Fairway mats

[Backache]

My place is suggesting we use a fairway mat for all social golf...choice not mandatory. They have identified two products at discounted cost to us members- Spurk Golf mat for £20/mat and Fairway Productions mat @ £10/mat

I prefer the 'look' of the Spiurk one - but thoughts please.

Note - question to those who use one - does use of a mat make any significant contribution to slow play?

Spurk ones work well in my experience.

Don't think mats contribute to slow play. Less time consuming than repairing/replacing divots or looking for lies without casual water. I generally find rounds are faster when mats are in play , though I think this is largely due to shorter winter courses , less undergrowth and people wanting to be in quicker in the cold rather than to the mats.

 

[chellie]

Spurk ones work well in my experience.

Don't think mats contribute to slow play. Less time consuming than repairing/replacing divots or looking for lies without casual water. I generally find rounds are faster when mats are in play , though I think this is largely due to shorter winter courses , less undergrowth and people wanting to be in quicker in the cold rather than to the mats.

We are on compulsory mats and it certainly felt like it did in yesterday's competition. Could have also been having to clean the ball each time before your shot.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Dont see any difference in pace of play. Being winter rules, it's pick and place anyway. The advantage now is that youre not now trying to find a piece of clear grass, so to me its seems a little quicker.

 

[Orikoru]

If my club said it was compulsory to play off fairway mats, I'd expect them to provide one, not buy it myself. I pay enough for subs as it is!

 

[Bunkermagnet]

If my club said it was compulsory to play off fairway mats, I'd expect them to provide one, not buy it myself. I pay enough for subs as it is!

They do provide free ones to use, but they aren't Spurks.You can buy your own different colour version of the club free ones for about £5.
The issue is people walking off with the free to use and should be returned ones.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

If my club said it was compulsory to play off fairway mats, I'd expect them to provide one, not buy it myself. I pay enough for subs as it is!

Proprietary clubs perhaps, but in a members club ‘them’ is ‘us’. As use of one is not going to be mandated I am happy to pay a few quid to have one.

 

[Swango1980]

If my club said it was compulsory to play off fairway mats, I'd expect them to provide one, not buy it myself. I pay enough for subs as it is!

Ours did. But they are the cheap ones, which is fine. Buying 500 of the decent ones would have cost the club (and therefore us) a lot of money.

But, if you play a decent amount over winter, I'm sure you'd end up buying a decent one anyway. After all, us golfers spend enough on golf balls, clubs, gadgets and trendy clothes (often much more money than is necessary), that I'm sure £20 or £30 to buy a mat isnt going to break the bank.

 

[rudebhoy]

Dont see any difference in pace of play.

You do if your PPs are forgetful by nature.

I played with someone this week who forgot to lift their mat after a shot 4 times in the first 12 holes.

Doesn’t half slow you down when you have to walk back to roughly where it was last used, then try to find it!

 

[NearHull]

You do if your PPs are forgetful by nature.

I played with someone this week who forgot to lift their mat after a shot 4 times in the first 12 holes.

Doesn’t half slow you down when you have to walk back to roughly where it was last used, then try to find it!

And they are mainly green.

 

[Swango1980]

You do if your PPs are forgetful by nature.

I played with someone this week who forgot to lift their mat after a shot 4 times in the first 12 holes.

Doesn’t half slow you down when you have to walk back to roughly where it was last used, then try to find it!

Agreed with that. Had the same thing a couple of weeks ago. And because we have areas roped off to trolleys, sometimes he had a long distance to walk to get his mat.

Although hopefully that is only because it is a new concept for us, and it quickly becomes second nature

 

[SteveJay]

Son in law's club allow mats so we have bought him a Spurk one for Christmas. I was surprised when it arrived as it is a lot smaller than I expected. Not much bigger than a good sized divot!! (Ive never used one so guess that they work OK)

 

[Mel Smooth]

It might have been mentioned already, but do folks generally prefer the short pile or long pile? We'll be on preferred lies now until Easter at least, so I can get my ball sat on a decent tuft of grass for the longer fairway shots, but on the shorter approach shots where I'd probably use one more. Splatty lies are the bane of my life through the wetter months - so I'm thinking of getting a Spurk ordered - just not sure which to get.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I'm feeling quite +ve about using a mat over winter as with any luck I'll be more able to take my range ball-striking onto the course - and hopefully that'll help me on a few holes where I struggle with my mid-iron shots in a way I don't on the range

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Question on the Spurk mat. When on a slope doesn’t the ball just roll off it?

 

[Robin Hood]

Question on the Spurk mat. When on a slope doesn’t the ball just roll off it?

Yes it does roll off; however as it has spikes on the bottom you can get it horizontal and reasonably secure.

 

[Backache]

Question on the Spurk mat. When on a slope doesn’t the ball just roll off it?

Think it will do on most mats, you can level it slightly by putting the spikes to different lengths in the ground.

 

[NearHull]

If the slope is severe, you keep moving the mat in small increments ( no nearer the hole) until you find a position where the ball will stay on the mat. I did this last year on a down slope into a bunker, took me no end of incremental moves to find a fair solution.

 

[upsidedown]

Question on the Spurk mat. When on a slope doesn’t the ball just roll off it?

There's a hole where the tee peg can go , i place my ball there and handles most slopes around our course ok

 

[KenL]

Question on the Spurk mat. When on a slope doesn’t the ball just roll off it?

Yes. Our local rule says to move your mat to the nearest point, not nearer the hole, where the ball doesn’t roll off.

 

[Mandofred]

Yes. Our local rule says to move your mat to the nearest point, not nearer the hole, where the ball doesn’t roll off.

There are places on courses where the nearest point would be 80yds away. The Spurk is a good mat....if there is a slope you can just not push in one part of the mat to get things level enough for the ball not to roll off. I thought about cutting a smallish bit of the fabric to put a little dimple in it....might still do it..... The cheapie mats that have two sides works fine, one side with fake grass but has a couple of bare spots to put the ball.....or the reverse side which has two round sections that will hold a ball. You just have to get clever to figure out what work for you. Winter golf.....just have to live through it.