Putt Return

Fun...but flimsy
I am giving this putting device a 2-star rating because of the "fun factor" (yes, it is addictive and entertaining...while at the same time - hopefully - a useful practice device). But sadly there are quite a few not-very-good aspects to this product, which honestly would make it a 1-star (at best) if not for that fun. Let me explain...

I ordered this putting device on the strength of 4-stars. Yes, some of the reviews were mixed, but I was not put off by many of the negatives. And I decided to go with the rating itself as the deciding factor. The box (a pretty large one!) arrived yesterday afternoon, and the unit was quickly set up. Here is what I experienced:

Initial "glue problem": The putting surface (which is indeed better quality than many I have seen in stores) is glued to the black plastic hole/diverter at the far end (see advert picture). Well, the gluing job had been partially botched, and the surface was "wrapped" down around the plastic so that it would not lay flat on the floor. A bit of tugging, and this was fixed, though there is a distinct "hump" in this area as it transitions up to where the cup is. Not crippling, but not very clean either.

The putter stand: It talks about a built in putter stand and back-stop. Well, it does have one. But it is a single sheet of formed plastic you stick into the base with three little plastic fasteners. Honestly, the whole thing looked so cheap and flimsy with that on (and visually distracting frankly), that I took it back off. I have only once putted a ball hard enough to even need the back stop, so this really is a pretty useless feature (unless you have small kids who don't know their strength, I suppose...).

The real trouble began that first evening. After playing with it for (at most) 30-45 min of putting time (intermittently over several hours), the electric kick-back device (very similar to what is in stand-alone ball return cups) refused to work. The piston (which hits the ball) has stuck in the "on" position, rendering it useless. I (carefully) reset it and tried to play some more. Within a few minutes, it happened again. There is a warning in the box about rapid and repetitive action causing premature failure of the mechanism.... so clearly they have had problems with this part. Well, I was putting at a leisurely pace, and surely I would expect it to stand up to routine cycles through the loop (putt, sink putt, kick back, line up, putt.... etc.). I have now gotten quite good at resetting the piston (without hurting myself in the process, since the trigger is also right there), but this really is a pretty unforgivable quality flaw in the product.

Lastly, let's get clear about the dimensions: The advert and box clearly say: "Adjustable from 3 feet to 9 feet". Wrong. The diverter that puts the ball in front of you for the next putt (where the guy in the picture is standing) is at exactly 7.5 feet from the cup. There is some room to move the ball back from there, but if you hang the ball on the very back edge (which isn't very practical), you are at 8.5 feet. You cannot get to a 9 foot putt unless you start off the back surface (and hop the ball over the leading edge of the turf itself). This is not a fatal flaw, surely, but as a potential buyer I want you to be aware that your longest putt will be in the 7.5-8 foot range.

Many of the items mentioned in other reviews I found to be true: the plastic is "hollow" and feels pretty flimsy. The ball makes quite a lot of noise as it shoots down the track (because the plastic is hollow), and the surface came very wrinkled from the box and is very hard to straighten out (I tried the hot iron idea mentioned elsewhere, with limited success). None of these individually are horrible, but as a total package...

So what is to like? Well, the fun factor is there, if you like putting the ball into the hole (or missing) and watching it fire back (usually) right to where you started. And I truly hope that practice makes perfect, as this is a great way to repeat my putting stroke and try to make it more "automatic".

My overall impression is: "cheap". For the amount I spent on it, honestly I would expect much higher quality and feel - not to mention flawless operation for quite a lot more than a few hours! Other than the kick-back mechanism (which as I have said is problematic at best), this item cannot have more than a few dollars worth of plastic and maybe a bit more in the turf.

The jury is still out on whether I return this as defective. If I only have to reset the piston a few times per practice session, I will probably keep it (and hope the $ is worth it in improved short-putting). If the failure rate of the kick-back mechanism gets worse in the coming days, it will go back for a refund.

Update: Day #2 with this product...
================================
OK, I have some bad news and some good news.
The bad news is the "sticking kick-back piston" problem was still very evident on day #2, and in fact I would say the frequency of it getting stuck actually increased. It became so bad (every few putts) that I was on the verge of wrapping the whole thing up and shipping it back for a refund.

But there is good news!
It seemed to me that the problem with the piston was mechanical (i.e. it was physically gettng stuck in the kick-back device) rather than electrical (i.e. it did not appear that the electomagnets that drive the piston to kick the ball back were getting stuck in the on posiiton). After careful inspection, I decided to apply a VERY *small* amount of machine oil to the exposed surface of the piston and cycle it a few times to work the oil down into the "barrel" along which it travels. BINGO! My son and I have a putting contest going in which we track consecutive putts sunk, and last night he fired off 40 in a row right after I did 39 in a row. And the kick-back piston worked flawlessly for all of that!!! This is SO much more reliable than it had been before inserting the oil, I am declaring 90+% probability of victory over this issue. And I now plan to keep this device unless the problem resurfaces.

So for those of you experiencing "failed" kickers in which the piston is getting stuck, you might try a SMALL amount of oil on the piston. Just be very careful not to get overzealous with that oil, because: (a) you do not want a reservoir of oil inside that kicker (there are exposed wires in there, outside the barrel you want to make slicker), and (b) who wants oil all over the golf ball?!

My overall 2-star rating stands, based on general flimsiness and the fact on day #1 it failed and required intervention to fix it. But the fun factor is there, and I will keep this as long as the issue does not resurface soon. Besides, 2 days ago I would not have been able to sink 39 (or my son sink 40) 7.5 foot putts in a row, so it must be having some improvement impact! And, yes, my son is gloating over his victory! :)

Fun for all ages!
I bought this for my golf-loving husband for Christmas. When he opened it up, the KIDS went crazy (ages 2 and 8). Husband enjoys it, especially when the weather is not favorable and they are stuck indoors. We set it up in the basement playroom. Kids love to watch the balls shoot back to the original putting position. Great product!

Putter system
Son-in-law love this. Don't know if it improved his game, but he has fun trying.

Broke
I was very happy when I saw the putting green in mail. I set it up and put heavy objects down to flatten the surface since the rolled up green had so many bumps in it. After this I started to putt periodically throughout the night and really like the return system but sometimes it would hit the ball back really soft or get stuck by the whole which was a little bit annoying. After using the product for about 2 hours the return system broke. I thought it must of been something to do with the electric outlet so I just unplugged it and waited to tomorrow to figure out what was wrong since it was really late into the night. Woke up and still broken. 2 HOURS OF USING IT! BROKEN! Thats all I have to say.

Some drawbacks
If you putt on greens with a 3" hill right before the cup this is the product for you. As advertised it does make you hit the ball harder but you do not (in my opinion) get a good feel for distance control which is as important as alignment unless you hit the cup every time. Also the ball hangs up in the return and does not always roll out on the surface. I might be able to tweak it so it does.