The Raflewski Tour Putting Mat
Gareth Raflewski is an accomplished Canadian PGA instructor. His proven short game results have attracted players from multiple Tours including the PGA and LPGA. Over the years, Raflewski has crafted a putting program that allows you to train with the same concepts as the Tour players he works with. As part of the program, Gareth Raflewski teamed up with Catalyst Golf to create the Raflewski Tour putting mat. This custom mat can be used alongside other Raflewski training aids to improve your putting with Tour-proven concepts from the comfort of your own home.
Setup
Setting up the Raflewski Tour putting mat is straightforward and easy. Find yourself a nice flat surface with clearance of about 11 feet by 3 feet. Just give yourself enough space to swing a putter. (Best results achieved if you can put from any distance on the mat.) Then all you have to do is rollout the heavy-duty putting mat like a rug. The back of the mat has a grippy rubber that helps weigh the mat down as well as stay in place. Depending on how long your mat has been rolled up, you may need to work the corners flat. Nothing a couple heavy books and some time can’t fix.
Included in the box is an instruction sheet for multiple drills and practice methods. This explains the different markings on the mat for different drills to keep your practice both efficient and entertaining. There are drills for everything ranging from speed and distance control, alignment and accuracy, and vision. Should you purchase any other training aids that are part of the Raflewski program, there are instructions on how to work them into your practice as well. Though the general use is super intuitive, it’s a nice addition to have the guidance provided in simple and succinct documentation.
Performance
I’m very particular about putting mats. As you can probably see in the pictures, I don’t exactly have a ton of space in my house. With this limitation, it’s tough to find a putting mat that is actually useful, rolls well, and you feel like you can actually practice a real putting stroke. More often than not, the options are cheap and feel like a waste. However, the Raflewski Tour mat is made of premium materials, very solid, and rolls pure. At 10.5 feet, I have enough length to take a real putting stroke, but I don’t need a massive space to get in a good practice.
There are multiple different markings on the mat to practice different skills. The T markings help you visualize lining up your putter face square to your target. If you choose to use the T on the orange center line, you can work on both keeping your putts on line as well as distance control. The numbers at the end can be used for different games as well as multiple drills to work on control. All making your practice effective, especially when combined with other Raflewski putting aids which can be found on their website.
Final Thoughts – Raflewski Tour Putting Mat
Gareth Raflewski’s short game training is highly respected and the same programs can be followed by you at home. The Raflewski Tour putting mat is a realistic fit for any home and rolls pure. I can’t stress enough how difficult that is to come across, and especially at an affordable price point. So if you’re looking for a legitimately good quality, useful mat that won’t break the bank, I’m pretty impressed by the Raflewski Tour mat.
