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Am I doing something wrong? Difficulty translating swing from the mat to grass...


kkremio

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Hi MGS guys and girls,

 

First proper post on the forum so go easy on me! Thought I'd open up with something that's been on my mind for a while... 

Has anyone struggled with hitting decent shots on turf? It sounds stupid but I feel like I can hit fairly pure shots when hitting off of a range mat but when it comes to teeing off with an iron or just hitting a shot from a fairway, I struggle a lot to get the right interaction I want to hit the shot pure. 

I know that mats will bounce the club up helping you out with any odd strikes but overall I feel like I adapt to this fairly well. Does anyone have any tips or tricks they've picked up over the years? Or is it time for lessons perhaps.. 

 

Appreciate any responses!

  • Driver: Cobra RadSpeed XB
  • Woods: Wilson FG Tour 3 Wood 
  • Hybrid: Wilson D350 Hybrid
  • Optional Utility: Titleist U510 4 Iron
  • Irons: Cleveland CG7 Tour - Black Pearl/Ping Eye 2 BeCu's (Red Dot)
  • Wedges: Cleveland Tour Action - 53* - Cleveland Byron Nelson BeCu Wedges - 56*, 60*
  • Putter: Cleveland Smart Square - EVNRoll Gravity Grip
  • Ball: Honma D1
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Hello and welcome!

I had this problem as well, usually it would pop up my first range session or two on grass after hitting off of mats for a while. In my case, and it may not be the same as yours, it was a matter of low point control. Not shifting my weight properly didn't mean too much on mats since the clubhead would slide into the ball and make me think I was hitting a good shot. For me, I focused on a spot just in front of the ball when swinging, that combined with having a better weight shift helped me hit off of the turf much better. 

Getting a lesson or two so a pro can put their eyes on your swing is usually not a bad thing. Again, from my own experience - I had a nasty slice that I couldn't tame no matter how many internet tips I tried. 5 minutes into one lesson and the pro pointed out my setup was bad, and my body was pointing 30 yards to the left of my target. One simple setup change made a huge difference. Hopefully you can figure things out quickly. Good luck!

In my  :wilson_staff_small:  carry bag:
:mizuno-small: ST-X 10.5* Kai'li Blue R Flex
:mizuno-small: ST-Z 15* Kai/li Blue R Flex
:mizuno-small: ST-Z 4h Linq Blue R Flex
:cleveland-small: Launcher 5h
:cleveland-small: Launcher CBX 6i-PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 54* & 58*
:cleveland-small: Huntington Beach #10
:bridgestone-small: e12 Contact
CURRENTLY TESTING - Mizuno Long Game

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The problem with mats are that they are very forgiving on poor shots.  One that particularly works well on mats that doesn't move over to the grass is a fat shot.  You can get away with hitting behind the ball on the mat and the ball flight will look great.  Try the same shot on grass and you're laying over sod and the ball strike is awful.  Really work on hitting the ball first!

Driver: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max (10.5* set at -1 and neutral) -- Mitsubishi Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Fairway: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max 3 wood (16.5*) and Heaven Wood (20*)-- Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Hybrids: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max 5H (23*)--Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Irons:  :callaway-small: Apex CF19 6-9, PW, AW -- KBS Tour Graphite  TGI 70 shafts R +1/2 inch 3* upright

Wedges: Edison 53* and  57* KBS PGI 80 Graphite +1/2 inch 2* upright

Putter: L.A.B. DF 2.1 -- BGT Stability shaft

Ball:  Maxfli TourX...Golf Bag: :ping-small: Pioneer...Shoes: :footjoy-small: Hyperflex... Glove: Red Rooster Feather

 

My Photography can be seen at Smugmug

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Just now, Shankster said:

I do not use mats for this vary reason.

