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Do you think a lot of amateurs actually hurt their game practicing on mats?
Posted on 7/3/26 at 9:17 am
Posted on 7/3/26 at 9:17 am
I know this is an extreme generalization but I personally hate practicing on mats because it makes me feel like I’m dialed when in reality my ball striking could be completely off. A mat basically eliminates the possibility of a chunk and also guarantees a perfect lie. For a large percentage of amateurs learning how to strike the ball properly is likely more important than swing mechanics, fat and thin shots kill a score faster than left and right well struck shots IMO.
Anyway, better players can benefit plenty from hitting off mats and working on swing mechanics and distance/trajectory control, but my theory is a lot of people learning the swing and practicing primarily on mats are actually making themselves worse at golf.
Anyway, better players can benefit plenty from hitting off mats and working on swing mechanics and distance/trajectory control, but my theory is a lot of people learning the swing and practicing primarily on mats are actually making themselves worse at golf.
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Posted on 7/3/26 at 9:23 am to Tiger1242
Yes, absolutely. Practice on artificial turf and then when you actually get on the course and take divot striking the ball, if your angle of approach is too steep the leading edge of the clubface will dig in and the shock to your wrist on your left hand (if you're a righty) can cause substantial damage where the ensuing inflammation can set in as tendonitis.
This post was edited on 7/3/26 at 9:27 am
Posted on 7/3/26 at 9:30 am to Tiger1242
last year I was hitting on a mat quite a lot and looking at simulator builds. Even though I like practicing on grass significantly better, the closest range to my house had mats.
Long story short my wrist started killing me and then later my shoulder started killing me. My shoulder so bad that I was in physical therapy, getting injections and the orthopedic surgeon said I needed surgery.
I decided to hold off until the end of this golf season to have surgery but I haven't hit on a mat this year and my wrist and shoulder pain are significantly less and I'm not having surgery if it stays this way.
I'm anti mats simply because of pain. Golf is hard enough on your body, I don't need it giving me tendinitis and needing surgery just to get some swings in.
I will say, i never had a hard time telling if I hat a fat shot on a mat. It's not like you don't get any feedback.
Long story short my wrist started killing me and then later my shoulder started killing me. My shoulder so bad that I was in physical therapy, getting injections and the orthopedic surgeon said I needed surgery.
I decided to hold off until the end of this golf season to have surgery but I haven't hit on a mat this year and my wrist and shoulder pain are significantly less and I'm not having surgery if it stays this way.
I'm anti mats simply because of pain. Golf is hard enough on your body, I don't need it giving me tendinitis and needing surgery just to get some swings in.
I will say, i never had a hard time telling if I hat a fat shot on a mat. It's not like you don't get any feedback.
This post was edited on 7/3/26 at 11:06 am
Posted on 7/3/26 at 9:30 am to Tiger1242
Putting a towel a couple inches behind the ball the ball is a good drill for when practicing off mats.
Posted on 7/3/26 at 9:33 am to Tiger1242
I understand where you're coming from, but also think that most grass ranges are pretty shitty. If you're a member at a nice club with a high quality range, that's one thing, but I'd guess most golfers don't actually have access to a grass range with decent turf that's cared for in a way that is in any way an approximation of what they'd experience on the course.
Posted on 7/3/26 at 10:41 am to coolpapaboze
quote:
understand where you're coming from, but also think that most grass ranges are pretty shitty. If you're a member at a nice club with a high quality range, that's one thing, but I'd guess most golfers don't actually have access to a grass range with decent turf
This is my point of view. Do mats give you a false sense of a fat shot having a much better flight than it would have on turf? Sure, but I can also tell that it's fat no matter what. I know my distances and a fat shot off of a mat will still be 20-30 yards short with my 7 iron. It'd be 50-60 short off turf. I'm not considering either acceptable. My club only hits off turf Fri/Sat/Sun and I only ever get to play in the afternoon. By the time I'm out there, it's a minefield because no one knows how to keep a divot line. I can focus on my swing mechanics more on the mat because I'm not dealing with the horrible lie. Don't get me wrong there's a lot of benefit on learning to deal with the lie...just many times I'd like to take that out of the equation. I've not noticed a difference on the course after warm up on one vs the other.
