We’re all looking to have more fun when we play golf while also getting better at the game we love. There are countless quotes about the brow-beating nature of the game; most famous is a quote attributed to Mark Twain: “Golf is a good walk spoiled.”
It doesn’t have to be this way, and the folks at Par2 proved it with their take on a traditional putting mat.
First Impression
At first, it’s a bit confusing, but like a child’s jigsaw puzzle, the pieces practically fill themselves in. When you look at the Par2 Golf Game, you see a traditional golf mat that can be found in offices and basements around the world, but immediately there is something different about it. For instance, there are 27 (!) different markings on the 9-foot long surface.
Right away, you know this isn’t your normal putting mat, which is the point. Par2 states straight away on their website that practicing your putting is boring. The sheer amount of numbers and letters has your senses engaged before you get the gist of the game.
And then there is the hole. A regulation golf hole is 4½ inches wide. The Par2 hole is 2½ inches wide, so you know you better bring your “A” game when playing and practicing.
How It Works
The oldest trick in golf instruction is finding a way to turn meaningful practice into something that is fun to do. That’s where Par2 excels. More mundane than banging balls on the range, is rolling putt after putt on a putting mat in your basement or office. Rarely are you able to hold your concentration for more than a few minutes at a time. If your concentration wanes playing Par2, you’re going to owe your friends some money.
So, how does it work? The Par2’s design is brilliant in its simplicity. You’re inside 10 feet every time you make a stroke, so every hole is a par-2, hence the product’s name. Where you start from depends on what you’re playing. Each foot marker on the mat has a corresponding left or right putting position. You can determine what holes you want to play or create your own course as you go.
For instance, you can play Hole #1 from 4L, which is the left side of the 4-foot mark. Hole #2 can be from 8, which is the 8-foot marker in the center of the mat. The real challenge comes after you miss a putt. As you can see in the video above, each second putt is determined by how the first putt finishes. The ramp to the hole feeds the ball back down the mat and wherever the ball stops dictates the position from which you will hit your next putt.
If you miss your second putt, which is always for par, you move to the corresponding position to attempt to make your bogey and so on until you finish the hole. You can keep score on the Par2 scorecards or create your own course to find out who wins.
Does It Work?
…Only if you want to get better at putting and have fun while doing it. The Par2 Golf Game shakes up and brings a social aspect to your putting practice. It’s perfect for those who like to entertain and it doesn’t require a bunch of room to do it. Its simple design allows for creativity in hole selection, challenges your stroke to dial in line and speed and encourages an aim small, miss small mentality so that when you get on the course, the hole seems huge.
Final Impression
The Par2 Golf Game does everything you’d hope it could and then some. For many golfers, the game isn’t always about the score, but the company with which you shoot that score. Par2 marries both of those two things together seemlessly. You can get in some actual practice when you want, but it also acts as the perfect party favor when friends or family come to visit.
Learn more about Par2 Golf on their website and order yours here.
