Everybody calls the PrimePutt the premium putting mat. But line it up against BirdieBall’s Tour Grade Turf at the same width and it’s $499 against $360, with one less hole and a lot less gear. I’ve had both of them on the same floor, and for most of you the BirdieBall is the better green.
The Quick Verdict
For most golfers, I’d get the BirdieBall Tour Grade Turf. At three feet wide it’s $360 for a three by eight, against $499 for the PrimePutt Standard at three by nine. You pay less, and the box carries cups, flags, a high-back cup, six bumpers, plugs and a shim you can use to build a break. It comes in 42 sizes, and it was built to live outside.
If your green is going in a dry room with no pets, look at BirdieBall’s foam green, the RollTech, instead. A three by ten is $161.99, and I said it’s got the best roll on the market for the price. The PrimePutt is only the pick if you want a three-foot indoor mat that looks like furniture, and those calibrated cups matter more to you than the $139 difference and the gear.
The Same Problem, Two Different Bets
Both of these fix the same problem. Most putting mats give you a surface and a hole and leave you to figure out the rest. A cheap carpet mat lets the ball skate, so the speed you learn at home isn’t the speed you need on Saturday. These two are nylon turf greens made in the USA, and they slow the ball down the way real grass does, so your pace actually means something.
Here’s the thing. After that, they go completely different directions. PrimePutt gives you one finished product: a dense half-inch nylon, three feet wide, with a wooden backstop. It’s the official mat of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship. Four sizes, and that’s the lineup.
BirdieBall gives you options. The Tour Grade Turf is a woven nylon with a heavy face weight on a thick backing. You pick your width and your length separately, the kit comes in the box, and it goes indoors or out. And if your room is dry, BirdieBall has the RollTech foam green too. So the real question isn’t which mat is nicer. It’s which one fits your room and the putts you keep missing.
The Comparison
Price first, then the things that decide it. Prices are from the BirdieBall and PrimePutt stores on October 11, 2026.
| BirdieBall Tour Grade Turf | PrimePutt Standard | |
|---|---|---|
| Price at three feet wide | $360 (3 x 8 ft) | $499 (3 x 9 ft) |
| Cheapest size | $153 (1.5 x 8 ft, on sale from $180) | $299 Essential (1.5 x 9 ft, on sale from $370) |
| Sizes | 42, from 1.5 to 7.5 ft wide and 8 to 18 ft long | 4 |
| Surface | Woven nylon on a thick backing | Dense half-inch nylon on rubber |
| Green speed | 10 to 11 stimp | 9 to 11, depends on your floor |
| Holes on the 3 ft green | Four | Three |
| In the box | Cups, flags, high-back cup, six bumpers, plugs, shim, hole reducer | Three cups and a walnut backstop |
| Breaks | Shim under the turf; contour set sold separately | None, flat by design |
| Outdoors | Yes, built for it | Yes, but bring the backstop in |
| Returns | 30 days, unused only | 60-day money back |
Price: The PrimePutt Costs More and Gives You Less
Three feet wide is the fair fight, because that’s the width you can actually stand on. PrimePutt wants $499 for nine feet of it. BirdieBall wants $360 for eight feet. That’s $139 back in your pocket. Go up to a three by twelve and it’s $500 for the BirdieBall against $549 for the PrimePutt XL. And down at the narrow end, the BirdieBall starts at $153 on sale for a foot and a half by eight. The cheapest PrimePutt is the Essential at $299, and that’s on sale too.
But that’s just the beginning, because of what comes in the box. With the BirdieBall you get drop-in cups with flags, so you’re not bending over digging balls out. You get a high-back cup, which, personally, I just love for those tricky downhill putts. Six heavy rubber bumpers make a U at each end, so your misses come back to you. Then there are hole plugs, a hole-deepening shim and a hole reducer, and on the three-foot green you get four holes.
Now, the PrimePutt. You get the mat, three cups and the wooden backstop, plus a 60-day money-back guarantee and a one-year warranty. That’s it. No bumpers, no flags, no extra cups, no shim. So you’re paying more for one less hole and a lot less gear.
Best for: most golfers who want the most green and the most gear for the money.
