50 Words or Less
The PUR Truth Trainer putting aid is the best, most complete putting trainer I’ve ever tested. Trains virtually every aspect of putting from set up to distance control. Versatile with great longevity.
Use code PLUG to save 20% on all PUR trainers HERE
Introduction
Searching “golf putting aids” on Google returns over 5.5 million results. The overwhelming majority are a waste of time and money. They can typically be categorized as either reruns that add nothing to the original or just plain bad ideas.
The PUR Truth Trainer is one of the rare exceptions. This training aid takes several fundamentals of great putting and puts them into one effective, efficient, fun device.
Set Up & Ease of Use
The PUR Truth Trainer comes in a great carrying case that houses all the components and a very helpful quick start guide. To get things rolling, all you need to do is pull the Truth Trainer apart, raise the bridges, and insert the Truth Gates at your preferred difficulty level. The basic set up process takes no more than thirty seconds.
Setting up the PUR Path Perfectors and PUR Stroke Guides takes only another minute or so. The Path Perfectors sit on top of the rails and have three screws that allow you to alter the shape of the blue guide. It will take some experimenting to find your preferred shape, but once you have it, setting these up is a snap. The Stroke Guides – which regulate stroke length – plug into the Path Perfectors with a quick push.
Overall, the PUR Truth Trainer sets up quickly, easily, and intuitively. It also breaks down just as rapidly, making it a trainer that you’ll use often.
Effectiveness – Truth Gate
The core feature of the Truth Trainer, and my personal favorite, is the Truth Gate. This is the best start line trainer I’ve ever used, supplanting my longtime favorite, The Putting Fork [review HERE].
Several things make the Truth Gate excellent. First, the Truth Trainer has a built-in level so you can practice on a truly flat putt. The importance of this can’t be overstated: if you’re not on flat ground, you’re not getting accurate feedback. Second, the PUR Ball Pad starts the ball perfectly in line with the Truth Gate, eliminating another possible source of bad feedback.
My favorite thing about the Truth Gate is the way you can scale the difficulty up and down. There are two pairs of slots (wide and narrow) and two sets of gates (fat and thin). Additionally, you can set the PUR Ball Pad at any distance from the Truth Gate. From a distance of six inches, the Truth Gate can allow a margin of error as wide as 5.06 degrees or as tight as 0.8 degrees – the equivalent of making a nine foot putt. Backing up to eighteen inches, the range of difficulty goes from 1.71 degrees – making a four footer – to 0.27 degrees – the accuracy required to make a 27-footer. This is a trainer that can help an absolute beginner as well as the most accomplished Tour player.
Additionally, there are Truth Gates on both ends of the trainer so you can have two different difficulty levels set up at the same time. Finally, the Truth Gates provide great feedback. You can hear and see when the gates get hit, but they don’t stop the ball from rolling or dislodge the trainer. Again, this is the best start line trainer I’ve ever tested, and I’ve been using it every day since I got it.
Effectiveness – Truth Eye-Line Strings
Another function of the PUR Truth Trainer is the PUR Truth Eye-Line Strings. There are two strings – one white, one blue – that can be placed in three tall slots on the bridges. This flexibility allows for several uses.
First, if you want your eyes directly over the ball, you can put one string over the other in the middle slot. When the lower string disappears beneath the upper, your eyes are perfectly aligned over the ball. You can do the same with both strings on the inside slot to position your eyes on the inside edge of the ball. The more that you separate the strings, the more demanding this drill becomes.
Additionally, the lower string can be used to train the height of your putting stroke. If you’re working on keeping the putter head low, you can position the blue string just above the level of the ball. You can also angle the string to allow your stroke to go low-to-high or high-to-low. It’s a fairly gentle form of feedback, but it’s still effective.
Effectiveness – Stroke Shaping
Next, there are the PUR Path Perfectors, the most flexible putting stroke shaper I’ve ever seen. These can be used on their own or with the Truth Trainer. If you’re looking to shape a straight path, you can use the grey side. The blue side has three adjustments that allow you to create any amount of arc and a variety of shapes. This system can be used on one or both sides of your putter head. Finally, there’s great flexibility to set them up wide or narrow depending on the level of feedback you want.
There are also the PUR Stroke Guides which can help you dial in your stroke length. These blue, L-shaped pieces can be used on their own (stuck into the grass) or connected to the Path Perfectors. They provide feedback on the length of your backswing and follow through.
Effectiveness – Ghost Holes & Summary
Finally, PUR includes two Ghost Holes with the Truth Trainer. These are simply putting discs, but they add an important element to the kit: distance control. By putting to the Ghost Holes rather than a cup, you can see how good your speed control really is. This is particularly useful in conjunction with the PUR Stroke Guides for dialing in your distance control.
Overall, the PUR Truth Trainer is the most effective putting trainer I’ve ever tested. Each component is well thought out and executed. There is clear, immediate feedback on everything from set up and path to face angle and distance control. On top of all that, the Truth Trainer allows the golfer to scale the difficulty to match their skill, making this a training aid that every golfer can and should use.
Longevity
The PUR Truth Trainer also scores very high for longevity. This starts with its wide array of functions and difficulty scaling. If you don’t want to work on your set up, you can work on start line, or vice versa. The difficulty ranges from beginner to Tour, so you won’t outgrow it.
Additionally, the Truth Trainer sets up and breaks down quickly, so you won’t hesitate to use it regularly. It comes with a great carrying case, so you won’t lose pieces either. This is also a trainer that works indoors and out.
Finally, the Truth Gate is as close to gamified as putting gets without going full-on arcade like PUTTR [review HERE]. Whether you’re practicing alone or with a friend, trying to build a streak of perfect putts adds pressure and fun. It also can’t be overstated how perfectly engineered the feedback from the Truth Gate is – you know when you miss a putt, but the device doesn’t frustrate or laugh at you the way some others do.
Value
The PUR Truth Trainer retails through their website for $299. Use code PLUG to save 20% when you shop HERE.
While $299 is above the average training aid price, this is truly multiple traininers in one, each brought to the highest level. When you factor in the effectiveness, versatility, and longevity, this is an excellent value, and it comes with a 30-day money back guarantee.
If you want a simpler, less expensive trainer, the PUR Truth Prepare retails for $149 – full review HERE.
Use code PLUG to save 20% on all PUR trainers HERE
Conclusion
I rarely say that a training aid is universal “must own,” but it’s already happened twice this year. If you buy Tour Aim [review HERE] and the PUR Truth Trainer and use them regularly, you will see your game improve. This is simply the best putting trainer that money can buy.
Buy the PUR Truth Trainer HERE
Use code PLUG to save 20% on all PUR Trainers
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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4 Comments
Matt: Excellent review. Does it work equally well with the 79.5 lie angle of a broomstick? Any adjustments or compensations needed?
Don,
No adjustments needed. I use this with my standard putters and my broomstick.
Best,
Matt
way too much gimmickry. just give me a putting arc and an eye-line mirror.
What about this is a gimmick? This is much more precise than a putting mirror in terms of eye placement, and it has a stroke trainer except it doesn’t force you into some preconceived notion of what your stroke should be.
-Matt