FIRST LOOK: Putting Mirror by Sharper Golf

How many alignment aids do you use when you practice your putting? Do you lay an alignment rod down on the green/ putting mat? Does your putting mat come with lines already printed on it? Do you use a putting mirror?

To be honest, I had never used one and the concept was something that I didn’t quite understand. How is a mirror on the ground going to help me putt better? I wanted to see how this could change my game and answer the questions I have so I recently got the putting mirror by Sharper Golf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by ed_ditusa (Duffs to Darts) (@ed_ditusa) on Oct 13, 2019 at 4:08pm PDT

First impressions: When I received this product from Amazon (Yes, its available on Amazon like everything else in the world, I was a little skeptical. The packaging was very thin and flimsy, and it didn’t scream quality right off the bat. It looks like Sharper golf wanted to keep the cost down so they could provide a product that’s affordable and with that, quality packaging took the short end of the stick. Luckily, the box is the only thing that lacked stability. The mirror itself was firm. It wasn’t super heavy but it also wont blow away on the putting green on a blustery day. The alignment rails are a thicker quality of plastic and the bolts to hold the rails in place seem to be a decent caliber of metal. I thought the mirror was a little fuzzy when I started using it and I wasn’t impressed with it. That is until I realized that I didn’t remove the protective sheet of plastic… that’s when I started to find the true value of using a putting mirror.

Put My Putting to The Test

I rolled out my putting mat from another company and I set the mirror down at the three-foot mark. I lined up the mirror and adjusted the rails to fit my putter. I quickly noticed how inconsistent my takeaway is. I consider myself a pretty good putter for an amateur but humble enough to know there is always room for improvement. After ten to fifteen minutes of work, I was keeping my takeaway and consistently following through straight. To test the effect even further, I took the mirror away to see if I could repeat this action without the putting mirror.

I was able to continue making putts from the three-foot range without the mirror. I repeated this process over and over until I was able to go out and play. When I finally made it out to a course to play, I noticed right away that my bad habits would start on the putting green and I could identify when my takeaway was offline. When this happened, I would stop, adjust my feet and setup, then start again.

This resulted in more putts made inside 6 feet. I looked at my Shot Scope for my round data and I made 84% of the putts inside of 6 feet with an average holed putt distance of 2.7 feet. My proximity wasn’t very close on most holes so I had a lot of putts from the 6 to over 30 feet away range. Most of those putts would finish inside a 3-foot circle resulting in a round of 35 putts or a two putt average over 18 holes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by ed_ditusa (Duffs to Darts) (@ed_ditusa) on Nov 7, 2019 at 9:57am PST

My Overall Impressions

The design and concept are easy to use. It has adjustable rails so you can practice any length of putt. It’s so simple to use that even my 7-year-old could use it without any supervision. I don’t care for the screw and wingnut system used to secure the rails as it’s kind of a pain to pick up mirror and adjust the screws until you get it right. As annoying as that can be, once the rails are in place, they stay there no matter how many times you slam your putter face into them. It comes with a little bag to keep everything together and a green clamp to help you put a line on the ball if you want. I just use the markings on the ball, but I know some people prefer a thinker line. It’s one of the least expensive putting mirrors available so that’s also a bonus. Due to weather limitations, I haven’t taken this to an outdoor putting green so it’s hard to say how well it would work on the practice green. I would guess that it would work just fine but without trying it for myself, it’s hard to say.

Would I recommend this product?

The Sharper Golf Putting Mirror is fairly priced at $29.99 and its Prime eligible. Anytime you can get something the next day with Amazon, it’s hard to beat. It is light weight and  break down easily. I feel like my takeaway and tempo improved while using this product and it added to my confidence on putts inside 6 feet. Overall, the Sharper Golf Putting Mirror is a safe, solid purchase. Like any training aid, you will only get out what you put into it. If you are looking to improve your putting and you want to try using a putting mirror, this product is worth the purchase. 

Cover Image Via Instagram