Short and Sweet
The Exputt RG is a fantastic standalone device that helps you focus on your putting. Whether you’re looking for speed control, path correction, or developing a better tempo, the Exputt delivers the metrics you need in a compact, portable package.
Who is it for?
The Exputt is the first dedicated putting launch monitor on the market. It aims to deliver reliable launch monitor metrics for your putting at an affordable price. If you’re looking to work on your putting indoors, this product is aimed at you. With the ability to play a Match against others, distance practice, and other games to test your putting skills and allow you to improve.
What is it trying to accomplish & How
As a putting launch monitor, the Exputt delivers a handful of key data points: Ball Speed, Putter Path, Impact Angle, Launch Direction, and tempo. From these metrics, it derives the Distance and final putt location. The metrics are then shown on screen to help you understand your putt and guide you to improvement.
Inside the incredibly compact box are the putting mat, the camera sensor, and a handful of accessories. The putting mat is approximately 4ftx1ft and has a handful of markings and controls visible on the edges. The camera sensor is where the magic happened, the sensor reminds me of an Xbox Kinect receiver. Once it is aimed at the mat it reads the markings to calibrate and you’re ready to start putting. The camera sensor does all the calculations and passes that data to the Display (TV or Mobile App).
Features/ Modes
Practice
This is the most valuable spot in the software, it is basically a Driving range session for putting. Get a yardage….hit that yardage. You get immediate feedback on if you made it, how far off you may have been, and see the stats that caused it. This really shines in the analytics that aggregate your sessions. It gives you the right information to show where you are or aren’t improving. It goes deep into specific stats (Distance, Impact Angle, Path). Then it breaks each of those down by distance (0-15ft,15-30ft, 30-50ft). This should help show how you what has changed with each metric over time.
Play 9 /Multiplayer
These modes are as close as it gets to actual on-course putting. The main principle is to drop you on a green (in regulation) and putt out from there. It usually puts you at between 20-40ft with some sort of break. Each player has a unique putting line and distance, so the player furthest out gets to hit first and then rotates on the longest putt until all players are in the hole or within the 2ft gimme.
Challenge
Challenge mode is a bit unique to the rest of the modes I have played. The premise of this game is very similar to how most of us may practice on a putting green. You get 3 putts to get within the 3ft gimme range. You need to play break and slope to get the right putt. This mode blends Practice with Play mode, since you get 3 attempts you can learn from the putt to help directly play with what you’re trying to work on. It also gives a good gamification with the point system.
Explore
You are in control of where you play from. Select a course green, and where on that green do you choose to putt from? You finish out from each location and then proceed to another green or location on the green.
Pros
- Practice Mode – As I explained above, this is where you get the most metrics and most visibility into how you improve. It’s like any other launch monitor in the driving range mode.
- Metrics & Tracking – Exputt shines in this category. The core metrics and good visuals help you to understand where your mistakes are being made. The UI also has a great tracking mechanism to show you each metric at specific distances to help you track changes in your putting stroke over time.
- UI – The simple straightforward User Interface makes it easy to navigate and clear where you need to go to get to each game mode.
- Compact Packaging – It was extremely impressive to find a mat, launch monitor, and all accessories so tightly & securely packed in the box that arrived.
- Durability – Through the 10 weeks of testing I noticed zero wear on either the camera or mat (even with disassembling the housing)
Cons
- Mobile App – Honestly this feels like an afterthought. The app allows you to use the practice mode to see your metrics, but it is a temporary session and all data is lost once you disconnect.
- Online Gamification – This is fairly bare bones, you sign and play against others. There is a leaderboard on the side but creating groups and playing can be a bit finicky. There could be a ton more games and modes here that would build engagement.
- More Mode Customization—In each mode, it would be nice to have more options to play a different number of holes or save sessions to look back at metrics and scores.
Bottom Line
Summing up the last 10 weeks of testing. If you want/need a device to give you putting data, and simple gamification on a budget this is really the device for you. There are areas to improve for sure but it’s mostly software and if Exputt is committed to it can make everyone’s experience better. Be warned, just because you have it (and use it) doesn’t mean you will improve. Putting in the right practice learning what you’re seeing and adapting will get you there. This is why the practice mode and overall analytics can help you see the trends when you change something.