Hitting mat wrist pain - any solutions?

[harpua728]

Hey there. I have a Rukket tri-turf hitting mat that I place on a brick patio when hitting into a net in my yard. I used it for the 3rd time today, and although I didn’t have issues the first two times, I started feeling some wrist pain a couple hours after using it today. The pain is about halfway between my wrist and the middle of forearm, on the thumb side of my left hand. I know that this is somewhat common, but does anyone have a good solution? Is there anything you would recommend that I put under the mat to create a buffer layer between the mat and the brick?

 

Thanks.  

[farmer]

Knowing nothing about Rukket mats, I'm guessing it doesn't have enough pad.  I have a DW Quail mat that I used for years on concrete with no problems.  Get a really good mat, and you will be happier in the long term.

[Sean2]

These are great mats: https://www.realfeelgolfmats.com

 

Or, you could use a tee? I know it's not the same, but if it keeps your joints intact, it may be worth it. 

[Stuart_G]

Lots of folks have pain issues with the realfeel/CCE mats.    Best ones for hand / joint pain seem to be Fiberbuilt and DivotAction

[rmyoung88]

+1 on fiberbuilt.. i basically destroyed my left wrist. went to CCE which was better - then cut fiber built panels into my CCE.

 

Fiber built + winn grips saved me

[Frankensteins Monster]

Fiberbuilt is the best to make sure you don't get any wrist, shoulder, back pain from a mat, but they're not remotely close to resembling a true golf strike. Realfeel is the middle ground, but it you're a digger, you're gonna have issues. Rukket mat looks to slim. Add in the concrete, you're gonna have pain. Stop using it immediately.

[towncryer]

I can't stand hitting off mats. Good to see some people are having success with particular types. I have nowhere to set up a mat and net inside or outside, but if our next house does have a bigger/higher ceiling garage I'm coming back to this thread. 

[jordan2240]

I have those foam rubber squares you can find at your local sporting goods store for use on gym floors under my matt (they usually come in multi-packs and are about 16" square).  Definitely makes a huge difference over placing it right on a concrete floor. (search on 'foam squares floor matt')

[shoot4par]

On 1/28/2021 at 9:48 PM, harpua728 said:

Hey there. I have a Rukket tri-turf hitting mat that I place on a brick patio when hitting into a net in my yard. I used it for the 3rd time today, and although I didn’t have issues the first two times, I started feeling some wrist pain a couple hours after using it today. The pain is about halfway between my wrist and the middle of forearm, on the thumb side of my left hand. I know that this is somewhat common, but does anyone have a good solution? Is there anything you would recommend that I put under the mat to create a buffer layer between the mat and the brick?

 

Thanks.  

While I'm certain that you getting a more expensive, padded mat will help. Overuse and hitting off mats in general screw up the wrist. I practice off mats in the winter and get an issue in my left thumb, wrist area. It's not how I strike it and the mat quality is very solid where I practice. It can be nastier if you lean the irons or a little less if you pick it.  I'd suggest to tone down your frequency of practice..... actually they're fiber built.

Edited February 24, 2021 by shoot4par

[jordan2240]

2 hours ago, shoot4par said:

While I'm certain that you getting a more expensive, padded mat will help. Overuse and hitting off mats in general screw up the wrist. I practice off mats in the winter and get an issue in my left thumb, wrist area. It's not how I strike it and the mat quality is very solid where I practice. It can be nastier if you lean the irons or a little less if you pick it.  I'd suggest to tone down your frequency of practice.

I hit off a matt in my basement nearly every day, and have been doing that for a few years now.  Two things that it's never done for me - one, help my golf game, and two, hurt my wrists.  I did hurt my head once when I missed the net and the ball ricocheted off the wall and hit me in the head.  Anyway, I can't recall what type of matt I have, but it's big enough that I can stand on it while hitting.  I believe the foam squares I noted above have been the wrist savers, because when I tried to hit off the matt without them, I definitely felt my wrists weren't going to survive that for long.

[JoacoDiaz]

I feel this is very common when you are new hitting balls off a matt that sits on concrete. I came from South America to play collegiate golf and the first year I practice indoors during the winter developed a bad wrist. I used to tape it to hit balls and even when playing outside for a good time. 

[DallasDan]

I tore my TFCC in my wrist hitting off of cheap mats at the driving range about 6-7 years ago. i have weak wrists. I got a Fiberbuilt in my Simulator Room upstairs and have been hitting on it for over a year with no issues. I recommend it. 

