Is it possible to practice short game off driving range mats?

[infinii]

As the title says...

 

I have zero grass ranges available to me and even a course with chipping area is almost an hour drive.

 

My short game fault is when the leading edge digs and I chunk it. I need to practice using the bounce more but won't range mats mask that?

 

Any suggestions?

[teddyironboy]

I think you can only practice hitting shots without using the bounce. It'll be harder but on the golf course it will feel easier where you'll have more margin of error.

[SNIPERBBB]

Putting a towel down behind the ball might help with the fat shots. If you know what ball first contact feels like vs fat contact then I wouldn't worry about the towel

[chollier986]

You should be able to hear/feel the contact on a properly struck chip shot.  So I’d say it’s better than not practicing at all.

[infinii]

Only problem is I started reading The 3 Releases and Grieves promotes the use of bounce so I wanted a way to practice it.

[Putter Addict]

Not sure of your current living situation (apt, condo, house, etc..), but do you have a yard you can hit from? Sometimes I would chip from my yard onto my artificial putting green or into my chipping net. Better than nothing. 

[phizzy30]

Chipping off mats is fine and I do it from time to time when my home CC shuts down the short game area.  It's better than nothing.  However, doing so limits some of the feel shots that you would normally use around the greens. 

Edited August 8, 2023 by phizzy30

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

Mats are just fine for what you really need to do. It's not about specialty shots. With chipping, you're really focusing on mechanics at a practice range. Generally speaking, what you need to have is a reliable and repeatable process. Get the ball consistently to a spot, and then aim to a new spot and adjust to get the ball there. It's about trusting your mechanics and that the ball will do as you wish. Getting there is the hard part. 😄

There is no such thing as having the process down pat such that it works perfectly on every course every time. You're going to need to acclimate to their greens and green-side conditions to adjust accordingly. That's a lot easier when you trust your mechanics around the green.

 

If it is a new course, you should be arriving well early enough to practice beforehand (assuming they have chipping greens with deep grass and fringe conditions).

 

Edited August 8, 2023 by Mikey_HACKilroy

[North Butte]

I think practicing something where getting you low point correct is essential, and doing it off mats, would be a big mistake. You could do a limited amount of it to engrain the overall setup, balance and big movements of the swing. But if you do it too much you will probably groove a stroke that depends on the forgiveness of the mat to work. With extended practice, especially when learning a new movement, your body will automatically adapt and find the easiest way to accomplish the shot. If you hitting 100 shots off a mat the easiest adaption is to start depending on the quirks of the way a club rebounds off a mat.

[bonvivantva]

There is plenty you CAN practice off of a mat that would be plenty beneficial.  That said, you can't get a feel for rough or different lies, etc.  That kind of thing can only be practiced off grass.

[msg]

I have a sim at home for the last 7 years and I practice my wedges all winter long and in the summer. It works for me when I get on the course in real life. From wedges to irons to fairway wood and hybrids, no problem transitioning from mat to grass. 

[RoyalTroon]

Plenty of short work can be done from a mat, especially with some of the new fiber simulation seen today.  Honesty is the best policy on mats. 

[LBB]

You can find personal mats (like 2'x1' hitting area) online that are much more fluffy that simulate rough.  That will at least allow you to practice some shots opening up the face and using the bounce whether at home hitting into the net or if you wanted to take it the range or a park.  Most public parks have signs that don't allow golf practice for obvious reasons, but if you're using a portable mat and not taking divots, and only hitting shots no more than 25 yards in the corner of the park where nobody is...most times nobody has a problem with it.

[MonteScheinblum]

Well, yes and no.

 

If you have a motor pattern problem like excess lower body movement, excess weight shift, too much or little wrist hinge….then yes.

 

If you want to get better at low point and trajectory and distance control…..then no

[North Butte]

10 hours ago, LBB said:

You can find personal mats (like 2'x1' hitting area) online that are much more fluffy that simulate rough.  That will at least allow you to practice some shots opening up the face and using the bounce whether at home hitting into the net or if you wanted to take it the range or a park.  Most public parks have signs that don't allow golf practice for obvious reasons, but if you're using a portable mat and not taking divots, and only hitting shots no more than 25 yards in the corner of the park where nobody is...most times nobody has a problem with it.

I could never do that because a shot that will go 25 yards when properly struck with my SW will go about 75 yards when I skull it. 

 

And skulling it is one of the problems that frequently causes me to go practice my wedge game!