How can I improve my course game using mats?

[AbsoluteTruths]

On 12/31/2016 at 4:16 AM, Hacker James said:

I bought the one piece net online (ebay) plus separate heavy duty mesh impact panel and vinyl target (Cimmaron)., ordered the 3/way, pvc corner fittings (Home Depot furniture grade), got the 10 ft sections of Sked 40 Grey conduit from Loews, cut off the bell shaped ends, so actual length of the sections are 9 ft six inches. you can also use EMT and get the fittings online, ebay or Amazon. The EMT  will bow less, but unless you paint the fittings, they are prone to rust even though they are supposed to be anodized. A bit tricky as a one man job, but can be done.

Gourok  is a good source.

I found the Cimmaron Vinyl Target but I cannot find the Heavy Duty Mesh Impact Panel. Can you give me a web site link. I am setting up my cage and need the hitting area material.

[Hacker James]

23 hours ago, AbsoluteTruths said:

I found the Cimmaron Vinyl Target but I cannot find the Heavy Duty Mesh Impact Panel. Can you give me a web site link. I am setting up my cage and need the hitting area material.

I found this: it is archery netting and is what you need

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cimarron-Sports-Archery-Practice-Netting-Baffle-12x10-Golf-Net-CM-ArchNetP-NEW-/201657186078?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

[Buckeyebowman]

Yes, I'd rather practice on real grass, but for this part of the country at this time of year, there's no alternative. If you're paying attention, you can tell how you are striking the ball. All you need to hear is "click, thump" rather than "thump, click".

[AbsoluteTruths]

Finally got my hitting cage set up. It is 10x10x9. I had to make it a little narrower so I could get around it. My house was built in the back of my property so I have a small back yard and a big front yard. The fence you see on the right is my back property line. I cut a 5x4 platform out of marine grade plywood left over from re-deck my pontoon boat.

The cut out in it is for a 10x30 Country Club Elite hitting strip from JRMats and the net is a Cimarron Outdorr Sports Gaming 10x10x10 Master golf net from Amazon.

Thanks @Hacker James for your help.

[Hacker James]

@AbsoluteTruths. Looking good!  If you like, you can move the platform/mat  out about three foot or so without worrying about going around or over the cage. (also gives you more room for full driver swing)

[AbsoluteTruths]

Can someone tell me about all the tricks to judging contact hitting off a mat. Like what I have seen in this tread. Sound, baby powder, tape, and what is the penny drill.

[Kalnoky]

My instructor used to lay down a tee (flat, pointing downrange) a little bit in front of the ball and try and get me to sweep it away. This was to encourage ball first striking on the mats. 

[Lihu]

1 hour ago, AbsoluteTruths said:

Can someone tell me about all the tricks to judging contact hitting off a mat. Like what I have seen in this tread.

Sound

Thump/whack is bad while Whack/Thump is good.

 

1 hour ago, AbsoluteTruths said:

baby powder

Haven't tried this, but guessing it's better than observing scuff marks in the mat?

Foot powder is used on the face to check contact location. That helps too. . .

 

1 hour ago, AbsoluteTruths said:

tape

Good for checking contact, but also not as effectively for checking the divot location.

You're better off scuffing the mat with your foot to lift up the fibers a bit?

 

1 hour ago, AbsoluteTruths said:

what is the penny drill.

It costs you a penny for every time you hit a good shot. . .

[Ernest Jones]

1 hour ago, AbsoluteTruths said:

Can someone tell me about all the tricks to judging contact hitting off a mat. Like what I have seen in this tread. Sound, baby powder, tape, and what is the penny drill.

Just put a piece off masking tape behind your ball and make sure you hit the ball and not the tape. Pay attention to what it sounds like and feels like when you can hit the ball without scraping away the tape. After a while you won't need the tape anymore. 

If you're having trouble with this, another trick is to put a cheerio* 3"-4" in front of your ball and try to hit the ball and the cheerio. This can help give a stronger visual to get your low point forward  

 

*or something else cheap and biodegradable. I used Cheerios when I was going this because I had a toddler at the time, but you can used just about anything.  

[Hategolf]

I would try working on learning what a solid strike "feels" like.  No matter were you hit from, crappy mats vs, grass, vs better mats. They all might feel different but when you hit a solid shot you should know it. 