It's a big problem over in the UK! I would say our ranges on average are like 95% mats unless you're a member at a fancier club that has a grass range! I pop down to my local par 3/pitch and putt but it never feels the same as a range session as I'm trying to get that methodical practice in

  • Driver: Cobra RadSpeed XB
  • Woods: Wilson FG Tour 3 Wood 
  • Hybrid: Wilson D350 Hybrid
  • Optional Utility: Titleist U510 4 Iron
  • Irons: Cleveland CG7 Tour - Black Pearl/Ping Eye 2 BeCu's (Red Dot)
  • Wedges: Cleveland Tour Action - 53* - Cleveland Byron Nelson BeCu Wedges - 56*, 60*
  • Putter: Cleveland Smart Square - EVNRoll Gravity Grip
  • Ball: Honma D1
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22 minutes ago, kkremio said:

Or is it time for lessons perhaps.. 

 

It's never a bad idea.  I've been playing for 40 years and I still take lessons, even if it's nothing more than a critical eye on my swing to tweak any trouble spots.  A good swing can be self taught, but so can a bad swing.  Never hurts to have a pro get you going properly.

Driver: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max (10.5* set at -1 and neutral) -- Mitsubishi Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Fairway: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max 3 wood (16.5*) and Heaven Wood (20*)-- Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Hybrids: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max 5H (23*)--Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Irons:  :callaway-small: Apex CF19 6-9, PW, AW -- KBS Tour Graphite  TGI 70 shafts R +1/2 inch 3* upright

Wedges: Edison 53* and  57* KBS PGI 80 Graphite +1/2 inch 2* upright

Putter: L.A.B. DF 2.1 -- BGT Stability shaft

Ball:  Maxfli TourX...Golf Bag: :ping-small: Pioneer...Shoes: :footjoy-small: Hyperflex... Glove: Red Rooster Feather

 

My Photography can be seen at Smugmug

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13 minutes ago, russtopherb said:

Hello and welcome!

I had this problem as well, usually it would pop up my first range session or two on grass after hitting off of mats for a while. In my case, and it may not be the same as yours, it was a matter of low point control. Not shifting my weight properly didn't mean too much on mats since the clubhead would slide into the ball and make me think I was hitting a good shot. For me, I focused on a spot just in front of the ball when swinging, that combined with having a better weight shift helped me hit off of the turf much better. 

Getting a lesson or two so a pro can put their eyes on your swing is usually not a bad thing. Again, from my own experience - I had a nasty slice that I couldn't tame no matter how many internet tips I tried. 5 minutes into one lesson and the pro pointed out my setup was bad, and my body was pointing 30 yards to the left of my target. One simple setup change made a huge difference. Hopefully you can figure things out quickly. Good luck!

Thank you for your response! I think a lesson from a coach/pro will help massively as I've been self taught up till now to be honest. As another poster eluded, I think I'm definitely off when it comes to striking the ball first and just feeling that interaction when hitting. I think as a newer golfer my feeling is definitely off too since I've only really noticed shots either too heel-y or hitting off of the toe. 

A black line on the back of my balls has helped a lot recently with that so I feel like I'm getting that intuitive feeling but I think a few lessons will help with that!

  • Driver: Cobra RadSpeed XB
  • Woods: Wilson FG Tour 3 Wood 
  • Hybrid: Wilson D350 Hybrid
  • Optional Utility: Titleist U510 4 Iron
  • Irons: Cleveland CG7 Tour - Black Pearl/Ping Eye 2 BeCu's (Red Dot)
  • Wedges: Cleveland Tour Action - 53* - Cleveland Byron Nelson BeCu Wedges - 56*, 60*
  • Putter: Cleveland Smart Square - EVNRoll Gravity Grip
  • Ball: Honma D1
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12 minutes ago, CarlH said:

The problem with mats are that they are very forgiving on poor shots.  One that particularly works well on mats that doesn't move over to the grass is a fat shot.  You can get away with hitting behind the ball on the mat and the ball flight will look great.  Try the same shot on grass and you're laying over sod and the ball strike is awful.  Really work on hitting the ball first!

