Every Golf Practice Mat Compared, Which One is Best?
If you are committed to improving your golf game, one of the best steps you can take is to purchase a golf mat which you can place in your yard, so that you can practice every day. This will prove much more affordable than going to a driving range every day and paying $10 to $20 to hit a bucket of balls. Because you're practicing more frequently, you'll begin learning from your mistakes quicker, and the improvement process will be accelerated. The real question is, which golf mat should you buy?
Most of the top sellers are reviewed below, so you can have an idea of what to expect from all the contenders. There will be certain advantages and disadvantages to each, with pricing being one of the most obvious. Assuming that most of these golf mats are fairly well constructed, the single biggest point of difference between them may be their cost. You'll have to decide how important that is for you when you consider the best golf mats available.
How to Get Good at Golfing
When you're trying to improve your golf game, experts agree that there are three main areas you should focus on in order to see your scores gradually being lowered. These three areas are the strike point, your driving distance and accuracy, and improving your putting. The strike point refers to that point in your golf swing where the blade of the club actually comes into contact with the ball, and this is one of the most critical concepts in the game. At the moment of impact, your clubhead must be aligned squarely with the ball, so it isn't opened or closed, as these will impart either a hook or a slice to the flight of the ball.
Driving distance and accuracy are improved not by swinging harder, but by involving the legs more in the motion of your swing to propel the ball down the fairway, and by building up clubhead speed at the moment of impact. Clubhead speed is built up when your hands continue to lead the club through the downswing, with the clubhead 'lagging behind', because this forces a kind of snapping action at the bottom of the swing, and that is where clubhead speed actually comes from.
Better putting comes about as a result of much practice, with gradually increasing skill at reading the configuration and slope of the greens, so that you can detect which way the ball will move over the surface. The speed and length of your putts should become increasingly accurate with practice, and you should start sinking more putts as you acquire a better touch with your putter.
What are the Benefits of Golf Practice Mats?
Golf practice mats provide more benefits than you might think, although the obvious main benefit is that you can get in a lot more practice right at home, without spending the money to hit buckets of balls at the driving range. There is also the little matter of having the convenience of practicing right in your own backyard, as opposed to driving to the nearest range, especially if it is not very close to your home. A good practice mat should also provide the same kind of feel as the fairway does at your favorite course, and this means you will be approximating real course conditions when you're practicing at home.
Best Golf Mats in 2020
The best golf mats for 2020 are sold by a number of companies which have been in the business for years, and which have had great experience at refurbashing realistic mats. Six of the best companies in the business are described below, and after reading this information you should have a feel for what the strengths are of each company. This should give you enough information so that you can conduct further research on your own, before making a final choice.
Rawhide Golf Ball Co.
Customer reviews rate the Rawhide slightly used golf mat at a full five stars, and there seems to be universal satisfaction over the fact that Rawhide's full-sized 60"x60" mat costs only about 1/3 the price of a brand new mat offered by competitors. Rawhide mats have good foam underlayment and a solid 1" thick turf, which makes the hitting surface seem very realistic, and very similar to the hitting surface that exists on a fairway.
Truestrike
Truestrike offers a variety of golf mats, ranging in price from $350 and up to $1,250, and if you have this kind of money to spend on a golf mat, then you'll probably be very satisfied with whichever mat you choose from Truestrike. These are all brand-new golf mats which have never been used, and you will have some different products to choose from, to suit your practice needs.
Dura-Pro
Dura-Pro mats come with pre-punched holes for rubber tees, and its 100% nylon turf fibers effectively absorb the shock from any club you swing. The turf part of the mat has been thermally welded to the non-slip backing, so as to prevent the possibility of delamination. These mats are also 30% more dense than the mats used at commercial driving ranges, promoting longer life and extra durability.
Real Feel
The Real Feel mat stakes its claim to popularity based on the natural feel of its turf, with a no-bounce swing happening with each shot. This is intended to facilitate the proper 'down' direction that you should be hitting with every club except for your driver. The Real Feel mat also allows you to place a rubber tee anywhere on the mat, so you can vary your setups. Cost of these mats varies, from between $250 and $1,000.
OptiShot
OptiShot mats can run between $300 and $1,200, and there are a number of models you can choose from, with different sizes and shapes being the primary difference. The turf type is commercial grade woven nylon, and there is 5/8" of closed-cell ensolite backing that gives it a realistic feel when you step onto it, and swing off it. These mats have pre-cut holes for rubber tees, with at least one rubber tee included on all models.
Fiberbuilt
Fiberbilt offers a number of different models, ranging in price from $250 to $2,500, and the difference between these model types is primarily the size and construction of each. Some models accommodate both righty and lefty swingers, and the launch surfaces are comprised of Fiberbilt Grass, which is made to provide as realistic a feel as possible for each club in your bag.
Making Your Selection
You can spend a little or a lot on a golf practice mat, but what you should be looking for is an affordable mat which offers a realistic feel when you're practicing your iron shots, and which has several positions from which to hit your driver shots. Durability is another important feature, so you can continue practicing for years into the future, because your golf game will always require more practice.
