Absolute Best Hitting Mat For Indoor Teaching

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Hey guys, what is the absolute best and most realistic hitting mat for indoor teaching? I have heard of Reel Feel and Fiberbuit.....
 

natep

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There was a thread about this just recently. Someone had a $300+ mat that they said was top notch. No fiber deterioration, very realistic, not painful to hit from, etc.

I forget the name of it though.
 
The ball sits very high on the fiberbuilt matt. I hit some off of it at the PGA Show Demo Day and the feedback is minimal. Not my top choice. I will agree that it will probably lower injuries but it just does not feel solid when you strike the ball.
 
i asked about mats recently and thanks to the feedbacks on this forum, i got the real feel directly from their website. they have different sizes. i was being cheap and got the 3 x4. good for irons and a little short for drivers (for my kids). so least get 3x5 (more expensive) probably the larger the better so that the mat won't move much during practice. i have to put it on top of a larger carpet piece to minimize movement.

i cannot say which is the better one out there. on amazon there is another competing product. looks similar, with the operative word as looks...i just don't know.

ball striking with irons immediately improved in over 2 days when my kids quickly got used to it. the impact feeling is definitely different from a regular, thinner mat. when they hit it pure,,,there is a different sound: low bass boom sound (at least in my basement). when they hit it fat, which is very rare now unless they get tired and careless toward the end of the session, it is not as forgiving as a regular mat,,,just what i have wanted.

i think my kids' impacts have improved so much that their swing mechanics have changed because of that. it is much more downward strike with forward lean because they are not afraid to hurt their wrists--the tendency to flip up to save the wrists has diminished. the turf feels stiff, but not hard.

since they are hitting in the basement, they still have no reliable info on distance control, but, for the first time in their lives, they can practice good impact consistently indoor.

couple hundred dollars well spent. so thank you for the heads up and this site to make good info accessible.

ps. also, it seems the guy who sells this mat is a decent guy. he updates with email once in a while since then about other products out there. i know it is pr, but he seems to be quite gentle and sensible with it.

later today, i am going to tell that guy i have endorsed his product here. i will suggest to him that if there are enough people interested from here, he should consider giving a group discount:)
 
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thanks for the review golfdad. I'm looking into purchasing a new matt, and this is the one I'm eying the most. Your review helped answer a question i asked myself regarding size, so the 3X5 looks to be the best way to go. Thanks
 

ej20

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Here's an idea for the producers of the mat if they are reading this.Rather than have the entire mat area using this particular material,why not just have an insert about 6" by 12".This insert can be replaced with a new one when it wears out.This should drastically reduce the price of the mat and would boost sales numbers.
 

eoscar

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If you check out Real Feel website it looks like they sell some strips and separates as well as full size mats.
 
I am considering getting one.Is it as durable as regular mats?

i don't have head to head testing info, but here is my thought.

first of all, the real free mat i have got is heavy and the construction seems sturdy enough. the fibers are packed quite densely together.

our older mat is thinner, so with each strike down, the clubhead digs into the base where the fibers are rooted so the wear is direct and significant. this real mat is thick enough that your clubhead cannot go all the way down into the base sheet. i think that makes a difference.

btw,,i have informed that gentleman from real feel (his name is jay) about this thread. perhaps he will drop by, haha.
 
Fairway pro sucks! I got one and after about 3 weeks as dust and light dirt got under the mat it started to stick and I have tried to clean it out but it just gets to be a pain in the butt. I do live in Florida so it got some sand from just being on the patio, but it should be sturdier than that. I have a fiberbuilt and while it does sit up the Mat seem to be very durable and cushioned well so your joints don't take a beating.
I haven't tried the real feel but I will.
 
Fairway pro sucks! I got one and after about 3 weeks as dust and light dirt got under the mat it started to stick and I have tried to clean it out but it just gets to be a pain in the butt. I do live in Florida so it got some sand from just being on the patio, but it should be sturdier than that. I have a fiberbuilt and while it does sit up the Mat seem to be very durable and cushioned well so your joints don't take a beating.
I haven't tried the real feel but I will.

got to love the internet,,,either love or hate:)

cant' you just hose it down?
 

Jwat

New
I bought a reel feel right after Brian did a year or two ago. It has held up against a very harsh environment where I live which is directly off of the gulf.

I do roll it up after each use and I think that has made it still look new. I would at least go with the 3 x 5 as well. I am 5"10 and can easily hit drivers off of the mat. He sells them on ebay too, I don't know if he is doing the auctions still but might be able to pick one up a little cheaper if your patient.
 
I have tried to take it apart and really get in and clean it. it has springs so hosing it down is probably not gonna be a good thing. A common problem with the fairway pro is that if it gets anything in the track it's screwed. I could lie but I wish someone would have warned me before I blew my cash
 
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