That's it....i'm done!

[Jim Kobylinski]

NO MORE MATTS! THAT'S IT!

-----

They injured me before and they freakn' DID IT AGAIN! I had ONE, ONE really good range session and have been hurting ever since. And wouldn't you know it? It's in a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AREA that never hurt before.

Matts will kill your game and your body faster than Golf Digest or Carl Rabito

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Once i start teaching in some semi regular manner, i will never/ever teach off a matt ever again.

 

[Steve Khatib]

If you are tight in the arms, over accelerate or quitting with the pivot they can do a lot of damage!

So I would agree with you about injuries and mats, but say that the issue is also with your proceedure.

It is obviously safer of turf.

 

[Erik_K]

Agreed. Matts are terrible. You should never use them.

 

[MizunoJoe]

Tom Bartlett, Gregg McHatton, and Brian hit off mats with no problems. If you can't then, "Houston, we have a problem".

 

[vandal]

Sometimes you just don't have a choice. If it really bothers you that much maybe you can stick to chipping and pitching and focusing on the basics until the grass opens up. Otherwise, you are bound to get really rusty during the nongrass months. Mats occassionaly bother me as well, but I limit my sessions to about twice a week. Work on the short game.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

quote:Originally posted by FOUR BARRELS AUSTRALIAN

If you are tight in the arms, over accelerate or quitting with the pivot they can do a lot of damage!

So I would agree with you about injuries and mats, but say that the issue is also with your proceedure.

It is obviously safer of turf.

When i stop hitting balls off the matts "Magically" my inflamed rotator cuff (verified by an MRI) went away and NEVER CAME BACK. Matts were the issue, not my swing.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

quote:Originally posted by MizunoJoe

Tom Bartlett, Gregg McHatton, and Brian hit off mats with no problems. If you can't then, "Houston, we have a problem".

Depending on the "quality" of the matts yes you can. I've seen in pictures some really nice matts. Especially the one that Mchatton was hitting of off in some of the links floating around here. There is TON more cushion on that thing that where i go.

 

[Martee]

Not at the range but at home I got one of those green plastic door mats. Then I get a decent small mat. I place the small mat on top of the plastic mat. It give me about 1/2 to 3/4 inch compression/divot depth.

Although I hadn't hurt myself using a mat, I noticed that grass mat foam bottom was taking a beating. This made me wonder if that might not cause a problem in the future.

If I am at a driving range that only has mats, then I use my tees (broken) to raise the ball about 1/4 inch. The hit it. Kind of a pain since the broken tee always seems to disappear but basically this set my low point up enough that I only scrap the mat.

But as other have said, mat quality is a biggie. Also bring your own small mat to lay on top of theres. This will provide enought movement to prevent the sudden stop of hitting concrete.

Also interesting someone once told me to treat hitting off mats like hitting off hardpan. Adjust you low point height level.

 

[Steve Khatib]

Gregg got that mat from Robinson Ranch CC in LA. It is really a door mat not a golf mat and feels great to hit off.

 

[bts]

I hit balls off the front edge of the mat to facilitate a descending blow.

 

[benstone]

I don't want to come on here after lurking for so long and start doing a blatent sales pitch, but there is a mat that is an alternative to the traditional solid rubber based mats, and is available in the UK, USA & Australia (I am the Australian distributor). Steve (Four Barrels Australian) has seen it, and could give you his opinion. If people are interested, I can give you more information.

 

[ready2eat]

Can somebody tell if I'm doing something wrong?

I use mats during the winter at an outdoor heated range.
It is metal on the very bottom, so if you were to hit it face on with a hammer, it would make a loud thud.
I find that it is great practice to hit the ball and then go to low point, but to never go low enough so that my clubhead makes contact with the hard part of the golf mat. There's probably an inch and a half between the top of the mat and the bottom hard part. Contact sounds decent, and I'm also focusing on the low point being opposite the left shoulder. Even when I'm on grass, I don't take deep divots, unless I'm practicing Ben's chip/pitch/punch swings.

All around me, I can hear the sound of people hitting down so much or so early that they're making that loud "whack" because their clubhead has hit the bottom of the mat.

I've never broken a clubshaft at the range and I've never got hurt.

But, I'm genuinely wondering...does anybody think I am doing something wrong?
I can't see a person getting hurt this way

 

[Steve Khatib]

Ben's mats(not Ben Doyle) are great so soft and nice they must be considered by all ranges and students for home use. You can also put your logo or basic geometric visual equivilants on them. I will post the website soon. Ben's now just needs to break through the boys club of golf to get this fine product recognised.

 

[MizunoJoe]

quote:Originally posted by ready2eat

Can somebody tell if I'm doing something wrong?

I use mats during the winter at an outdoor heated range.
It is metal on the very bottom, so if you were to hit it face on with a hammer, it would make a loud thud.
I find that it is great practice to hit the ball and then go to low point, but to never go low enough so that my clubhead makes contact with the hard part of the golf mat. There's probably an inch and a half between the top of the mat and the bottom hard part. Contact sounds decent, and I'm also focusing on the low point being opposite the left shoulder. Even when I'm on grass, I don't take deep divots, unless I'm practicing Ben's chip/pitch/punch swings.

All around me, I can hear the sound of people hitting down so much or so early that they're making that loud "whack" because their clubhead has hit the bottom of the mat.

I've never broken a clubshaft at the range and I've never got hurt.

But, I'm genuinely wondering...does anybody think I am doing something wrong?
I can't see a person getting hurt this way

No, you're not doing anything wrong. The low point can be adjusted.

Incidently, most of those loud whacks are clubheads skiding off the mat into the ball.

 

[vandal]

They won't do it, but I will. These are the mats they are talking about http://www.truestrike.com/. Outstanding looking product; I just wish I could afford one or better yet my local range would install these. Even better, I could get a huge grant and put them in the nonprofit junior golf facility my relatives are set to open next month.