Hitting off the mats!

**SDB1** · 07-14-2005

I'd like to get some opinions on hitting off the mats. I've found that if I groove a swing off the mats it's completely unplayeable on the course! I've also found that when I'm hitting them really pure on the course and end my round at the range I absolutely can't duplicate the same contact off the mats. So lately I've been only using the mats to try and practice my tee shots but it seems that the tees on the mats are never long enough for modern drivers. I'll hit it terrible on the mats and stripe every drive down the middle on the course with the longer tee.

**bethpage caddy** · 07-14-2005

Yes, that is because where your club hits the mat and slides, it digs into the real dirty and grass.

**RAO-3** · 07-14-2005

As a beginner at this, I really question the use of the mats and would have thought they would have found a better material to use for the range. During lessons, most of the time I used the plastic tee, which raised the ball in the air quite a bit. After being out on the course, and continually hitting the ball with the bottom of the club, I have been practicing without the tee. To me the mat seems to be more of a rigid surface and forces you not to go too low with your swing in an attempt to get under the ball.

Again, I'm a beginner, but to me, the surface textures are quite different and result in one trying to play differently.

Ray

**PA Jayhawk** · 07-14-2005

I would stay away from the mats if at all possible. You will notice that very seldom will a golf instructor teach off the mats. They almost always have a section off to the side for teaching that is not accessable to the public, or teach off of the range itself, even if the course only has matts. They will only use the mats when they have a large group in most cases.

I would actually almost tend to question the quality of an instructor that would use the matts and not have the course or place take the time to set up a grass area. If the place has time to hire an instructor, they should take the time to set up the proper facilities to teach.

Unfortunately the place I hit only offers matts, but the do have grass for the instructors use. They also have a outdoor carpet area that allows you to sink a tee.

**mbovaird** · 07-14-2005

If you hit off of mats, you will become a picker of the golf ball....meaning you won't learn to hit down and through the ball properly.

Mike

**rolling_rock** · 07-14-2005

Mats don't leave a divot, thats the problem I have with them. Its hard to judge the plane and steepness of your swing without one.
(My first post after lurking for awhile, hurray for me!)

**Dr Shteeve** · 07-14-2005

NO MATS!!! Unless you want to ruin your swing / get sloppy. I find that, if I ask, there is sometimes an alternative to mats even on a "mats only" day - a certain spot on the range that they don't mind you hitting off grass. If I have to hit off mats, I simply tee everything up (even the irons) and practice tee balls.

**Mward2002** · 07-14-2005

I agree with everyone else. Mats have a tendency to let you bounce into the ball as well, so you may hit it fat, may hit it thin and not really notice it as much as you would hitting on grass. They're pretty ok though for hitting off tee balls, but grass would always be the preferred.

**SDB1** · 07-14-2005

Yeah, that's what I was saying! I can only use the Tees off the mats but it seems that the tees are never high enough for my R7 and I end up hitting down on the ball to make contact which further screws up my swing. I need a 3 or 3 1/2" Tee in order to be high enough past the 1" thick mat material. Now I'm trying too find mats with the lowest tees possible and only hit irons and 3 wood!

**PA Jayhawk** · 07-14-2005

Originally Posted by SDB1

Yeah, that's what I was saying! I can only use the Tees off the mats but it seems that the tees are never high enough for my R7 and I end up hitting down on the ball to make contact which further screws up my swing. I need a 3 or 3 1/2" Tee in order to be high enough past the 1" thick mat material. Now I'm trying too find mats with the lowest tees possible and only hit irons and 3 wood!

If you are talking about the rubber tees, you may have other options. Go to a sporting goods store like Dicks. They sell a couple types of these tees. You could either get a longer rubber tee, or they also make ones that hold regular tees, so you could use wooden ones. They're maybe $5, so you could throw them in your bag and take them to the range with you. If you do this you might want to put the receipt in your bag, so the range doesn't think you are trying to steal their matt tees. It might be a good idea to get the ones that use regular tees, so you can change the height and not have to worry about the range thinking you are stealing their tees. And don't forget them when you leave the range.

**wwjdwithca** · 07-14-2005

Unfortunately, matts are only good if you've already have a swing that you really understand and have control over. Then they are fine for warming-up or tuning parts of your swing. But you have to understand your swing so well that you know when you've made a poor swing (fat), but the matt corrected it.

