Mats vs. Grass at Practice Range

[johnnyvancity]

Okay so I am now at a driving range and they only have astro turf mats. Irons are not good to hit of the matt, but what, if, I tee'd up every iron shot? Would that be okay or will I also form bad habits from always teeing up my irons and practicing from a tee.

[Goonsidious]

Just agreeing with what people are saying..

I've been on the practice range for a few months.. without going to the course, [unable to, funds]. the range is all mats.. and no grass available to hit from.

I hit is so well.. it makes me feel like im in complete control and I can just pick and choose where i go.

I went out to the course today.. sure i had some good shots thanks to practice.. but wow.. what a difference. I really need to work on divots and hitting through the grass. It's a COMPLETELY different feeling.

But hey.. at least my drives are beautiful.

I never realized the difference a mat makes.. but I do see why, now. I am done going to the range for sure.. lol. As often as I DID go.. anyways. I will look for a new range now

[JDGolden]

I look like a 5 handicap off the mats with my irons. At first I enjoyed it because I thought I had greatly improved, but then realized that it has only hurt my game. I will no longer use a mat.

[Russtopher]

I've spent this summer working at the range hitting off of mats, with only a few actual rounds thrown in, mostly at the beginning of the season. I'd been able to get some decent ball striking done, nothing world class but I've been able to make solid contact and hit my irons fairly straight (let's not talk about my driver, which is another story all together. I ironed out my slice only to have it rear it's ugly head again).

Today I played 18 with some friends... and it was dreadful. I couldn't hit anything - the majority of shots were fat, with some topped shots thrown in for good measure.

Has hitting off of mats masked how bad my striking has been? I could tell I was hitting fat, as my divots were behind the ball. One of the other players gave me a few tips, on the last couple of holes I hit much better but it just felt like everything on the course was a complete 180 from how things felt at the range.

[Lihu]

I've spent this summer working at the range hitting off of mats, with only a few actual rounds thrown in, mostly at the beginning of the season. I'd been able to get some decent ball striking done, nothing world class but I've been able to make solid contact and hit my irons fairly straight (let's not talk about my driver, which is another story all together. I ironed out my slice only to have it rear it's ugly head again). Today I played 18 with some friends... and it was dreadful. I couldn't hit anything - the majority of shots were fat, with some topped shots thrown in for good measure.  Has hitting off of mats masked how bad my striking has been? I could tell I was hitting fat, as my divots were behind the ball. One of the other players gave me a few tips, on the last couple of holes I hit much better but it just felt like everything on the course was a complete 180 from how things felt at the range.

You can find a lot of posts on this topic here, they have helped me a lot. Probably what I did before, hit fat. The mat can mask all your swing faults because you can hit in front of the ball and the sole of the club will slide easily over the mat surface. Read what is in this forum, you will find lots of helpful tips and individuals here. :-)

[Russtopher]

Thank you Lihu, I did find a poll about mats vs. grass from a few years ago, I'll search around some more for tips. My local range does have grass, but that section is closed for the season.

[Bradbar]

I am somewhat suffering from the exact same thing!  I was going to the range a couple times a week and felt like I was making some serious progess, I was making very good consistant contact and hitting balls straighter than ever.  Went to the course and almost every iron was fat.....  Since than I'v change my pre shot routine a little bit and have been working on my swing angle down towards the ball and it has helped. Played my first 18 since making some adjustments and it helped me alot. Still no where near what I do on the range, very frustrating.

[SoundandFury]

I've been struggling with fat shots and outright chunks and tops for a while, and it's just now starting to get a little better.

Re mats masking fat/chunked shots, I think people overstate it a bit.  When you hit off mats, it's not like you can hit 4 inches behind that ball and still make crisp contact.  You know it's fat because you can feel it, whether it's mat or grass.  My experience is that the difference between mats and grass is the club will skip or slide forward into the ball off a mat, instead of digging into the turf when you hit off grass.  So say I'm hitting a 7i, which I know I hit 165-175ish when I make crisp, ball first contact, the mats will makes it so what would be a 30 yard chunk (off grass) is instead 100 yard shot.  So while the severity of the mishit isn't as obvious, I know damn well it's a mishit when my 7i is going the same distance as my SW.