Don't let the ball flight tell you weather you hit a solid good shot or not when hitting from a mat. I can tell weather I nailed my shot or not even before I track where the ball is going...I might get a way with a poorly made swing because how forgiving Clubs can be nowadays but, I still know weather contact was pure and if the shot was fat or thin or too close to the hossle or on the toe.  And if it wasn't a pure feeling shot, specially if it is a  fat shot I know the ball would have travel a shorter distance on the course or even chunk it. So I try to work on my swing and adjust accordingly. 

That's is where I find forged Irons to help, perhaps a cast iron older model might not be giving you the feedback. 

Edited January 23, 2017 by Hategolf
spelling

[AbsoluteTruths]

56 minutes ago, Ernest Jones said:

If you're having trouble with this, another trick is to put a cheerio* 3"-4" in front of your ball and try to hit the ball and the cheerio. This can help give a stronger visual to get your low point forward

 

 

I do not have any Cheerio's in my house I eat a Ketogenic diet(cured my pre-diabetes).     Also I have Real Feel strip  like this.

[Ernest Jones]

2 hours ago, AbsoluteTruths said:

I do not have any Cheerio's in my house I eat a Ketogenic diet(cured my pre-diabetes).     Also I have Real Feel strip  like this.

Be that as it may, you need to be able to hit the ball and not the tape. That picture looks like a posed demonstration of someone hitting a ball as fat as ****. Just sayin'. 

[rehmwa]

On 12/30/2016 at 8:13 PM, Blackjack Don said:

Thanks for the tip about masking tape. Used it today and really got some good strikes on the ball. Well done.

if replacing the tape is annoying, climbing chalk or baby powder also works

(a really good, and thick mat, like a RealFeel mat, does a great job simulating turf and showing fat hits and bad contact more realistically.  IMHO it's worth it)

This is about as close to the one I bought years ago - still in great shape - nearly 1.5 inches thick too.

http://www.allturfmats.com/product-p/tc2460.htm

[Hacker James]

22 hours ago, Kalnoky said:

My instructor used to lay down a tee (flat, pointing downrange) a little bit in front of the ball and try and get me to sweep it away. This was to encourage ball first striking on the mats. 

Thread is getting a little worn, but another thing I do sometimes is a "two penny" drill with a penny on either side of the club head about 3 inches.  Miss the first, hit the second one, after ball contact. 

[Kalnoky]

I agree with those who say you will know when you strike it pure. The sound, the vibration, everything is very sweet. 

FWIW, drills have never really worked for me. I overthink too much. I do know this: If I hit on mats for a while, I develop the bad habit of coming up out of my posture just a bit - like a flinch - which the mats forgive. Then when I go back to grass I will hit thin and I have to focus on keeping my shoulders level, on-plane, or whatever.   

 

Edited January 24, 2017 by Kalnoky

[Hacker James]

1 minute ago, Kalnoky said:

I agree with those who say you will know when you strike it pure. The sound, the vibration, everything is very sweet. 

FWIW, drills have never really worked for me. I overthink too much. I do know this: If I hit on mats for a while, I develop the bad habit of coming up out of my posture just a bit - like a flinch. Then when I go back to grass I will hit thin and I have to focus on keeping my shoulders level, on-plane, or whatever.   

 

thats a good point and why some say you should be standing either on the same mat or a second one to keep the same distance. I am mindful of it and I may choke down slightly if the mat is thick or other wise above my feet. Since I am aware of this, I seem to automatically adjust on grass.

[No Mulligans]

How to improve, practice your swing... I'm always going back to weight forward at contact, steady head, and inline contact when practicing.  I practice mostly on a mat with foam balls in my backyard and on mats at the driving range.

I was concerned as you are about practicing on mats.  I use to have a problem of often hitting the ball fat off the deck... That problem has pretty much gone away and I'm seeing divots on the course right under or even after the ball. I've had that improvement while practicing on mats. I don't think practicing on mats is a problem, certainly not for me.

[JediFish]

Multiple people have mentioned hitting irons off of a tee. I'm curious how to translate that to hitting off grass? I have a problem hitting thin and although I think that drill could help my contact, I think after removing the tee, it might be hard to adjust to the loss of the height seeing as I'm prone to hit the upper half of the ball anyways.