of the 5 courses that they are used at st.andrews ..3 on ..2 off.so u get a choice..personally i`m not keen on them ,but i think they du make a difference at the landing areas..
We have to play off mats up until 4 clublengths into the rough.
It's not what I'd prefer, but if you want world class fairways in the summer then it's a price you have to pay I'm afraid.
I remember an old friend calling me asking me to sort him out because since the start of his season he was thinning all his irons. We were on the 1st hole and he thinned his 2nd shot and I nailed it.
He had been playing all winter off an astro matt and was still going down the grip thus lifting the club up half an inch and thinning the lot off the turf.
No mats at Royal Ascot. Course more likely to be shut for waterlogging or one of the two nines taken out of service to preserve the tee boxes when the weather is bad
My course (Cawder, near Glasgow) requires you to use mats throughout the winter. It is a bit of a pain but worth it for the condition of the fairways when the season gets going.
We use mats all winter. Hate the bloody things. I found that I hit the ball really heavy after using them all winter. Thats why i have i have not played since October.
I shall just open my wallet and hand over my sweep money when i play my first game at Blairgowrie