That's a huge one for me, especially right now as I'm trying to focus in on hitting the ball first and taking that divot after! 

6 minutes ago, CarlH said:

It's never a bad idea.  I've been playing for 40 years and I still take lessons, even if it's nothing more than a critical eye on my swing to tweak any trouble spots.  A good swing can be self taught, but so can a bad swing.  Never hurts to have a pro get you going properly.

100%, I think the more I chat to you guys the more I realise it may be time for a lesson or two to iron things out! Always good to affirm what's right and what's wrong I guess, thank you for the informative response! 

  • Driver: Cobra RadSpeed XB
  • Woods: Wilson FG Tour 3 Wood 
  • Hybrid: Wilson D350 Hybrid
  • Optional Utility: Titleist U510 4 Iron
  • Irons: Cleveland CG7 Tour - Black Pearl/Ping Eye 2 BeCu's (Red Dot)
  • Wedges: Cleveland Tour Action - 53* - Cleveland Byron Nelson BeCu Wedges - 56*, 60*
  • Putter: Cleveland Smart Square - EVNRoll Gravity Grip
  • Ball: Honma D1
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You could use a towel behind the ball when hitting off mats to ensure you are getting as close to ball first contact as possible:

 

Hit your irons better with these two simple drills – GolfWRX

Ogio Woode 8 Hybrid Stand Bag
PXG 0811 X Gen4 @ 6* - Fujikura Motore X F3 7X
PXG 0211 @ 13.5* - Fujikura Motore X F1 8X
PXG 0311 XP Gen3 3i-PW - PX LZ 6.5
PXG 0311 Forged 54/60 - PX LZ 6.5
Scotty Cameron Special Select Newport 2

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4 minutes ago, CRW said:

You could use a towel behind the ball when hitting off mats to ensure you are getting as close to ball first contact as possible:

 

Hit your irons better with these two simple drills – GolfWRX

Ahh great tip! Would you recommend any tips with this this sort of drill on top of a mat to avoid introducing a attack angle that is too steep? I can imagine myself really focusing on swinging the ball behind the ball but coming in way too top heavy and introducing shots that would be fat off of grass

  • Driver: Cobra RadSpeed XB
  • Woods: Wilson FG Tour 3 Wood 
  • Hybrid: Wilson D350 Hybrid
  • Optional Utility: Titleist U510 4 Iron
  • Irons: Cleveland CG7 Tour - Black Pearl/Ping Eye 2 BeCu's (Red Dot)
  • Wedges: Cleveland Tour Action - 53* - Cleveland Byron Nelson BeCu Wedges - 56*, 60*
  • Putter: Cleveland Smart Square - EVNRoll Gravity Grip
  • Ball: Honma D1
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2 hours ago, kkremio said:

Ahh great tip! Would you recommend any tips with this this sort of drill on top of a mat to avoid introducing a attack angle that is too steep? I can imagine myself really focusing on swinging the ball behind the ball but coming in way too top heavy and introducing shots that would be fat off of grass

Something like this to make sure you aren’t moving the club too down or left too early:

https://golf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/iron.jpg

 

Or you can use an alignment stick with something soft on the end or over it to hit under. It can be pointed at you or at the target:

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Wx1pdcuDVZ4/maxresdefault.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/_ce7AGOTyMI7ztmFl83LRtBKjZ7fxQDehuQ5XUWPt8Z-s45SNTp9HHlN74sMTiYE8EkjYDgp0I_KGb_C9kMMeMPmjvQ2bGR6aZbdXMywh0JW55AMLXLFIW08MI0lXrtjwILKkNeAObHq5UhmHLrUO0A

