While it is not always ideal, sometimes you are required to use a mat when you are at a driving range. This can lead to some difficulties to do with getting the right swing for golfers who are used to hitting balls off a tee. The primary reason that this is an issue is that you might be hitting the ball “fat” because you are used to having the tee under the ball instead of the hard surface of the mat. Troubleshooting this issue can be important, however, since you might struggle to get to practice on a driving range if you are not allowed to use a tee.
Reasons That You Are Struggling to Hit a Golf Ball off a Mat
The main reason that people struggle to hit a ball off a mat is because the mat is not the same texture as the ground, and it has a bouncy or rebounding effect on your club. If you hit the ball a little “fat” because you are used to having a tee under the ball, this can lead to lots of frustration.
Precision in your actual golf swing is revealed with stark clarity when there are mats at the driving range. You might not have realized just how inaccurate your swing was until you were forced to hit the ball off a mat. While you will not have to deal with rubber mats on the course, if you want to tackle the process of enjoying the driving range, you need to be sure that you figure out how to use the mat correctly.
Tips for Hitting Golf Balls off a Mat
- Slow Your Swing
You will need to be careful to slow your swing some, especially as you get used to hitting off the mat. This will increase your accuracy and help you to get used to the rebounding feeling of the mat under the club.
- Work on Accuracy First and Range Second
Make sure that you put your efforts into accuracy at first. You will need to be sure that you hit the ball “thin” to have any luck driving off of a matted surface. Once you have your accuracy dialed in, you can get back to trying to see how far you can hit the ball.
- Use The Mat to Give You Feedback
The mat will tell you a lot about your overall accuracy in your swing. This surface is not very forgiving, and it reveals every mistake that you make. Instead of getting frustrated or mad, you will need to view this kind of exercise as a good way to reveal issues with your technique that you can address. Thinking of the mat as a training tool can help with the process of getting used to the surface.
A Mat is a Different Kind of Golfing Surface
While it is true that you will always golf off a tee on the course, there are many driving ranges that are moving to matted range locations to help with the upkeep of the facility. While this can be really frustrating if you are used to practicing on the same surface you play on, you can use this as a great way to improve control and technique in your golfing swing.
This article was last updated on August 15, 2023 .
