Best Golf Practice Mats 2021
Whether you are looking for a premium golf hitting mat for your indoor simulator room or an outdoor practice mat that gets the job done, we’ve compiled a short list of only the best golf mats on the market. Since every golfer is different, we will discuss a wide range of factors to consider to help you find the best golf mat for your particular budget, swing style, and more.
As the top golf mat reseller on the market, we’ve put in hundreds of hours of research, tested literally hundreds of variations of hitting turf (no joke), and have gotten unbiased feedback from hundreds of customers. Bottomline: you won’t find better golf mat advice anywhere else and we are here to help you make that decision.
Tried & Tested by the Rain or Shine Golf Team
Shawn Foley+1 handicap
Zach Vanderveldt6 handicap
Stephen Calhoun12 handicap
Summary
1
SwingTurf
by Rain or Shine Golf
Our #1 most recommended Golf Mat for 2020 for the most realistic fairway-like feel and best value for your money.
2
Fiberbuilt Studio Golf Mat
An industry leader for years. Providing the highest forgiveness, stability, and durability on the market.
3
Country Club Elite
Over 70+ 5-Star Reviews, Country Club Elite has been another customer favorite.
Our Picks For Best Golf Hitting Mat
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1. SwingTurf Golf Mat
Realism
The golf mats ability to simulate the feel of the fairway grass when swinging down and through the ball
Injury Prevention
This measures the forgiveness of the hitting surface on your joints over time hitting down and through the golf mat
Durability
Measures the golf mats longevity and ability to withstand wear and tear over time
Stability
This is the stability of the stance area and base of the hitting mat while swinging.
Portability
Ease of Assembly
Overview:Best Value Golf Mat and Most Realistic Fairway-Like Feel
The SwingTurf golf mat was developed by the team at Rain or Shine Golf after receiving hundreds of reviews and testing all the best golf mats on the market. The feedback we got from customers was that the best golf mats on the market were either not forgiving enough and were leading to injury risk, were too forgiving and unrealistic to real fairway-like conditions, or were not durable enough.
After going through dozens and dozens of samples, we finally found the perfect balance of forgiveness and realistic fairway-like feel that we felt other top golf mats struggled to find. Not only that, SwingTurf comes at a lower price than competing golf mats, is backed by a 3 year warranty, and is made to withstand years of use. We could not recommend the SwingTurf enough for everyone from the everyday home golf simulator user to the high usage driving ranges alike.
Sizes Available:4' x 5'
4' x 9'
Pros:- ✓Realistic Fairway-Like Feel and Forgiveness
- ✓Relative low price starting at $469
- ✓Long-lasting durability + 3 Year Warranty
- ✓Relatively portable and easy to move
- ✓Can be used outdoors
- ✓Can use a real tee
Cons:- ✕It doesn’t have a base system so you may need anti-slide materials to keep it from moving on some surfaces.
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2. Fiberbuilt Studio Golf Mat
Realism
The golf mats ability to simulate the feel of the fairway grass when swinging down and through the ball
Injury Prevention
This measures the forgiveness of the hitting surface on your joints over time hitting down and through the golf mat
Durability
Measures the golf mats longevity and ability to withstand wear and tear over time
Stability
This is the stability of the stance area and base of the hitting mat while swinging.
Portability
Ease of Assembly
Overview:Best Golf Mat for Injury Prevention, & Durability
Fiberbuilt has been a market-leader for years and is the choice of GolfTec and over 5,000 driving ranges worldwide. Rather than using a traditional artificial turf hitting surface, Fiberbuilt uses a unique brush system that provides the most forgiving hitting surface on the market. This makes it an excellent choice for those with very steep swing styles or those with joint issues, providing the best protection against injury on the market.
Fiberbuilt’s mats have a heavy rubber base, a quality fairway-like stance area, and an overall very aesthetically pleasing look for high-end simulator rooms. Their forgiving brush hitting surface does have its drawback though as customers have complained that the surface is too forgiving and doesn’t provide realistic negative feedback on “fat” shots. With that being said, Fiberbuilt is still a top-of-the-line solution for serious golfers.