Ogio Woode 8 Hybrid Stand Bag
PXG 0811 X Gen4 @ 6* - Fujikura Motore X F3 7X
PXG 0211 @ 13.5* - Fujikura Motore X F1 8X
PXG 0311 XP Gen3 3i-PW - PX LZ 6.5
PXG 0311 Forged 54/60 - PX LZ 6.5
Scotty Cameron Special Select Newport 2

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8 hours ago, kkremio said:

It's a big problem over in the UK! I would say our ranges on average are like 95% mats unless you're a member at a fancier club that has a grass range! I pop down to my local par 3/pitch and putt but it never feels the same as a range session as I'm trying to get that methodical practice in

I only hit on a mat if indoors.  I went to a mat range a few years ago, my elbows felt horrible afterwards.

Im definitely not a member of a fancy club, one of the biggest things I dislike about golf.  
 

I do have some nice Maryland blend of lawn weeds that resembles Bermuda grass a little, so I get some pitch shots in there.  And the range I go to is grass, but it is angled upwards… so it’s like hitting on an upslope all the time.

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These posts are making me feel better, less guilty about not ever practicing.

 

 

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On 9/2/2021 at 4:34 PM, CRW said:

You could use a towel behind the ball when hitting off mats to ensure you are getting as close to ball first contact as possible:

 

Hit your irons better with these two simple drills – GolfWRX

So thought I'd give an update, went to the range after posting here and used this and it did help a lot! My strike was pretty solid, even placed a ball a few inches behind to ensure I was coming in a little steeper. 

 

Played a local course on Sunday and it was the best game I've ever had! Have only played that courses once before a few months back and I shot 140+... Come this sunday and I shot 100! It did help that my driving was decent but my iron/wedge game was so much better just focusing on striking through the ball. 

 

would 100% recommend this drill for anyone struggling with the same problems as me. Picturing that spot in front of the ball and striking/swinging through it has helped me tremendously. 

 

thank you all! 

  • Driver: Cobra RadSpeed XB
  • Woods: Wilson FG Tour 3 Wood 
  • Hybrid: Wilson D350 Hybrid
  • Optional Utility: Titleist U510 4 Iron
  • Irons: Cleveland CG7 Tour - Black Pearl/Ping Eye 2 BeCu's (Red Dot)
  • Wedges: Cleveland Tour Action - 53* - Cleveland Byron Nelson BeCu Wedges - 56*, 60*
  • Putter: Cleveland Smart Square - EVNRoll Gravity Grip
  • Ball: Honma D1
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George Gankas has a lot of high level golfers who hit primarily off a mat. One of them had a pretty good college run and has a PGA tour win top 5 in a US Open.

Lots of others around the country hit off mat/artificial turf from a bay out into the range.

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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30 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

George Gankas has a lot of high level golfers who hit primarily off a mat. One of them had a pretty good college run and has a PGA tour win top 5 in a US Open.

Lots of others around the country hit off mat/artificial turf from a bay out into the range.

Great. But that knowledge doesn't help the OP or countless others new to golf who get lulled into a sense of making better shots than they are because they are hitting fat and the mat is masking the interaction.

High level golfers have much better clubhead and lowpoint control, so sure hitting off of mats is fine for them. But for someone like me as an example, who's lowpoint miss is a fat shot, mats can be detrimental as well as potentially painful due to tennis elbow issues.

In my  :wilson_staff_small:  carry bag:
:mizuno-small: ST-X 10.5* Kai'li Blue R Flex
:mizuno-small: ST-Z 15* Kai/li Blue R Flex
:mizuno-small: ST-Z 4h Linq Blue R Flex
:cleveland-small: Launcher 5h
:cleveland-small: Launcher CBX 6i-PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 54* & 58*
:cleveland-small: Huntington Beach #10
:bridgestone-small: e12 Contact
CURRENTLY TESTING - Mizuno Long Game

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3 minutes ago, russtopherb said:

Great. But that knowledge doesn't help the OP or countless others new to golf who get lulled into a sense of making better shots than they are because they are hitting fat and the mat is masking the interaction.

