If you’re like me — someone who watches putting replays in slow motion, has experimented with armlock grips “just to see,” and believes three-putts are a personal insult — then The Putting Thing by Yolf deserves a spot in your training arsenal. I’ve used a small army of putting aids over the years, from the high-tech to the hilariously overcomplicated. Most end up in the garage. But this one? It stays in my bag. Here’s why.
The Putting Thing focuses on the three most important elements of putting success:
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Starting the ball on line
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Striking the ball in the center of the putter face
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Controlling speed through better reads
Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, it refines and simplifies what serious players already work on. The design is compact and smart: a black putting plate with a guide rail, alignment lines, and adjustable gates. Everything folds neatly into a carry pouch, and it works just as well on your office carpet as it does on the practice green.
For beginners, it’s an excellent way to understand what proper alignment looks like and how to consistently square the putter face. You’ll quickly learn if your eyes are too far inside the ball, if you’re pulling putts left, or if your stroke arc is causing you to miss your start line. The visual feedback is instant.
For intermediate players, The Putting Thing adds structure to your putting practice. You’re no longer just “rolling a few” before your round — you’re building habits with purpose. You can dial in the gate width to gradually increase the challenge and start making stroke corrections in real time. Plus, it makes speed and read drills more interactive by letting you simulate straight putts and breaking lines with the guide rail.
For advanced players, this is where it gets interesting. The gate drill settings go from wide to razor-thin. At the toughest levels, you’re working with tour-level precision. It’s the closest thing I’ve seen to a Pelz Tutor meets Visio Gate — only faster to set up and far more portable. And the guide rail doubles as a stim meter, allowing you to test and measure green speeds if you want to calibrate how far the ball rolls under controlled conditions.
Here are a few standout features that made a difference for me:
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Built-in gate adjusters: No tees, no guesswork — just turn the dials to increase or decrease difficulty.
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Eye-line indicators: Helps ensure your eyes are directly over or just inside the ball, based on preferred setup.
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Alignment rail: Keeps your target line honest and your face square.
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Indoor/Outdoor functionality: Works just as well in a living room as it does on a putting green.
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Stim meter guide: Track green speed — a unique, underappreciated tool for tournament prep.
In short, The Putting Thing is a no-nonsense, feedback-first practice tool that helps players at all levels build better habits and become more consistent putters. Unlike many aids that try to fix problems you don’t have, this one actually addresses the root causes of missed putts — aim, face control, and consistency.
If you’re trying to go from 90s to 80s, or from scratch to +1, this is the kind of tool that keeps your practice honest. It won’t fix a terrible read or save you from nerves on the 18th, but it will make your stroke more repeatable, your start lines more reliable, and your confidence on the greens measurably stronger.
More Information – $99
WhyGolf.com