It's actually OK that you dont take a divot, but for most of us you need to look at it to understand that you made a good swing, and to be sure your swing wasn't FAT!

The saying goes, "Thin to Win!" Which essentially means it much better to go thin than fat, and matts teach you to hit fat. Not good!

**bethpage caddy** · 07-14-2005

All they have up here is mats

**erock139** · 07-14-2005

I've since given up on using the mats. I thought my swing was all pimp because I could hit anything, anywhere. Then I took my game to the course and it was worthless. Hit every ball on the top and balls ended up rolling 2 feet. No more mats.

I'll use them to practice tee shots only. They do nothing but detriment the game I don't have. =]

e

**PA Jayhawk** · 07-14-2005

Originally Posted by erock139

They do nothing but detriment the game I don't have. =]

e

I hear hybrids work really well off the mats

**elbe-one** · 07-14-2005

I actually prefer hitting off mats to most grass ranges. Many are awful, and you look down at this thin bare lie and wonder how am I going to get that in the air? I have gone to a couple ranges (actually practice facilities at a course) where the grass on the range is pretty decent, and I do prefer that to mats. It is nice when the lie on the range mimics what you see on the course. On the course, it is either in nice fairway grass, or it is fluffed up or sitting down in the rough. You'd never get the rough lies on a range, so the best you can hope for is the fairway lie.

A;so, sometimes the mats get me confident about my swing since I hit them pretty consistently (and I can tell when I hit it fat or thin off a mat).

**erock139** · 07-14-2005

Originally Posted by PA Jayhawk

I hear hybrids work really well off the mats

You really want me to get a hybrid don't you? You keep testing me.

After a hybrid all I'll need is a hybrid driver...one I can hit with my eyes closed.

e

**Dr Shteeve** · 07-15-2005

Originally Posted by wwjdwithca

The saying goes, "Thin to Win!" Which essentially means it much better to go thin than fat, and matts teach you to hit fat. Not good!

I've heard that to. However, Tiger may be the exception, since he takes rather significant divots - even with his long irons!

**golf-addict** · 07-15-2005

I can only find fairway like grass practice range in those semi-private or private courses around here. Most public range have those regular lawn fluffs 1-3 inches long, good to practice coming out of rough or hit off bare lies, messing up club soles pretty bad. But for beginner, it really helps one understand the harshy lies you need to face on the course.

have to go to mat if I don't want to clean the clubs after practice (except one range, the plastic sticking to the club tighter than ; hybrids and woods all works on mat just as hitting off fairway. But until you try to get the ball out of rough, you wouldn't know hybrid get closed by the grass faster than iron (could depend on how much grass you plow thru before the contact)

**tgrad** · 07-15-2005

I definitely feel hitting off grass tees makes a huge difference. I won't even go to a range that just has mats. I did go to this on range on a trip to Massachusetts where you had to pay extra to use the grass tees. When I got over to them with my $10.00 bucket, I realized the tees were all dirt. You couldn't even find a blade of grass.

My normal range has a lot of grass tees, and you can almost always find a decent patch of grass to hit a bucket off of. You can hit fat all day on mats and the ball will fly beautifully. You can't even tell how bad you are swinging.

**elbe-one** · 07-15-2005

Originally Posted by tgrad

of grass to hit a bucket off of. You can hit fat all day on mats and the ball will fly beautifully. You can't even tell how bad you are swinging.

If you play blades, you can tell!

**SDB1** · 07-15-2005

Originally Posted by wwjdwithca

Unfortunately, matts are only good if you've already have a swing that you really understand and have control over. Then they are fine for warming-up or tuning parts of your swing. But you have to understand your swing so well that you know when you've made a poor swing (fat), but the matt corrected it.

It's actually OK that you dont take a divot, but for most of us you need to look at it to understand that you made a good swing, and to be sure your swing wasn't FAT!

The saying goes, "Thin to Win!" Which essentially means it much better to go thin than fat, and matts teach you to hit fat. Not good!

I think I'd rather hit fat and be slightly short than be thin and lose my ball into the woods. Unless I'm hitting over water!

**bethpage caddy** · 07-16-2005

Although I do agree with the first post somewhat, most of the time I do hit off mats, not because I want to, but because I have to. They aren't as good as grass, but I'm not chopped liver because of it too.

If I want to pick the ball clean, I can. If I want to take a divot and fly it in the air and spin it, I can. The mat doesn't really affect my habits, especially if you get a newer one witht he fake grass.