High level golfers have much better clubhead and lowpoint control, so sure hitting off of mats is fine for them. But for someone like me as an example, who's lowpoint miss is a fat shot, mats can be detrimental as well as potentially painful due to tennis elbow issues.

The point is that mats aren’t a detriment to playing good good golf or bad for ones swing like several are saying. One can become a great golfer off mats or grass if they put in the work and have proper practice.

Too many look for excuses to their bad results or mistakes and not that it’s their swing or how they practice.

If one wants to get better working with a coach and fixing their flaws thru lessons and drills. All of which can be done on a mat

 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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7 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

The point is that mats aren’t a detriment to playing good good golf or bad for ones swing like several are saying. One can become a great golfer off mats or grass if they put in the work and have proper practice.

Too many look for excuses to their bad results or mistakes and not that it’s their swing or how they practice.

If one wants to get better working with a coach and fixing their flaws thru lessons and drills. All of which can be done on a mat

 

Again, great. But the OP wasn't looking for info on why great players can hit off mats. They were looking for ways to ensure ball first contact, and for help with that. 

In my  :wilson_staff_small:  carry bag:
:mizuno-small: ST-X 10.5* Kai'li Blue R Flex
:mizuno-small: ST-Z 15* Kai/li Blue R Flex
:mizuno-small: ST-Z 4h Linq Blue R Flex
:cleveland-small: Launcher 5h
:cleveland-small: Launcher CBX 6i-PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 54* & 58*
:cleveland-small: Huntington Beach #10
:bridgestone-small: e12 Contact
CURRENTLY TESTING - Mizuno Long Game

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17 minutes ago, russtopherb said:

Great. But that knowledge doesn't help the OP or countless others new to golf who get lulled into a sense of making better shots than they are because they are hitting fat and the mat is masking the interaction.

High level golfers have much better clubhead and lowpoint control, so sure hitting off of mats is fine for them. But for someone like me as an example, who's lowpoint miss is a fat shot, mats can be detrimental as well as potentially painful due to tennis elbow issues.

I think the key point is that mats could be a problem for new to golf and golfers that can’t recognize that they are hitting fat shots even though the results appear to be good.  This could potentially happen on turf as well; people also get tennis elbow from hitting on dirt so let’s gloss over that point a bit.  
 

IMO, the problem really isn’t mats which is what was being pointed out, it is that people don’t know how to practice and recognize good and bad cntact.  Placing the towel behind the ball is a great way to get reinforcement that they are doing something right or wrong.   The reason to say that using mats isn’t bad is because people are also posting that you should avoid practicing on mats and that mats are the problem.  You are correct that the OP wanted some ideas but simply saying don’t use mats isn’t really a solution either; especially if mats are all the player has as an option.  I also liken it to people that say you can’t practice putting on artificial turf and that you need a real green.   

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
Hybrids:  :titelist-small: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype
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18 minutes ago, russtopherb said:

Again, great. But the OP wasn't looking for info on why great players can hit off mats. They were looking for ways to ensure ball first contact, and for help with that. 

The OP has been helped with a drill and others offered opinions about not using mats. Not every post in a thread has to be directed toward the OP

I’m offering a different opinion that what others have stated in the thread about mats. This is how open forums work. People state their opinions and others are free to offer a different opinion and experience. Mats aren’t the issue as some state. It’s swing mechanics and for some it could be mental. Just like some people have problems swinging indoors even if there’s plenty of room in fitting studios.

 

 

 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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For what its worth I have just the opposite problem. I can't hit off of a mat.  I only go to the range if they have grass areas I can hit off of.  Don't get me wrong I'm no swing expert, and it is probably 97 percent a mental thing for me.   I thought I could overcome it and for a long while tried to go to ranges and hit off of mats,  so I could practice more often, and more places.  I just can't do it, and the mat sessions and repeated bad contact off of mats would, carry over, and affect my swing the next time I would go out and play an actual round, so I just don't do it anymore.  You may have a similar "difficulty" as I do just in reverse.  I'm sure you can overcome it, but I guess my question is since the practice you do on mats is not translating to the turf, where the game is played, find a practice area with grass and practice on that.