Experience pro-level putting at home with Birdie Ball Tour Grade's ultra-durable, grain-neutral nylon turf offering a true roll and stadium-grade speed.
- Realistic, consistent roll
- Durable, thick, stable mat
- Feels like real grass, good ball control
- Faster than many real greens
- Shallow cups
- Needs space, less portable
The Roll: Both Roll True, and the Cups Are PrimePutt’s One Win
Both of these roll true, and on the surface I’d take the BirdieBall. The Tour Grade Turf has a tight weave, and little differences in how tall the fibers stand are what make the ball wobble off line on cheaper mats. The first putt I rolled on it, it worked. It’s a very true roll for a woven turf. It’s grain neutral too, so the ball rolls the same speed no matter which way you’re putting, and it runs around 10 to 11 on the stimp.
Now, the PrimePutt surface is okay. The dense nylon has a little more grab, and it rolls 9 to 11 depending on your floor, closer to 11 on hardwood and closer to 9 on carpet. And here’s the one thing the PrimePutt does better. The cups. They’ve got a raised lip on the back, so a good putt drops in, a putt that’s hit too firm bounces over, and a putt that catches the edge at the wrong angle gets knocked away. You can’t cheat your speed. Just give it a day on a hard floor to settle flat before you judge the roll.
If your green lives inside, the RollTech is a whole different animal. There’s no weave at all, because it’s poured foam, so the ball tracks straight without that little wobble you see on carpet at dying speed. Press your foot into it and you can actually watch the foam slowly come back up. You order it at your speed, 9 to 10, 10 to 11 or 11 to 13. The four by fourteen Deluxe I have is $293.99 with four holes and the same kit, so it still comes in about two hundred bucks under the PrimePutt.
Breaks: BirdieBall Lets You Build the Putt You Keep Missing
Every putt on a real course breaks. But most putting mats are dead flat, so that’s all you end up practicing. With the Tour Grade Turf, that hole-deepening shim does double duty. Slide it under the turf and you’ve got a break anywhere you want one. If you want to go further, BirdieBall sells a full contour shim set, so you can build uphill, downhill and sidehill putts right on your floor.
Think about that six-footer that always breaks more than you read. You can set up that exact putt at home and hit it a hundred times. When you’re done, pull the shim out and you’re back to a flat green.
The PrimePutt is flat on purpose. No shim, no contour option and no lines on the surface either. Their whole idea is that you learn to read greens on the course and you build your stroke at home. That’s fine if speed is your only problem. But if reading break is what costs you putts, practicing only flat ones isn’t going to fix it. So on practice, it’s not even close. BirdieBall.
Size and Outdoors: BirdieBall Fits Your Space, Even the Backyard
The Tour Grade Turf goes from a foot and a half wide all the way up to seven and a half feet, and from 8 feet long to 18. That’s 42 different greens. If all you’ve got is a hallway, get the foot and a half. If you want to stand on it and putt, get the three-foot, which is the one I had on my floor. And if you want a real backyard green, the seven and a half by 18 is $2,079. PrimePutt has nothing like it.
It’s built to live on your floor, too. I had the Tour Grade Turf right in my studio. I walked on it every day. I had tables on it. My kids ran around on it. And it looked brand new. And it was built for outside from the start: patio, deck, garage, pets. If you want the best outdoor putting green and you’re serious about practicing, this is the one to get.
The PrimePutt comes in four sizes. Three feet wide at 9, 12 or 15 feet long, or the narrow 1.5-foot Essential with one hole. It can go outside too, but PrimePutt’s own site tells you the walnut backstop isn’t built to live in the weather, so you have to bring it in. And at three feet wide, the PrimePutt outside is still a mat, not a green. So if you want options, guess what? BirdieBall gives you the options.
What I Don’t Love About Each
Neither one is perfect, so here’s the catch on each.
BirdieBall Tour Grade Turf
Returns are 30 days, and only if it hasn’t been used, where PrimePutt gives you 60. There’s no wooden backstop, so the bumpers do that job. The foot and a half and two-foot sizes are too narrow to stand on, so you’re putting from the floor next to them. And here’s the catch. A big window or a steel grill in direct sun can put enough heat on the turf to melt it, and BirdieBall puts the melting point at 180 degrees. So be smart about where it sits outside, and roll it up when it’s super hot out.