Posted on 7/3/26 at 1:13 pm to Tiger1242
quote:
Do you think a lot of amateurs actually hurt their game practicing on mats?
I don't know about my game but hitting off mats hurts my body.
Posted on 7/3/26 at 1:29 pm to coolpapaboze
quote:
most grass ranges are pretty shitty
Posted on 7/3/26 at 2:12 pm to Tiger1242
I hate hitting off mats. I usually don't.
Posted on 7/3/26 at 2:27 pm to Tiger1242
All of our courses have mats and nets for warming up. I hit 15 shots or so until it feels "right". That's about it. All of our ranges have mat days and grass days, and I avoid mat days like the plague.
Posted on 7/3/26 at 5:56 pm to Tiger1242
Mats have caused a multitude of injuries.
Posted on 7/3/26 at 6:22 pm to LSUHeights
quote:
don't know about my game but hitting off mats hurts my body.
When we are on mats, I limit my swings with irons or wedges.
I ended up with tendinitis in my elbow last year and it was related to hitting irons off mats.
Posted on 7/3/26 at 10:00 pm to Tiger1242
Mats are terrible for your game and your body.
Posted on 7/3/26 at 10:00 pm to Tiger1242
I've found the nicer mats are better for practice unless you're hitting on a really quality turf range and as someone said, unless it's a really nice spot the grass range usually sucks. When I was younger range mats definitely sucked.
Posted on 7/3/26 at 10:21 pm to Cleathecat
Living in Metairie the only option to hit off grass is TPC Louisiana. I play there a decent amount and I almost want to get a membership just for the practice facility.
Posted on 7/4/26 at 5:33 am to Tiger1242
Depends on the alternative. If the grass is more sand then grass, mats are better for practice sessions.
Posted on 7/4/26 at 6:33 am to Tiger1242
I have a sim at my house so I hit off mats all the time without pain. In the beginning, You have to be deliberate with towel drills to train a correct strike. After a while, I know if I am striking well or not because I lose 10-20 yards if I hit mat first in the sim. Shot looks okay but in real life that wouldn’t have gone 40 yards.
Mats can bait you and fool you into thinking your swing is better than it is. but amateurs can absolutely hit off mats and get better if there is awareness.
Towel drill brings awareness. Also, once the swing is dialed in, you are not slamming your club into the mat anymore so you can swing away without all the jarring.
High quality mats (1k or more) are essential to provide some cushion. I have a Fiberbuilt Player Preferred. Someone that is too steep may still have some issues if their swing is not yet dialed.
Mats can bait you and fool you into thinking your swing is better than it is. but amateurs can absolutely hit off mats and get better if there is awareness.
Towel drill brings awareness. Also, once the swing is dialed in, you are not slamming your club into the mat anymore so you can swing away without all the jarring.
High quality mats (1k or more) are essential to provide some cushion. I have a Fiberbuilt Player Preferred. Someone that is too steep may still have some issues if their swing is not yet dialed.
Posted on 7/4/26 at 6:34 am to Cleathecat
quote:
I've found the nicer mats are better for practice unless you're hitting on a really quality turf range and as someone said, unless it's a really nice spot the grass range usually sucks.
I dk I disagree. If the range has crappy grass then you get better at ball striking off of crappy grass which helps you on the course. If the range has nice quality mats you basically always make good contact. Great for the ego but not sure it’s great for your game
Posted on 7/4/26 at 9:16 am to PacWilly
The quality of the mat will significantly impact the experience. Most ranges have hard mats directly on concrete that don't simulate real grass very well and are what most people associate with mats. These certainly can cause discomfort and eventually injuries.
On the other end of the spectrum, you can build a sim with good mats that don't hide bad strikes, less likely to get hurt, etc. There's a bunch of good options (Sigpro softy, fiberbuilt, eztee hybrid).
On the other end of the spectrum, you can build a sim with good mats that don't hide bad strikes, less likely to get hurt, etc. There's a bunch of good options (Sigpro softy, fiberbuilt, eztee hybrid).
Posted on 7/4/26 at 3:03 pm to Tiger1242
Yes... you just have to be able to tell when you're hitting it fat (big problem I have). You can feel it in your hands... although you hit a great shot according to the launch monitor.
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