Range mats vs grass

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By Jimmy S

  • 1 Like
  • 9 Replies
  1. Jimmy S

    Jimmy S
    Rancho Cucamonga

    Hitting off mats just doesn’t translate the same for me as real grass, and I’m starting to feel like it’s actually hurting my on-course performance. Mats seem to let me get away with slightly fat contact where the club just bounces into the ball and still produces a decent shot, but on the course those same swings turn into chunks or inconsistent strikes. I’ll leave the range feeling solid, then it doesn’t show up when it matters. Curious if anyone else in the Team Titleist community has dealt with this and what you’ve done to make mat practice more effective or better transition to real turf before a round?

  2. Frank P

    Frank P
    Port St. Lucie, FL

    Military
    I always prefer hitting off the turf, but when I have to, I don't mind the mats. That's because here at PGA Golf Club we have arguably the best mats I've ever seen These mats are the closest thing to turf you can get and they are changed annually. But I understand that not everyone has access to mats of this quality.
  3. Barry M

    Barry M
    Reno, NV

    Now you know why I will never consider simulator golf as the same game as true on course golf.
  4. Cooper S

    Cooper S
    Atlanta, GA

    I use mats when i'm working on a specific drill for swing path or something mechanics wise just so I'm not tearing up the range.
  5. LGuzman

    LGuzman
    Palm Beaches, FL

    I am with Cooper on this one! If I am working on swing path, I will use the mats (and save the well maintained grass on my course's training area) with an old club. Once I have "implemented" the swing change, then I change to grass with my regular clubs.
  6. Don O

    Don O
    Madison, WI

    Most of our public courses have switched to mats. Correct, don’t believe the results from mats! I discount the results on shots I know are behind the ball. And no way do I want to get fit for any club, other than putter and possibly driver, on a mat.
    It is what it is for working on swing accuracy and for warming up for a round to focus on tendency. Really never want to trust short game pitches from mats.
  7. Clinton M

    Clinton M
    flowery branch

    i use whatever the driving range have
  8. samuel g

    samuel g
    berkeley, CA

    One can never hit it fat off the mat.
    It often feels as if I can just bounce the sole of the iron off the mat regardless of the steepness of my swing. Also works well to pull off some tricky a flop shots.
    The true feedback is not there though.


  9. Dale V

    Dale V
    Surprise AZ

    I will add that some mats have minimal padding and can damage clubs and shafts. Steep swings can crack shafts and de-loft forged irons. I wish our range had an area where you can practice uneven lies and rough for full shots. Ours, like most, are pretty flat as it’s easier to maintain.
  10. Randy M

    Randy M

    When hitting off the mats whether at the driving range or in a simulator setting, I find that it is really easy to become ball focused rather than target focused. If you get ball focused in your practice off the mats, you will tend to get real steep on your downswing which is not good at all. You will see lots of chunks and mishits if that happens --- especially when you return to natural turf because the bounce that you experience when hitting off the mat is no longer there when hitting off real grass. You then have to readjust to a shallowed out swing path through the impact zone.

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