Golf mat stability

[playit]

Do all/most golf mats "move" under your fee? My brother bought a golf mat, spending $150 for the "pro" version from GoSports off of Amazon. He bought the pro version instead of a lower cost one because he read where it should be more durable. He will use it on concrete in a covered shop. I want a mat because I tear up my lawn with divots  and I am trying his on a bare spot (hard dirt/grass) on my lawn because that is where I will hit from.

 

Everything is fine with his mat except that I note my feet squish into the thick padding when swinging and I would rather have no movement like a real shot off of turf. I have no idea if all mats have squishy movement like this, do they? I see golf mats for around $500 (Fiberbuilt was recommended as a quality mat), so, if this one works for $150, that would be a good thing but I thought I would ask. Of course, we have no idea about longevity as he just got it couple of weeks ago. Hitting both irons and driver.

Edited November 28, 2021 by playit

[playit]

Anyone ever hit off a mat and noticed "movement" underfoot?

[cgasucks]

I'm not an expert in driving range mats but I have it A LOT of balls off from them and I'll tell you one thing that moving or adjust a mat on dry concrete is a lot easier than moving a mat on wet concrete.

Edited November 28, 2021 by cgasucks

[Lasorcier]

You get what you pay for in this area.   Don't skimp.

 

I got a truestrike academy and while expensive, is well worth it.  It does not move, is stable and feels good, even on mishits.  Truestrike and fiberbuilt have solid bases underneath.

 

A setup with a cheap mat is a setup you will not use because you hate the mat.  So all the other dollars on the monitor, net, etc go to waste because you hate the mat.  

[Nels55]

In my experience putting a mat on dirt or grass does not work.  When I had an outdoor hitting station I built a plywood base on 2X6s and then screwed the mat down to the plywood.  Worked great! 

[playit]

54 minutes ago, Nels55 said:

In my experience putting a mat on dirt or grass does not work.  When I had an outdoor hitting station I built a plywood base on 2X6s and then screwed the mat down to the plywood.  Worked great! 

 

I had thought of putting a piece of thick plywood underneath, if need be. If the ground is perfectly flat, might work with no base built around it. Which is the ideal, because I had envisioned being able to move this easily. If I have to build a "station," that's rather permanent.

 

The mat he had is usable, it's just not ideal due to the squish. I am wondering if higher end mats do not have this squish factor. (If his were on concrete, seems to me that it would still have the squish, due to the thick foam under the fake grass.)

[tannyhoban]

If you plan on hitting outdoors just get a cheap mini mat and stand on the grass.

 

I used one quite a bit this year with a net and it worked fine.

[playit]

8 minutes ago, tannyhoban said:

If you plan on hitting outdoors just get a cheap mini mat and stand on the grass.

 

I used one quite a bit this year with a net and it worked fine.

 

Thought about that but I'd prefer to have my feet level with the ball at address. I guess you could scoop out dirt under the mat 1/2 inch or whatever, in its shape, lol.

[tannyhoban]

1 hour ago, playit said:

 

Thought about that but I'd prefer to have my feet level with the ball at address. I guess you could scoop out dirt under the mat 1/2 inch or whatever, in its shape, lol.

Are planning on leaving it there?

If not I think you’ll find dragging it in ‘n out to be cumbersome.

 

But then again I don’t stand and hit balls into the net for hours. It’s just handy to hit a few and move on to other things.

[skraly]

nels55 is correct. A mat on grass or dirt doesn’t work very well.

[hammersia]

It does take a bit of effort to get right. Hitting in my garage, I used an angle grinder to remove an inch of concrete to form a well for the mat to sit in. Took a couple of days and works perfectly, rock solid.

 

As has been said, you need a base of some sort, it's not going to work throwing it on the ground.

[JRL2]

I created a cut out in the yard and put pavers in the hole, when I place my mat on top of that and stand on the ground it levels things out and the cut out helps prevent the mat from moving when I swing.  This way I can remove the mat and store it inside to prevent the sun from harming the mat.  Mine has lasted several years this way.

[playit]

50 minutes ago, JRL2 said:

I created a cut out in the yard and put pavers in the hole, when I place my mat on top of that and stand on the ground it levels things out and the cut out helps prevent the mat from moving when I swing.  This way I can remove the mat and store it inside to prevent the sun from harming the mat.  Mine has lasted several years this way.

 

So, you are not standing on the mat? You are on the ground outside the mat. How big is your mat? Do you know brand/model? Does your mat have pretty significant padding under the fake grass? My brother's mat does. (As I said, his 5x4 was "only" $150 but it's not high-end, and it does have a thick padding for the base. I'd guess the padding is 3/4 inch to one inch thick.

[Billfitz]

I have a GoSports 5'x4' Pro mat, it never slips. That's probably because the foam backing is 15mm thick, so it's heavier than most. It may be softer underfoot than a thinner mat, but that's the price paid for the added stability and durability. I don't notice it being softer than turf, because I use mine in spring, when my course is still wet. Once things dry out in May I'm on the course four or five days a week, so I don't use the mat and net after that.

[JRL2]

4 hours ago, playit said:

So, you are not standing on the mat? You are on the ground outside the mat. How big is your mat? Do you know brand/model? Does your mat have pretty significant padding under the fake grass? My brother's mat does. (As I said, his 5x4 was "only" $150 but it's not high-end, and it does have a thick padding for the base. I'd guess the padding is 3/4 inch to one inch thick.

Yes it has good padding under the turf.  I bought this in 2018 and it is still going strong for about $50 off Amazon.

Real Feel Golf Mats The Original Country Club Elite Hitting Strip 10"x30" Indoor Outdoor Use

Edited November 29, 2021 by JRL2

[hammersia]

On 11/29/2021 at 5:38 PM, JRL2 said:

Yes it has good padding under the turf.  I bought this in 2018 and it is still going strong for about $50 off Amazon.

Real Feel Golf Mats The Original Country Club Elite Hitting Strip 10"x30" Indoor Outdoor Use

Yep, that's the strip I have as well, will last forever, ridiculously durable..... BUT

 

It's very solid. Firm and grabby. I know it has a rubber base and I even have some more shock absorption under it, but boy it grabs the club to the point where I was just picking everything. I was thinking of mounting it on a sliding spring type arrangement so it would move forward a couple of inches when you hit, then spring back.

 

However, I've now swapped it out for a Fibrebuilt flightdeck, which I resisted because its kind of too easy, ball is always teed up, but at least I feel my low point is getting back to the right place.

[JRL2]

2 hours ago, hammersia said:

It's very solid. Firm and grabby.

Yes, I agree with this.  I haven't noticed this hurting my performance on the course as far as picking the ball, I still take nice divots there, but you will definitely know right away if you hit a ball fat on this mat.  I think it has actually helped me hit the ball first with a good angle of attack and improved my ball striking, but I don't pound balls every day with it either.  I hurt my elbow years ago hitting on a mat that didn't have adequate padding underneath, so I am cautious with the number of balls I hit on any mat, and limit my sessions to about 50 balls max a session.  This Real Feel mat is a cheap but adequately padded mat, but I am sure there are better alternatives like your Fibrebuilt flightdeck.