[mjforn]

I have a CCE mat and I was hitting about 200 balls a daily, Same problem.  My solution was the keep a tee in the mat just an 1/8 above the mat no more wrist pain.

 

 

.

[Bdmac79]

Fiberbuilt over CCE.  I’ve used both, and while the feel of the CCE is better IMO, the Fiberbuilt will keep your wrists and elbows in one piece.  

[fishindragon]

Fiberbuilt Flight Deck has done wonders for me. You can find these online thru Costco and save some money too. 

[TomRUtah]

On 3/8/2021 at 12:56 PM, fishindragon said:

Fiberbuilt Flight Deck has done wonders for me. You can find these online thru Costco and save some money too. 

 

Costco just lowered the price of the Fiberbuilt Golf Practice Station from $269.99 to $199.99.  Price is valid through 3/28 while supplies last. 

[harpua728]

On 3/10/2021 at 1:44 AM, TomRUtah said:

 

Costco just lowered the price of the Fiberbuilt Golf Practice Station from $269.99 to $199.99.  Price is valid through 3/28 while supplies last. 

 

This has great reviews, but to hitting mat seems small to me.  I wish it had a larger hitting area.

[Stuart_G]

34 minutes ago, harpua728 said:

 

This has great reviews, but to hitting mat seems small to me.  I wish it had a larger hitting area.

 

get the 1'x1' squares directly from Fiberbuilt and you can make it any size you want.

[AC in TX]

2 hours ago, Stuart_G said:

 

get the 1'x1' squares directly from Fiberbuilt and you can make it any size you want.

Beats the hell out of hitting them off of non-skid ...

[highandright]

I also had some wrist pain with CCE. I switched to Fiberbuilt a couple years ago and have been very satisfied.

 

Like others have mentioned, you can buy individual squares direct from Fiberbuilt and reuse an existing mat for a stance mat, assuming they're about the same height.

[ohthehumanity]

I just completed my GC2 sim, and I bought a Swing Turf from Rain or Shine Golf, and it is great.

[bonvivantva]

On 4/23/2021 at 2:04 PM, ohthehumanity said:

I just completed my GC2 sim, and I bought a Swing Turf from Rain or Shine Golf, and it is great.

 

I've hit balls off my dad's swing turf at least three times a week, probably 5-6 hours a week, for a year and a half.  In terms of gameplay and strike, I think it's the best mat you can get.  However, my elbows did start hurting towards the end of the year and a half.  I recently got my own golf simulator and I went with fiberbuilt.  Since I've primarily been hitting off fiberbuilt, I've had no elbow pain.  

 

But there are trade offs.  I think fiberbuilt has enough feedback to help me improve and the strike is good enough to allow me to enjoy playing.  However, I do think the softness of the turf interaction hides some flaws.  Specifically, let's say I hit a chip a little fat.  On swing turf, the club will hit that tight firm lie that I think is a pretty good facsimile of a firm fairway.  The club may bounce/skip and you'd end up blading the ball.  This happens to me on swing turf and in real life when I'm not careful.  With fiberbuilt, the club just cuts into the mat fat and behind the ball, hits the ball higher on the face, and sends it up higher than anticipated.  A popped up chip may only go half as far as you intended, but the result is almost always better than a skulled ball that flies the entire green.  I've seen similar but less obvious results with irons.  On swing turf, I tend to hit some shots a little thin.  They go lower and often longer than intended.  On fiberbuilt, it's difficult but not impossible to hit the ball thin.  You're more likely to end up with a weaker higher shot than a bladed shot.

 

So with swing turf, I think you have a good approximation of a fairway lie, but because it's firm, you may have some wrist or elbow pain if you swing a lot.  With fiberbuilt, the lie is more like your ball is set up well in the first or second cut.  If you hit behind the ball, you'll likely scoop it rather than blade or top it, but no matter what you do, your joints will be better off.

[Fairway14]

A mat on concrete is not good for the body or the clubs. Lay the mat on a platform (2X4 frame with plywood slats). 

Edited May 30, 2021 by Fairway14
addition

[50_Year_Old_Golfer]

After reading all of the post I am shocked that nobody has talked about TrueStike Golf Mat.... I really like to know what people think of them. I am going on my 2nd year at home with a golf simulator I built in my garage. When I first started I got a Country Club mat. But after hitting off of it all winter, I had a sore left wrist and golfers elbow. I found with the Country Club mat that there is still some bounce and for a 50 year old guy like me... it can take some wear out of you.