[bplewis24]

I've said it before in other threads, but mats don't mask your swing flaws nearly as much as some would suggest.  That assumes that the golfer in question has a basic understanding of their typical flight path and distances.  If you hit the mat before the ball, it will simply not fly the same way and you should know it instantly, along with other factors (the sound of the strike & the feedback from the shaft/grip).

I know that I have practiced almost exclusively on mats this year for the first time and I've improved my game significantly.  However, there has been one drawback: I struggle practicing off grass now.  I can play off of it just fine, but before the round I sometimes struggle on grass to the point that I'll just stop warming up and go to the first tee.

[nevets88]

Beginners should be made known of the bounce effect of mats and practice off grass and mats to note the difference. Once you figure that out and get a good amount of experience on both, practicing on mats is not a problem.

I am forced to practice on mats and mats that simulate grass, which is better but if there grass and mats were available to me, I would pick grass. You can go after the ball and not get a big jolt and I like seeing exactly where I made contact with the ground. For the pitches and chipping, definitely grass/rough/short game area.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

I've said it before in other threads, but mats don't mask your swing flaws nearly as much as some would suggest.  That assumes that the golfer in question has a basic understanding of their typical flight path and distances.  If you hit the mat before the ball, it will simply not fly the same way and you should know it instantly, along with other factors (the sound of the strike & the feedback from the shaft/grip).

I know that I have practiced almost exclusively on mats this year for the first time and I've improved my game significantly.  However, there has been one drawback: I struggle practicing off grass now.  I can play off of it just fine, but before the round I sometimes struggle on grass to the point that I'll just stop warming up and go to the first tee.

Totally agree.  Additionally, you can feel the ball hit the clubface and feel the club hit the mat, so even on those only slightly fat shots where the ball seems to travel decently, you should still be able to feel that you hit the ground before the ball.

The difference is that you simply have to be more in tune with everything EXCEPT the result of the shot when hitting off of mats.  Not only is that not a bad thing, sometimes it's probably a plus.

[rehmwa]

"""The difference is that you simply have to be more in tune with everything EXCEPT the result of the shot when hitting off of mats.  Not only is that not a bad thing, sometimes it's probably a plus.""""

this ^

end of the season and now everyone wants their turf to repair before the freeze.  so the ranges are restricting us to mats.

I just go by the feel - I can tell if I don't hit clean, for those, pretty much ignore the ball flight and distance and just use the feedback from the connection

I think what's worse is a range where you get to hit off of "grass", but the turf is so full of repair that it's more like practicing out of the sand.  Completely mucks up the feel.  We have a couple places here like that - they just don't maintain a large enough area to allow them to properly rotate through the hitting area to let the turf repair right.

[Dave2512]

My experience is you know it if you're hitting too far behind the ball on a mat, especially on lower grade mats that don't give. The shock you feel isn't subtle. I practice on mats all the time with no problems. My guess is taking your game from the range to the course, the mental difference etc. is where you struggled. I know I do. Can hit through a large bucket with little if any bad shots and get out on the course and fall flat.

[SoundandFury]

I have the exact same problem.  Good session on mats, chop up the turf like I'm digging ditches at the grass range, and then great irons during a round. I actually avoid grass ranges now because it wrecks my confidence.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by rehmwa

I think what's worse is a range where you get to hit off of "grass", but the turf is so full of repair that it's more like practicing out of the sand.  Completely mucks up the feel.  We have a couple places here like that - they just don't maintain a large enough area to allow them to properly rotate through the hitting area to let the turf repair right.

Definitely.  It defeats the purpose of going to a grass range when it's in that bad of shape.

[GaijinGolfer]

Hitting off of mats is almost a waste of time because they hide your fat shots and make you think that your shots are better than they really are.  I hit off of mats during the winter months but if I have the choice between mats or grass, I'll take grass every time, even if its poorly maintained.

[onesome]

Never hit off mats,

[nevets88]

If the grass area is poorly maintained, but the ground is soft that I can easily take divots without a shock and I can take a level stance, I'll take the grass even though it might be basically dirt or rough. This is actually good practice for shots out of the rough and hardpan lies. I love hardpan lies.

If the grass is packed hard or I cannot get a level stance (one foot higher than another), it's not worth it.

If I'm hitting drivers and woods off the tee (with my own adjustable height tee), mats.