Matt range instead of grass

[HardcoreLooper]

Everyone tends to want yes or no answers, but unfortunately, it depends. I've hit off Real Feel mats, and I've hit off 1/8th inch AstroTurf on top of concrete.  Good mats are fine to hit off of. My preferred way to practice without my teacher, however, is on the golf course. If I'm just working on something in my swing, I'd rather hit BirdieBalls off the strike pad into my cul-de-sac. 

Plenty of good players learned on mats. 

[TeeBrain]

I'm pretty lucky as I have a decent number of real grass ranges pretty close to home. That said, the range closest to my house is a range that is mats only, and as long as I get one of the spots with a relatively new(ish) mat, it's actually pretty decent. They're pretty good quality mats (though I don't know the brand they use). I've become pretty attuned to using my ears as a key part of knowing if a shot is well struck. It is true that some slightly fat shots off of mats can still fly decently, but when I'm listening and feeling, I know when I've struck one of these "cheaters" and don't give myself credit for a properly hit shot.

While I definitely prefer a good grass range, I will say there are some grass ranges that can look good, but actually play poorly. These are typically heavily sanded with insufficient grass. These play more like hitting from fairway bunkers. Sure a good shot from this condition is a good shot, but this is not how actual fairways play. A real fairway will have an ever-so-slightly forgiving nature when hitting a tiny bit behind the ball because there is a bit of give and bounce. I think this is because there is a more consistent density to the grass and root structure. A really sandy range doesn't behave like that. I saw a video a while back where super slow-motion shots were taken from PGA tour pro iron shots. They showed that it is quite common for a (very) small bit of turf to be hit before the ball. Not enough to be considered "fat" at all, and still within the range of a well struck shot. (And, yes, I've heard the argument that hitting from sand will tell you if your strike is "correct" or not, but if that were really the case, all ranges would be just like a fairway bunker.)

Edited July 5, 2020 by TeeBrain