Range mats promote bad habits?

[DavidFehertysBike]

It doesnt really make a difference to me. Im hitting the ball first, anyway. If the ball "clicks" and doesnt "thud" then i know i hit it good. The only reasons why i dont hit off of mats when i can aviod it is i hate having to clean that green crap off the sole of the club and it can throw my lofts and lies off.

[colin007]

the green stuff comes off w/ water and a towel. or if you wet the mat first then less green stuff comes off on the club.

[Zeph]

Has anyone experiences changing the loft or lie of a club by using it on mats? I got a Mizuno forged set this season and don't fancy altering them on these mats. Still, it's the only option I got beside hitting at home on a net, but that doesn't give much feedback.

[Sandwedge74]

hi - I know we hate mats..after all the game is played on grass but the only range I have regular access to is mats. How can I tell if i am hitting the ball right and taking a divot off the mats?? any tips??

[VardonFlyer]

hi - I know we hate mats..after all the game is played on grass but the only range I have regular access to is mats. How can I tell if i am hitting the ball right and taking a divot off the mats?? any tips??

watch your ball flight, and also make a hard effort to listen to your shots.

[DavidFehertysBike]

Yeah, the sound is important. If you hear a click youre probably ok, because you hit the ball first. If its more of a "thud" sound you probably hit it fat. Couple the sound with the ballflight and you should get a decent read on what youre doing.

[Sandwedge74]

thanks all for the advice. By ball flight I assume you mean - if the ball has nice low flying surging type of flight with a baby draw then I am doing alright?? this is excluding when i purposely try to cut the ball

[trumps4]

Personally, I wouldn't rely on the ball flight as the indicator of the quality of my strike when practicing on range mats. A "good" ball flight (however you want to define it) just means that you might have made a good swing.
I think the sound advice is good. You defiantly want to hear a "click" before any "thud."
One other thing to try is laying a thin towel flat behind the ball an inch or so. This will allow you to address the ball pretty much normally. If your club bottoms out behind the ball, you'll get feed back in the form of the towel moving. If the towel does not move, it sounded good, and you are happy with the ball-flight; chances are you made a good swing.

[DKunks]

if your making ball first contact it shouldnt matter if your hitting off of grass or matt or whatever. its like when your hitting a fairway bunker shot - the most important thing is to hit the ball first.

if you hit enough balls - youll start to notice what each shot feels like - skinny / fat / FLUSH

[NMGolfer09]

Another thing to look at is the displacement of the fibers before the ball and after. If the fibers start before the ball, you're hitting it fat. if the fibers start after the ball, your are hitting the ball before the mat.

[imtomtomim]

Well, actually found out a neat trick. Grab a spritz bottle and mist the mat. I noticed that after the rain, a wet mat will not leave that green crap all over the bottom of your clubs, lets the club glide over and reduces the heat so the plastic doesn't fuse to your clubs. I also noticed that dew can be a great indicator. So, spray the matt, let the dew shine, and go hit a ball off of it. Where the dew is missing afterwards is where the diviot is supposed to be. Neat huh?

[breezy]

i have not been playing golf very long. I started playing in Nov. of 08 till now. i started out with the white tees and now just recently started playing off the furthest tee's. and i am now scoring in the mid to high 90's other than before when i was hitting 120-130. the one thing that i have done at the range differently from others that i play with is that i use a 1 to 1 half inch rubber tee. I use my 7,6,5,4,3,5wood on that tee all the time. I only use 60-70% of my strength in every swing. I like to play by feel. By using the tee allows me to get under the ball and allows me to focus how to hit it consistently without worrying about the ground. i can hit the ball on the ground perfectly find and consistent but before was a disaster. haha

[walk18]

I agree with the guy who said just work on short game instead. Mats should be outlawed. No grass tees in NY??

[PitaRamos]

I've been told mats make you think you are better than you really are, and I suppose I can understand that, as you can't really hit it fat off a mat, but my question is in regards to the little rubber tee thingies. Can those alter your shots a great deal?

On mats I have a nasty slice (driver), so I work to correct it, and get it to where I think it's manageable, then I hit the course for league and it vanishes, or is much more slight. Unless I go to the range and just try to kill everything, which I don't think I do, that's the only thing I can think of. Any ideas?

[kfowler]

I've never noticed a difference with the rubber tees. One benifit is you get the same tee height vs. a regular tee. I suppose there can be more friction from hitting the rubber but I've never noticed a difference.

[Zeph]

Rubber tees doesn't matter for the driver, but I hate hitting irons off them, which is why I never do. It would be better if they were smaller.
In my opinion, the two biggest problems with mats are that they mask fat shots better and can develop a swing where you resist hitting down and through the ball since the mat doesn't give in. The turf is ripped apart by the club, but the mats just bounce it off.

[Ed_Bighead]

No grass tees in NY??

Not true, one of the courses I play at has a grass area sectioned off for the driving range.

[steve8820]

I think part of the problem here is your approach. There are more important things in the golf swing than taking a divot. A divot is something that happens when you stay down through the shot. I am never standing over the ball thinking...."I am really going to take a big divot this time....". Go to a pro event and watch them on the range. You won't see dirt and grass flying all over like you do at your local muni on Saturday morning. A divot should be shallow and not deep. I hit off a mat in my garage in the evenings and don't have any issue making the transition to the course on the weekend. Focus on tempo and your contact. Let the divots happen on their own.........