At the start of this winter I bought a Fiberbuilt Grass series mat.... very pricey to order to Canada with exchange rate and shipping duties, etc. I found the Fiberbuilt to be very good on your wrist and elbows. But as a Skytrak owner I found issues with the mat. Very hard to get putting to work at all.... and the launch angle is a little higher off the mat, as is easy to crush through and get under the ball more. Plus I felt it was rough on my clubs like sending them through a big bristled brush with every shot. I hit Ben Hogan clubs a the steel is a little softer and I felt like the mat was giving them a beating. I know longer have the Fiberbuilt.

I am now going to buy a TrueStrike Mat. The turf looks more like traditional mats... but the big difference here is the silicone subsurface that absorbs shock. I am hoping for the best of both worlds. A mat that is really good on your joints and still has that traditional mat look and feel that is not hard my clubs and allows the ball to roll properly when required.

I know some golfers may say why worry about putting its not accurate anyhow. I know that... I just figure if you going to pay all that money for software… then why let your mat stop you from putting? Even if its not accurate it doesn't stop you from  practicing your setup, your swing to be more fluid, etc. And then if you want to focus on getting accurate buy an Exputt... my wife got me one for Christmas well worth the money.

[Stuart_G]

14 hours ago, 50_Year_Old_Golfer said:

After reading all of the post I am shocked that nobody has talked about TrueStike Golf Mat.... I really like to know what people think of them.

 

You're correct in asking about mats because there are some very good mats out there that add little to no stress above and beyond what you'd get with normal turf.   The biggest problem is that they are not always easy to bring with you to the range (althrough there are some exceptions to that).  So they are more commonly used in personal indoor sims and hitting areas.

 

I only have experience w/ Fiberbuilt - and would highly recommend them.    You loose some of the feedback for fat shots - but that's another side effect of the stress reducing design.   But yes,  as you found out they are not for putting so you need a setup where you can putt from a different surface.

 

DivotAction, TrueStrike, and MagStrike are some others that I've seen good reviews of (in terms of reducing stress on the body).   Just never tried them myself.   And based on my understanding of the designs, all of those should be better for putting than Fiberbuilt.

 

Over at the golfsimulatorforum - there are also some threads on how to make your own version of many of those hitting surfaces (for much less than the retail costs).

 

 

[Mob]

Look up the Sig Pro Softy mat and the Gung Ho Holy Grail mat.  They are designed for people with tendonitis issues.

 

Edited January 28, 2023 by Mob

[dlovage]

On 1/28/2023 at 10:10 AM, Stuart_G said:

 

You're correct in asking about mats because there are some very good mats out there that add little to no stress above and beyond what you'd get with normal turf.   The biggest problem is that they are not always easy to bring with you to the range (althrough there are some exceptions to that).  So they are more commonly used in personal indoor sims and hitting areas.

 

I only have experience w/ Fiberbuilt - and would highly recommend them.    You loose some of the feedback for fat shots - but that's another side effect of the stress reducing design.   But yes,  as you found out they are not for putting so you need a setup where you can putt from a different surface.

 

DivotAction, TrueStrike, and MagStrike are some others that I've seen good reviews of (in terms of reducing stress on the body).   Just never tried them myself.   And based on my understanding of the designs, all of those should be better for putting than Fiberbuilt.

 

Over at the golfsimulatorforum - there are also some threads on how to make your own version of many of those hitting surfaces (for much less than the retail costs).

 

 

Came here to ask about TrueStrike. I’ve had one for 2 years and it hasn’t been a great experience. Get wrist pain and all the sides seem to fray pretty quickly to the point that the entire mat is warped. Looking for a replacement option.

[Canada8888]

I put several  "TrafficMaster 3 ft. x 3 ft. Anti-Fatigue Mats" down first and then a CCE on top.  You end up with a softer but real impact.  You know when you it a fat shot.

 

 

[balladm]

I have an extra new fiberbuilt strip available for local pickup of someone around augusta, GA wants to buy it.  For some reason they sent me 2 of them. 

[hammergolf]

I’ve found there’s only one mat that doesn’t cause wrist or elbow pain. That’s the one mat you NEVER hit any shots off of.