Driver: Cobra King Speedzone

Irons:  :callaway-small: Mavrik 4-GW

Wedges:  :cleveland-small: CG-14 56 & RTX 52

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3 hours ago, stuka44 said:

For what its worth I have just the opposite problem. I can't hit off of a mat.  I only go to the range if they have grass areas I can hit off of.  Don't get me wrong I'm no swing expert, and it is probably 97 percent a mental thing for me.   I thought I could overcome it and for a long while tried to go to ranges and hit off of mats,  so I could practice more often, and more places.  I just can't do it, and the mat sessions and repeated bad contact off of mats would, carry over, and affect my swing the next time I would go out and play an actual round, so I just don't do it anymore.  You may have a similar "difficulty" as I do just in reverse.  I'm sure you can overcome it, but I guess my question is since the practice you do on mats is not translating to the turf, where the game is played, find a practice area with grass and practice on that.

Mental or not, I'm in the camp that you find tools/tips to address the problem until it's no longer a problem.  It sounds like the OP is on the right path.

1gx2st.jpg

Ogio Woode 8 Hybrid Stand Bag
PXG 0811 X Gen4 @ 6* - Fujikura Motore X F3 7X
PXG 0211 @ 13.5* - Fujikura Motore X F1 8X
PXG 0311 XP Gen3 3i-PW - PX LZ 6.5
PXG 0311 Forged 54/60 - PX LZ 6.5
Scotty Cameron Special Select Newport 2

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I personally try not to hit off mats anymore, but when I do I practice really picking the ball clean with a shallow swing. I’m pretty steep in my swing so it’s good for me at times.

But if the mat is the best option for ranges around you, use CHALK powder from your local hardware store (used for chalk sting lines) and squeeze a line behind your ball perpendicular to your target line. It’s a lot like laying the towel down but you can get more feedback. If you can’t keep yourself from hitting the chalk, make the chalk line behind your ball parallel to target line going back about 4inches, you can hit a ball or take a practice swing to see where the club starts to take up chalk. Changing Ball position after can sometimes become the simplest fix. 

**Make sure to look at the permanent scale of chalk! Use the least permanent (blue is the typical color) easy to wipe off. 
 

I also agree proper practice on mats will not hurt anyones swing, and that it’s not the mat causing the problems. I personally don’t practice very well off a mat and therefore practice off grass 75% of the time. I’m very fortunate to live with an abundance of options for practice here in SW FL

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Welcome to the forum @kkremio. Great first thread! Not sure what type of mat you are practicing on but I have found some to be quite bouncy (as you noted) and do not mimic firmer, fairway conditions very well. Don't know for sure but suspect ranges use these because they withstand repeated use better than thinner designs.  I had a fitting at TrueSpec last winter and noted that their studio mat was not thick and bouncy.  No doubt these facilities take care to find an artificial turf that closely mimics the real deal. 

I see in your subsequent posts that you were able to find a range with real turf and see the difference.  While that facility may not be convenient (readily accessible), at least you know now what you're dealing with.  

 

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On 9/12/2021 at 2:57 PM, fixyurdivot said:

Welcome to the forum @kkremio. Great first thread! Not sure what type of mat you are practicing on but I have found some to be quite bouncy (as you noted) and do not mimic firmer, fairway conditions very well. Don't know for sure but suspect ranges use these because they withstand repeated use better than thinner designs.  I had a fitting at TrueSpec last winter and noted that their studio mat was not thick and bouncy.  No doubt these facilities take care to find an artificial turf that closely mimics the real deal. 

