Hitting off of Mats

[AKFLY]

Do you tend to hit lower or higher off of a mat ?

[phillypete]

I would tend to say higher and farther... the mats allow your club to slide under the ball more easily. Where as with grass it gets held up a little more.

I hit off mats all the time my local range has a xl bucket, $13 200+balls $1 refills but you have to hit of the mat. Quantity versus Quality... quantity wins this time!

[AKFLY]

Refills for $1 - I would be divorced.

Only hit off mats in the off season - it was abot 30 deg. today Iam sure ball flight was hindered by 20 yds.

[phillypete]

Refills for $1 - I would be divorced.

Only hit off mats in the off season - it was abot 30 deg. today  Iam sure ball flight was hindered by 20 yds.

Yeah it was a little warmer here (I am in Philly for the holidays) and when I went to the range I could actually notice the ball flying slower. It was real wierd looking.

As for the $1 refills...

There have been days when I have showed up as they were opening and they had to tell me to leave. There have been a few days where I have hit atleast a 1000 balls. In a 1000 ball day you will lose and find your swing more times than the average rec. golfer does in a lifetime!

[indacup]

Worst part about mats (in my opinion) is they can hide swing flaws.

You may have an out-to-in swing or other flaws where impact is not made properly and an unforgiving natural turf will allow the natural progression of the club and result in the result of a poor swing.

however, a mat, with cement base, will correct the club angle and deceive the golfer into thinking that swing was correct.

Once that happens, it's possible the player imbeds that bad swing over the winter, then when springtime hits and he goes out in the real world.... He's screwed.

[phillypete]

Worst part about mats (in my opinion) is they can hide swing flaws.

You may have an out-to-in swing or other flaws where impact is not made properly and an unforgiving natural turf will allow the natural progression of the club and result in the result of a poor swing.

however, a mat, with cement base, will correct the club angle and deceive the golfer into thinking that swing was correct.

Once that happens, it's possible the player imbeds that bad swing over the winter, then when springtime hits and he goes out in the real world.... He's screwed.

Yep... if you hit fat mats will help you out. I have hit off mats so much this past month or so that I can tell really easily if I am hitting fat.

If you are not sure take some wate put it on the mat where you will be placing your ball. On most mats this will allow you to see what your divot would look like. I know it works on those "Pro-Swing" mats. Also the mats with the tall "grass" will give you a pretty good idea if you are hitting fat.

[CLMelton]

The only thing I really hate about our mats are those big, fat, white tees that sit up about 3 inches. I've found that if I take my Swiss Army knife with me and use the leather punch I can make a nice hole in the mat that is perfect for a wooden tee.

Here I am in Arizona and our course refuses to use a decent turf grass or overseed in the winter on the course or the range. No wonder they are losing money. :roll:

[AKFLY]

Well in Chicago we are luck if they keep the grass tees open until November. Then your lucky if they open by May 1st.

[AKFLY]

Well in Chicago we are luck if they keep the grass tees open until November. Then your lucky if they open by May 1st.

Good tip on the tees.

[Junior]

To be perfectly honest I dislike mats immensly. I agree with a previous post saying that they hide swing flaws, because you can hit 4 inches behind the ball and the mattt will just bounce the clubhead into the ball. If I go to the driving range before a round the sole purpose is to loosen my muscles and try to get a few positive swing thoughts. I also find that my ballflight tends to be a great deal higher and the ball travels much shorter.

[kr0nik]

I grooved a "mat swing" for most of last year especially during the winter. Terrible. I finally found a grass range I like and I'm hitting my irons a whole lot better.

[Swunk]

I hit off the mats all the time but I haven't noticed any ill effects carrying over into my game. Ball flight is basically the same but the challenge is setting up for different lie angles when I'm on the course. Certainly if I had a choice I'd go grass range but it's just not an optiopn where I live.

[+TourSpecGolfer]

I hit off the mats all the time but I haven't noticed any ill effects carrying over into my game. Ball flight is basically the same but the challenge is setting up for different lie angles when I'm on the course. Certainly if I had a choice I'd go grass range but it's just not an optiopn where I live.

Hey swunk are you going to them Japanese driving ranges? If so there is a huge difference IMHO over your average range in the U.S.

For the people who have never seen a range in Japan, its got automatic ball loading machines so you don't have to bend over to tee up again, also a button to step on to raise the tee level up or down. It even has a higher quality of mat with one side long grass to simulate the deep stuff. You also get charged per ball, in Tokyo it costs about 16 U.S cents per ball that 20yen each.

[shoe295]

An adjustible tee at a range !..that would be something..fortunately I live a block from the local 9 hole course's practice range so the only time I ever have to hit off a mat is when is cold and/or rainy. Hit ball higher than I ever do off grass.

[Swunk]

I hit off the mats all the time but I haven't noticed any ill effects carrying over into my game. Ball flight is basically the same but the challenge is setting up for different lie angles when I'm on the course. Certainly if I had a choice I'd go grass range but it's just not an optiopn where I live.

Hey swunk are you going to them Japanese driving ranges? If so there is a huge difference IMHO over your average range in the U.S.

For the people who have never seen a range in Japan, its got automatic ball loading machines so you don't have to bend over to tee up again, also a button to step on to raise the tee level up or down. It even has a higher quality of mat with one side long grass to simulate the deep stuff. You also get charged per ball, in Tokyo it costs about 16 U.S cents per ball that 20yen each.

I know the ones you're talking about they're very cool. But unfortunately my nearby range (a 5 km bicycle ride) doesn't have those built-in auto tee adjuster ball dispensers. My range has decent mats (a two layer rubber cushioned mat) and manual "foot operated" ball dispensers. Tee adjustments require lifting the mat up and exchanging the tee. I guess you can say Hiratsuka is the countryside Chris! :wink:

[phillypete]

I hit off the mats all the time but I haven't noticed any ill effects carrying over into my game. Ball flight is basically the same but the challenge is setting up for different lie angles when I'm on the course. Certainly if I had a choice I'd go grass range but it's just not an optiopn where I live.

Hey swunk are you going to them Japanese driving ranges? If so there is a huge difference IMHO over your average range in the U.S.

For the people who have never seen a range in Japan, its got automatic ball loading machines so you don't have to bend over to tee up again, also a button to step on to raise the tee level up or down. It even has a higher quality of mat with one side long grass to simulate the deep stuff. You also get charged per ball, in Tokyo it costs about 16 U.S cents per ball that 20yen each.

I would hate having to pay per ball... I would get so mad when I hit a bad one. When I buy a bucket I accept the fact that there will be a few bad ones in there.