Sizes Available:4' x 7'
4' x 9'
10' x 10'
Pros:- ✓Almost zero injury risk
- ✓Industry-leading durability
- ✓Industry-leading stance and base stability
- ✓Replaceable hitting strip
Cons:- ✕Highest Price
- ✕Not very portable due to heavy base
- ✕Brush hitting surface can be too forgiving and unrealistic
Fiberbuilt Reviews: -
3. Real Feel Country Club Elite
Realism
The golf mats ability to simulate the feel of the fairway grass when swinging down and through the ball
Injury Prevention
This measures the forgiveness of the hitting surface on your joints over time hitting down and through the golf mat
Durability
Measures the golf mats longevity and ability to withstand wear and tear over time
Stability
This is the stability of the stance area and base of the hitting mat while swinging.
Portability
Ease of Assembly
Overview:The Country Club Elite is our all-time best-selling golf mat and along with Fiberbuilt, is probably the most well-known mat on the market. The CCE golf mat provides a realistic fairway-like feel, you can use a real tee, and provides an all-around very strong value for the price.
The biggest complaint to the Country Club Elite that we have received is that the turf can be a bit too dense which leads to increased injury risk for some golfers with joint issues and/or steep swing styles. This was the biggest driver for the development of the SwingTurf, providing the same realistic fairway-like feel as the Country Club Elite with a bit more forgiveness when swinging down and through the turf. If you tend to take very small divots or have a shallow / “sweeping” swing plane, you likely won’t have any issue with CCE’s density and will likely love this mat. It works well as both an indoor or outdoor golf mat.
Sizes Available:4' x 5'
5' x 5'
5' x 8'
5' x 10'
Pros:- ✓Realistic fairway-like feel
- ✓Long-lasting durability + 3 Year Warranty
- ✓Relatively portable and easy to move
- ✓Can be used outdoors
- ✓Can use a real tee
- ✓Price
Cons:- ✕Turf can be too dense for some golfers which leads to increased injury risk
- ✕Doesn’t have a base system so may need anti-slide materials on some surfaces
Country Club Elite Reviews: -
4. TrueStrike Golf Mat
Realism
The golf mats ability to simulate the feel of the fairway grass when swinging down and through the ball
Injury Prevention
This measures the forgiveness of the hitting surface on your joints over time hitting down and through the golf mat
Durability
Measures the golf mats longevity and ability to withstand wear and tear over time
Stability
This is the stability of the stance area and base of the hitting mat while swinging.
Portability
Ease of Assembly
Overview:TrueStrike is another very popular golf mat on the market with their unique gel-filled divot simulating hitting surface. TrueStrike falls closer to Fiberbuilt on the higher end of the price spectrum. Like Fiberbuilt, TrueStrike features a sturdy base system and a replaceable hitting strip and also scores high marks in terms of forgiveness and overall realism of feel hitting down and through the ball.
The drawbacks of TrueStrike include a lack of portability due to the heavy base system, a relatively lower quality aesthetic look, and we have received complaints from customers in regards to the durability of the hitting surface and system.
Sizes Available:4’4 x 6’5”
4’4 x 6’9”
Pros:- ✓Forgiving and realistic gel hitting strip
- ✓Plastic base system for stability
Cons:- ✕High Price
- ✕Not very portable due to heavy base
- ✕A bit more tedious to assemble than the other mats
- ✕Customers have had some durability issues
TrueStrike Golf Mat Reviews:
Comparing The Top Golf Mats of 2021
What is the Best Cheap Golf Mat?
Have you made it through this article and are feeling like even the lowest price SwingTurf Golf Mat that we offer is out of your budget? You may be tempted to go searching for a lower quality golf mat on the cheap. Here are our dead honest thoughts on “cheap” golf mats that we provide to our customers and even our closest friends and family:
- Most importantly, cheap golf mats are an injury risk to golfers!