I see in your subsequent posts that you were able to find a range with real turf and see the difference.  While that facility may not be convenient (readily accessible), at least you know now what you're dealing with.  

 

Haha no worries, thought it was a silly question at first but am thrilled with the responses I've gotten back! 

Very good point as there are a few range that certainly have firmer mats which replicate more of a baked lie, I find myself doing drills regardless now to make sure I'm not being flattered by the mat bouncy or not! 

 

  • Driver: Cobra RadSpeed XB
  • Woods: Wilson FG Tour 3 Wood 
  • Hybrid: Wilson D350 Hybrid
  • Optional Utility: Titleist U510 4 Iron
  • Irons: Cleveland CG7 Tour - Black Pearl/Ping Eye 2 BeCu's (Red Dot)
  • Wedges: Cleveland Tour Action - 53* - Cleveland Byron Nelson BeCu Wedges - 56*, 60*
  • Putter: Cleveland Smart Square - EVNRoll Gravity Grip
  • Ball: Honma D1
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On 9/12/2021 at 4:30 AM, D.Albert said:

I personally try not to hit off mats anymore, but when I do I practice really picking the ball clean with a shallow swing. I’m pretty steep in my swing so it’s good for me at times.

But if the mat is the best option for ranges around you, use CHALK powder from your local hardware store (used for chalk sting lines) and squeeze a line behind your ball perpendicular to your target line. It’s a lot like laying the towel down but you can get more feedback. If you can’t keep yourself from hitting the chalk, make the chalk line behind your ball parallel to target line going back about 4inches, you can hit a ball or take a practice swing to see where the club starts to take up chalk. Changing Ball position after can sometimes become the simplest fix. 

**Make sure to look at the permanent scale of chalk! Use the least permanent (blue is the typical color) easy to wipe off. 
 

I also agree proper practice on mats will not hurt anyones swing, and that it’s not the mat causing the problems. I personally don’t practice very well off a mat and therefore practice off grass 75% of the time. I’m very fortunate to live with an abundance of options for practice here in SW FL

Chalk Powder is a great shout thank you, it's interesting messing around with ball position since I naturally play the ball slightly forward of middle but have told myself that it's not the best practice. 

 

Will try this the next time i'm at the range and give it a go! 

  • Driver: Cobra RadSpeed XB
  • Woods: Wilson FG Tour 3 Wood 
  • Hybrid: Wilson D350 Hybrid
  • Optional Utility: Titleist U510 4 Iron
  • Irons: Cleveland CG7 Tour - Black Pearl/Ping Eye 2 BeCu's (Red Dot)
  • Wedges: Cleveland Tour Action - 53* - Cleveland Byron Nelson BeCu Wedges - 56*, 60*
  • Putter: Cleveland Smart Square - EVNRoll Gravity Grip
  • Ball: Honma D1
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27 minutes ago, kkremio said:

Chalk Powder is a great shout thank you, it's interesting messing around with ball position since I naturally play the ball slightly forward of middle but have told myself that it's not the best practice. 

Why would you think playing the ball slightly forward isn’t best practice?

 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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14 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Why would you think playing the ball slightly forward isn’t best practice?

 

beat me to saying this. I would say standard ball position for most clubs is “slightly forward” of the sternum.  Middle really doesn’t say much…middle of what?   Ball position helps with ball flight manipulation and too far back can even be a bad thing.  

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
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                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
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29 minutes ago, cnosil said:

beat me to saying this. I would say standard ball position for most clubs is “slightly forward” of the sternum.  Middle really doesn’t say much…middle of what?   Ball position helps with ball flight manipulation and too far back can even be a bad thing.  

Yeah and the middle of the feet approach isn’t really taught anymore. That point changes with splayed feet. Open/closed stance.

Michael Breed bases off the plaquard of the shirt. Others use left side of face, some use the buttons on the shirt. All pretty much teach varying width of stance based on club in hand.

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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