PuttOUT Golf is bringing to market an innovative new putting mat that will allow players to practice putts with endless different breaks and slopes in the comfort of their own homes, the AirBreak. For a number of years, PuttOUT, along with many other manufacturers, has been making high-quality mats that allow you to hit straight putts and work on technique and start line, which is a crucial element of putting practice. However, how many dead straight putts did you face in your last round of golf? My guess would be not many. Reading greens and learning how to match up line and pace on breaking putts is fundamental to becoming a great putter and lowering your scores.
Over the past few years, we have seen a number of hydraulic-based systems that allow you to manipulate breaks, however the price tag of these can run into the tens of thousands of dollars! Now for $349/£299 you can manipulate break and learn the green reading and technical skills required for improvement in your very own home!
The AirBreak features a light, and strong base that comes with 8 points of adjustment, allowing the user to quickly create just about any combination and severity of break imaginable over the 8-foot surface area. Users of AirBreak can create up to 7.5% of side slope (right to left and vice versa) as well as a continuous up-hill or down-hill slope of 3%.
This is cleverly achieved by having 8 air pockets built into the frame, with players using the pumps and release valves to raise and lower the base to create break in seconds. It is exceptionally easy to control and moving from an uphill right-to-left putt to a downhill left-to-righter barely interrupts your session.
The impressive flexibility of the base means that, unlike some other solutions, AirBreak doesn’t just pivot on a single plane, meaning you can create double-breakers even within a 6.5 ft putt. This flexibility allows AirBreak to mirror the realistic, gradual slopes you experience out on the course.
Another cool feature of AirBreak is the automatic ball return. It is battery-powered, and holed putts are returned to your feet instantly, which is a great reward for a successful putt for a lazy golfer like me!
As well as all this, in order to help users easily set up specific putts and generally improve their ability to read greens, AirBreak will come accompanied by PuttOUT’s brand-new green-reading app. This simple-to-use app measures exactly what a putt is doing at any given point in regards to the slope on both axis and can be used both with AirBreak and out on the practice green.
The AirBreak could be a real breakthrough in the home practice space and golfers of all abilities could benefit. From the seasoned elite player looking to hone their feels, to the novice player just trying to figure out the complexity of breaking putts, there are serious benefits across the board.
AirBreak will be available for pre-order in the US and UK throughout May and June, prior to general release in July, and there is some early bird incentive for Golf Monthly readers. Between the 6th of May and the 9th of June, the AirBreak is available for $319/£269 and orders placed between 10th June and 21st July will be charged at $339/£289.
