Fairway mats

Is it seriously thought that some players want to use a mat in order to give them an advantage?
( I could make a case that it is a disadvantage for some ), but it seems obvious to me that players and clubs advocating their use wish to help to keep the course in as good order as possible. And not only for the present time but for earlier recovery in Spring or summer.
( our course’s winter rice pudding fairways don’t recover till well into summer).

And I venture to suggest that the need to use mats now is greater because of much milder and so wetter autumns/winters than decades ago.
As for ruling that they can be used if all in a group agree, that seems to me a bit of a decision cop out. If allowed then it should be up to the individual, or a club requirement or club rejection , surely?
One in a group saying no doesn’t make for a very pleasant atmosphere possibly.?
 
Is it seriously thought that some players want to use a mat in order to give them an advantage?
( I could make a case that it is a disadvantage for some ), but it seems obvious to me that players and clubs advocating their use wish to help to keep the course in as good order as possible. And not only for the present time but for earlier recovery in Spring or summer.
( our course’s winter rice pudding fairways don’t recover till well into summer).

And I venture to suggest that the need to use mats now is greater because of much milder and so wetter autumns/winters than decades ago.
As for ruling that they can be used if all in a group agree, that seems to me a bit of a decision cop out. If allowed then it should be up to the individual, or a club requirement or club rejection , surely?
One in a group saying no doesn’t make for a very pleasant atmosphere possibly.?
It’s winter golf so no big deal imo.

The fairways will always recover once the temps warm up and the grass is growing again.

The biggest advantage to mats is it saves a lot of money in springtime!
If you take divots out in colder months they won’t heal.
This then costs a lot of money in man hours and soil / seed which is not cheap now to fill three months worth of divots.

As for one player saying “no” that’s a joke nobody should dictate to other players what they can do I agree.
That must come from the club.
All use them or not.!
 
I understand that we are also introducing mats on 5 holes this winter, for the first time ever. They will be 5 holes in the valleys where both water, and balls tend to collect. And I believe it will be only for “regulation” spots, not the entire fairway. Ie. Where most drives will go.

I’m not delighted about the prospect but I do understand it.

Update: we have mats on 6 holes, from 75-180ish yards away from the greens. I have absolutely no issue with them at all.

Firstly the improvement in the fairways is already showing. These are the wettest spots on the course, so it’s actually nice play off a mat, means they are far less likely to close the front 9 when it rains too. Also the mats seem fine to play off, in fact I am better off a mat!

👍 from me
 
Big up thanks to Ian ( I think it was) had a winning bid of £80 for four Spurk mats on the John Pye site. 😄👍

A guy I played with on Tuesday mentioned that the two lads who invented the Spurk mat are millionaires and now they have cracked the American market.
 
Big up thanks to Ian ( I think it was) had a winning bid of £80 for four Spurk mats on the John Pye site. 😄👍

A guy I played with on Tuesday mentioned that the two lads who invented the Spurk mat are millionaires and now they have cracked the American market.
Was your bid £80.00 or your final total?
 
Played with a cheapo mat the other day, provided by the course I was visiting in return for a £5 deposit.
I had some foreboding, but it was OK and my score was better than average (for me). It helps that their rule only requires the use of mats in the fairway. What's a fairway? :LOL:
 
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