of an office putting set here on the site.

Although not perfect, these little tips and hints can help you identify and correct any flaws in your technique. or at the very least make you aware of them as something to work on when you get to the practice green or the full course.

4: Stress-free environment:

Practicing your putting in an office setting , unless caught by your boss, can be less stressful than on a golf course, where the pressure of a round or competition may be present. Here no one is watching, probably, when you sail that 2 foot putt 4 feet past the hole.

This can allow you to focus on your technique, method and make adjustments without the added pressure of playing a full round with either people watching, or a group fast coming up from behind.

Any mistakes you make are not final, and you can reset and try again, there are even office golfing sets that return the ball to you automatically – although you still need to get it in the hole for this, so i guess that’s the sum of the pressure here!

5: Cost:

An office putting matt or set is typically less expensive than a round of golf, depending how high end a set you go for of course. While most will be around $50 dollars you can scale these up, and down, depending on your needs and your love of gadgets with bells and whistles. ( we like the bells and whistles)

In addition to their low, or low ish, cost they also are reusable for years, unlike a round of golf which even if you drag it out gives you 5 hours of play, most of that walking, and only if you are very lucky, 18 putts of practice.

Table 1: Pros and cons of using an Office Putting Set

Now, as useful as we think they are we will add some caveats to this. For every advantage an office putting set may have there are some drawbacks that while not deal breakers, should be taken into consideration.

The Cons of Using an Office Putting Set

We have put together a list of some of the potential hazards to be aware of if you do spend a lot of time using an office putting set. These include:

Limited range of motion:

Although if using a set we recommend using your own putter if you have one, if you are using the pne 9 it will be cheap) in the set – if it comes with one, it is likely to be smaller and less realistic which will affect you when you go to the course and try this for real You can get bigger sets upto ( and some over) 9-10 feet. We take a look at the size of an office putting set here.

It can either limit the range of motion and swing that can be practiced, or you get good at using that putter and not your real one.

Inaccurate feedback:

Although a halfway decent office putting set will give you measurements and if an all singing dancing one might even tell you if you hit it too hard, or soft, these do not necessarily translate to the green.

Especially as not just all courses, but all greens have their nuances and differences that you need to learn to read on each hole. An office putting set can only go so far with this.

Unnatural setting:

it should come as no surprise to anyone playing golf in an office environment with a putting set is not going to be the same as playing on a real course, So the sounds, wind, pressure is all going to be different. ( you could try the office fan next to the hole at a push i guess)

However this is not the aim of practicing on an office putting set, so its not really fair to call it a disadvantage, more something to be aware of before you think that you are putting like a pro.

Lack of real-life course hazards:

Office golf sets do not include real-life hazards such as bunkers, water hazards and rough, which are important and annoying aspects of the game, although if you are putting and hitting these you might need to seek some professional advice!

They do come with other hazards, like being caught by the boss, work getting in the way, and putting the ball through a window however.

Safety:

Using golf balls in any other setting needs some caution. i personally bought a set that returns the ball, and had a adjustable slope to give me some help with judging power. I also am lucky enough to have a very large balcony.

Once setting it up on that balcony i set to work, and the first putt sailed over the back bounced off the wall at the back ( tiles and golf balls give it a bounce i can tell you) and headed towards the edge of the balcony.

Now we have a ridge of about 3 inches on the balcony, but had it not been for that, then the little white ball of destruction would have been headed down 7 floors building up more speed than my best drive. Luckily ( kinda) it was during the restrictions so one one was about anyway but still.

Don’t play on an open balcony!

Similarly no one is going to thank you for leaving golf balls all over the place, as they are the perfect size to not be notices, and act like a banana skill for those inadvertently stepping on them.

No realistic ball movement:

As real as they try to make the surface of your office putting set it is not a replacement for the well manicured greens on the full course. What you manage to achieve on the putting matt may not translate to the green and you should be aware of that.

similarly office golf sets typically use small, lightweight balls that do not travel the same distance or trajectory as real golf balls, making it difficult to develop proper swing mechanics. You can of course use your own balls as well, but take not of the safety issues above!

Job loss:

Obviously playing during your working hours in a No No, however plenty of us will have been guilty of sneaking a quick 5 minutes here and there. Get caught enough times and you may find yourself having, if not the money anymore, at least the free time to get more rounds in at the golf club.

then you wont need the putting set anyway!

Playing at lunch or on break times shouldn’t be an issue, but having toys in the office is a distraction and you should check with your employers first. (We say this with first hand knowledge with an xbox literally right next to the computer i’m writing this).

Also if you are gunning for promotion having a putting green set up in your workplace does not scream committed in the way most employers are looking for! One option is of course to invite your boss in for a quick putt which may smooth matters over.

So Does a Putting office Set help?

While it is hard to replicate real golf course conditions when using an office putting set. The speed, slope, and grain of an office carpet or putting mat will not match the conditions you’ll encounter on the course.

An office putting set can potentially improve your putting performance by allowing you to practice your stroke repeatedly in a convenient and stress-free environment.

The repetition and feedback provided by an office putting set can help you ingrain good habits and muscle memory, leading to more consistent putting on the course oh yeah, and it’s fun as well.

Other Resources on Office Putting Sets

We are developing, in the theme of our sites title, a one stop guide on Office putting sets, and you can find other useful information in the list of articles below.

Conclusion

Office putting sets can be a convenient and very cost-effective way to practice your putting ready for your day at the course. They can help improve your technique and accuracy and can be a good tool to fit practice into a busy schedule. However, they do have limitations and may not provide the same level of feedback and realism as practicing on an actual course.

If you’re considering using an office putting set, it’s important to use it correctly and in combination with other practices. As with any training aid, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of your weaknesses and focus on them.

It is important to keep in mind that an office putting set is not a replacement for practicing on an actual golf course and finally and most importantly…

Don’t get fired!

Do Office Putting Sets Help Your Putting?