Indoor Putting

[iacas]

What is everyone putting on indoors?

I'm considering buying some astroturf and making myself a putting green, basically, out of 2x4s. If I could find some of those little holes with the little flags, I could have a pretty nifty setup I reckon. What do you think?

It just seems like a ripoff to pay $30 or so for those 8' or 9' putting mats, when you could probably spend $50 and create something that's ten times better. Hmmm...

[pahonix]

Well, I'm cheap and non-handy, so I just use the good ole carpet. I don't put a cup down or anything like that, just aim for one of the bed feet or the corner of the couch or something like that. Going across the linoleum of the kitchen is a little hazardous, but I think I've figured out the break. Of course, having a 1-bedroom apartment doesn't really allow for much more. :)

[Rafcin]

What is everyone putting on indoors?

I'm considering buying some astroturf and making myself a putting green, basically, out of 2x4s. If I could find some of those little holes with the little flags, I could have a pretty nifty setup I reckon. What do you think?

It just seems like a ripoff to pay $30 or so for those 8' or 9' putting mats, when you could probably spend $50 and create something that's ten times better. Hmmm...

Solution: tell your wife/girlfriend/boyfriend what to get you for Xmas. Worked for me ( I've 3 matts now :-D :-D :-D )

[iacas]

I could get a putting mat, but again, the "10x better" part is attractive to me. I could adjust the slope of my mat by putting a brick under two corners, that sort of thing.

[Ben]

I've toyed around with that idea myself. I think it would be pretty cool. I have a strip of turf now with a ball returner. It helps with my stroke, but it doesn't do anything for working on my line because the turf is only about 2 feet wide. I just have to see that my putter is at a right angle to the edge, and go.

A 10x10 or larger area with a couple of holes would be awesome.

[iacas]

I'll post my plans later when I make it. I'm thinking some 2x4s on the edges, a few to support the middle, and, a big sheet of plywood on top, wrapped in that green astroturf-like material (you see it on people's patios in FL all over the place), and then a bumper around the top edge.

Gonna call Golfsmith to see if they have those little holes. Perhaps a screw system with legs could even be worked out to allow you to adjust the height of the corners.

Hmmm... Looks like I'll be visiting Home Depot this weekend.

[Ben]

You can put little chips of wood, in certain spots, between the plywood and the 2x4s to add a little break too!

[iacas]

I actually just figure I'll stick some wood scraps between the boards and the floor. The weird thing is that I think the carpet I bought is too fast. I may have to find a stimpmeter to measure it. :-)

That'll be a trick, too: getting it to lay very, very, very flat. The carpet, that is. I bought all of the supplies tonight (except the plywood - have to take the back seat out of my car first for that - and the total came to about $120. Add the plywood in and I'll have my own indoor 8' x 8' green for less than $150. Sure beats $40 for one of those putting things (in my opinion).

I wonder if there's a simple way to measure (roughly) the speed of the carpet I've purchased. The stimpmeters I've seen available for purchase are surprisingly pricy. What angle and from what height does the ball roll down the stimpmeter? I could always estimate that and roll it down a piece of cardboard.

[iacas]

OK, found some specs. Stimpmeters are 36" long but the ball is rolled from a notch at 30." The slope at which the ball rolls is about 20*, so tells me that if I raise a 36" piece of cardboard 12.3", that should get me about 20*. If I release the ball from 6" from the top (i.e. 30" from the bottom), I should be able to fairly closely approximate the slope.

If all that is true, then the carpet I bought this evening stimps to about 15. I'm fairly certain a good putting green should stimp to around 9 or so - a little slower than normal so you develop a good firm stroke.

Alas, no carpet manufacturers put their stimp rating on the back. :-D I may have to return the stuff I bought ($4/sq. yd.) and get something else. This time, I'm taking my cardboard piece and a ruler so I can test the stimp right there in the store!

[pahonix]

Talk about the possibility of getting your fair share of weird stares!

[muskegman]

Putting to a quarter on the living room carpet makes the hole seem gigantic on the course. I believe it has led to fewer three putts. Proper set up and concentration has helped just as much I'm sure.