If you go with the RollTech instead, know that it’s indoor only. Dog nails, anything sharp or moisture will wreck the foam, and if you roll it up the wrong way you’re waiting about 90 minutes for it to lay flat again.
PrimePutt Standard
You’re paying $499 for one width and one way to practice. No break, no shim, no lines, no flags, no bumpers. It needs a day to settle before the roll is fair to judge. It does look like a piece of furniture instead of a roll of turf, and that’s worth something if it lives in your family room. It’s just not worth the extra money and a missing kit.
Who Should Buy Which
Buy the BirdieBall Tour Grade Turf if
- You want the most green and the most gear for your money at three feet wide
- You want a green wider than three feet, or a real backyard green
- Practicing break matters to you
- It’s going on a deck, a patio or a floor with kids and pets
Buy the PrimePutt Standard only if
- You want a three-foot indoor mat that looks nice in your living room
- Those calibrated cups matter more to you than the bumpers, flags, extra hole and shim
And if the mat lives indoors where it stays dry and there’s no dog, skip both and get the BirdieBall RollTech. It’s the best roll for the least money.
Best for: a dry indoor room where you want the truest roll and your own green speed.
Elevate your putting game with the Birdie Ball Rolltech putting mat, crafted for golfers seeking precision, quality, and pro-level practice at home.
- Realistic roll
- Durable material
- Portable
- Expensive
- Small size
- Needs a flat surface
Frequently Asked Questions
Is BirdieBall better than PrimePutt?
Yes. Matched at three feet wide, the Tour Grade Turf saves you $139 over the PrimePutt Standard. It also ships with the kit, including a high-back cup, bumpers and a shim to build a break, and it comes in 42 sizes where PrimePutt makes four. PrimePutt’s one real edge is its calibrated cups, which punish a putt that’s hit too hard. If those cups are what you’re after, that’s the reason to pay more.
Is the PrimePutt worth it?
For most golfers, no. The $499 Standard gets you dense nylon turf, raised-lip cups that give you honest speed feedback, a wooden backstop, and a 60-day guarantee. Those cups are legit. But at the same width, BirdieBall’s turf green costs less and adds a fourth hole, bumpers, flags and a shim for building breaks. Buy the PrimePutt only if a furniture-looking indoor mat with feedback cups is exactly what you want.
Which BirdieBall putting green should I buy?
Where it lives decides it. Indoors, dry, no dogs? Get the RollTech. It’s poured foam, you pick the speed when you order, and the 3 x 10 runs $161.99. Outside, in a garage, or on a floor with kids and dogs running around? Get the Tour Grade Turf. It’s woven nylon built for all of that, and the 3 x 8 is $360.
What putting mat do the pros use?
PrimePutt carries the Korn Ferry Tour Championship name, and that’s a real credential. But a sponsorship tells you who signed a deal, not what fits your house. Pick the green for your space and the putts that cost you strokes. For most of you that’s a BirdieBall, and it’ll cost you less than the PrimePutt.
Is it worth buying a putting mat?
Yes, if you’ll actually use it. The value of a putting mat is reps you’d never get on the course, and a green that rolls like grass means your home pace carries over. Cheap carpet teaches you the wrong touch, because the ball skates across it. Measure your space first, then buy the size that fits. A mat you use every night is worth it. A mat you trip over and shove in a closet isn’t.
Final Thoughts on BirdieBall Tour Grade Turf vs. PrimePutt Standard
Don’t buy the PrimePutt because the Korn Ferry name is on it. And don’t pay $499 when $360 gets you the same width, more holes and a whole kit. For most of you that’s the BirdieBall Tour Grade Turf, and if your room is dry and indoors, it’s the BirdieBall RollTech.
The PrimePutt is okay, and its cups are good. But the BirdieBall gives you more gear, better practice and a smaller bill, and it’s the one I’d put my own money on. Still shopping the whole category? Start with my best putting mats guide, or watch the putting mat roundup where I covered both.
About the author
Paul Liberatore
Paul Liberatore is the founder of Golfers Authority and a former four-year golf gear contributor to Sports Illustrated. He tests golf equipment hands-on to help golfers make better buying decisions.