What are the gates on the PGA Tour practice green?

If you’ve been to practice at a PGA Tour event this season, chances are you’ve seen players using a new device that looks like a little bridge.

That device is the new Grasp Technology Smart Putting Gate and provides PGA Tour players with real putting data that they have never been able to get before.

That’s because where you get the putter and where you end up using it are usually miles apart.

In general, even PGA Tour pros fit putters in controlled areas. On the mat, hitting a straight putt, with no slope. You won’t see that on the golf course.

The reason for fitting putters indoors is so that players can use the multitude of putter-fitting technologies available to see what the putter and ball are doing during the stroke. That allows fitters to drive a putter that will make the ball travel further into their target. Some devices can measure what the putter is doing using tracking markers attached to the actual putter, but ball data is more complex.

This is where a Smart Placement Gateway can be very important. Think of it as a boot monitor, but with placement. The Smart Putting Gate uses an array of lasers and high-speed cameras to capture speed, line and surface impact on putts without any markings on the ball or putter.

The first Smart Gates appeared on the PGA Tour earlier this year, and last week, the company announced the signing of Ben Griffin and Ryan Gerard as their first tour ambassadors.

To see how the new technology works, I dropped by Smart Gate with co-founder Phil Long and travel attorney Scott Wilkerson.

Using the Grasp Smart Putting Gate

One of the biggest advantages of the Smart putting Gate is its ease of use. It can be set up anywhere, indoors or outdoors, and used on any putt. The laser shoots and shows you where you put the ball and where the device is aimed.

I struggle with putts that break from right to left, so we used about a 12 foot, downhill right to left that Phil and Scott had marked the day before to see which way the ball needed to go.

I didn’t have my current player, the Ping Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset, with me, so I grabbed one that was presented in green, but we soon found out that it wasn’t just my speed control that was inconsistent, but also my starting line.

So we voted and luckily it borrowed the last Scottsdale TEC ABO demo from the Ping truck – it’s been popular lately – to use for the demo.

Once I got something like my player, we saw my speed instantly stay at around 1.45 m/s. With a strong number variation, it became clear that I was rolling the ball at the end with less swing. And we can confirm this by looking at the cameras installed on both sides of the gate that help track the impact area.

PING Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Start Custom Putter

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: The PGA TOUR Superstore

But soon, it became clear why I was struggling with putts from right to left. I actually couldn’t roll the ball into the center of the goal. I was always left behind.

Right now, the gate can’t correct the initial position of the putt or when the center line is actually the slope of the putt, but I was more than 20 mm to the left of the target on some putts. That was despite the fact that I felt like the ball was going straight for the target line and setting the stamp on the side of the ball.

What I learned

To get the ball back on line (within 15 mm left of the target was considered good for a putt with this much slope), we did two things.

First, it became clear that for whatever reason, I was planning this putter to touch left. Unfortunately, we did not have my player to see if it was the same problem, but there is a good chance that it is something. To counter this, we have found that instead of using a stamp on the side to indicate the target, I line up better using the word “Titleist” on the ball positioned perpendicular to the target.

Another point is that I tend to see things much farther than they really are. When I felt like the ball was about to hit the right edge of the fairway (about 4 golf balls wide), it actually kept touching left of center. Basically, it helps me pick out targets that are much further away than they should be.

The good news is that I roll the putter that I have big. I never fit a putter, so that’s what I’d like to do eventually, because the alignment issue is something that can be easily fixed.

For now, I know I’m using a putter that works for me – better than anything else; I just have to make a little adjustment in my routine.

It’s information I wouldn’t have gotten at a fair indoor because I’ve never struggled to target anything on a straight putt. This article was only seen in real green.

The Grasp Smart Putting Gate will be available to consumers later this year, with a launch targeted for Q4 of 2026. Touring professionals, coaches and OEMs will be able to purchase units in August.

Looking to find the best putter for your game in 2026? Find a club fit near you at True Spec Golf.

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