You run the risk of causing damage to your elbows, wrists, and knees after just a few uses with cheap golf mats that do not provide enough forgiveness when swinging down and through the ball.
- Cheap golf mats are unrealistic and cause bad swing habits.
Most simulator golfers want to improve their game. The worst thing you can do is hit off an unrealistic mat that trains you to “pick” the ball off of your mat rather than naturally swinging down and through the turf like on real grass.
- We’ve tried selling “cheap” golf mats and customers HATED them.
We’ve sold a number of cheaper golf mats in the past and they resulted in over 50% return rates and very low customer satisfaction. We have since removed those mats from our website and now only offer mats that meet our quality and safety standards.
- Cheap mats are not durable.
You may save $100-300 in the short run but then you run the high risk of having to replace your mat within a few months. The mats we offer are a smarter long-term investment.
If you are budget constrained, we hear you and wish there were cheaper golf mat solutions on the market that we could confidently recommend. As the trusted golf simulator advisors at Rain or Shine Golf, our best recommendation for you at the moment is the SwingTurf starting at $469. Do your body and golf game a favor and give your practice what it deserves.
Is hitting off a golf mat bad for your game?
It's a common debate on whether or not practicing off a mat can have negative side effects on your game. Some golfers even swear by avoiding mat practice sessions and will avoid 'mats only' days on the range at all costs.
Here is what we've found: Repeated use on a poor-quality mat isn't necessarily bad for your game - but can promote bad habits.
The reason being is that mats tend to be much more forgiving than grass. You can swing down on a mat just about as hard as you want and still get a decently struck shot. You can also hit a bit behind the ball and have the bounce of the mat carry the club right into the ball. A steep swing on grass will for one, feel terrible, and two, will result in a terrible shot. This will automatically tell you, hey, I better shallow out my swing. But with mats, you can develop bad swing habits over time without always knowing it.
How do I prevent that?
The best way to prevent mats from causing bad swing habits is to have a good-quality mat. Old dried-out mats that you often find at golf course driving ranges are the worst. The harder the mat, the more bounce it will provide. The mats we have listed out above will do a lot better of a job at mimicking real grass!
What is the Best Golf Putting Mat?
If you are looking for a putting golf mat, we’ve got plenty of options for you.
If you are looking for one mat to practice every stroke from driver to putter, the Fiberbuilt Combo Mat is the top-of-the-line way to go. This Fiberbuilt design combines your choice of 10’ x 6’, 10 x 8', or 10' x 12' putting green directly attached to a 10’ x 4’ hitting and stance mat. The hitting area accommodates both right and left handed golfers and the putting surface features two putting cups and a realistic true roll.
If you are looking for just a putting mat and don’t need your hitting mat to be attached to it, we recommend checking out our Best Putting Greens guide.
What is the best golf mat for you?
As you can see, there are a lot of factors to take into account when it comes to selecting the best golf mat for your particular needs and situation. The factors that we have considered include:
- Price
- Sizes Available
- Your Swing Style
- Realism of the Hitting Surface
- Forgiveness / Injury Prevention
- Durability
- Stability
- Portability
After hundreds of hours of our own in-house testing at our office in Charlotte, collecting hundreds of customer reviews, we have boiled our recommendations down to Fiberbuilt, the Real Feel Country Club Elite, TrueStrike, and even developed our own SwingTurf Golf Mat.
The SwingTurf golf mat is our go-to recommendation for the majority of our customers providing a realistic fairway-like feel and forgiveness at a reasonable price.
If you have unique needs or are dead set on one of our other brands, we still offer Fiberbuilt, the Real Feel Country Club Elite, and TrueStrike - all brands that we’ve tried, tested, and trust.
If you are still struggling to decide after reading this guide, you can always reach out to our friendly support staff at Rain or Shine Golf. We will be there to ensure you select the right one, get the best deal you can, and will be there for you after purchase to ensure you are completely satisfied with your golf mat.
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