The downside to using Fairway mats in winter

[patricks148]

may be unique to Scotland, but we have been on Fairway mats since the end of November, and we use these for all play except the rough and the tee and the greens. in previous years we have had them in use and also the option to drop to the side(first cut). I only tended to use them for wedge shots before this winter and always kicked in into the first cut for longer shots.

Played at a course this weekend that you could still play from the fairway and i don't think Ive ever hit so many fats and thins! I imagine ive made things easier for myself with the mat as you are always on a perfect lie and a very slight up slope.

anyone else going to struggle initially once back on grass???


I suppose once we are back on the full course mid March, i will get back to normal by just playing on grass again

 

[guest100718]

No mats in the sunny south

 

[Crawfy]

I suffered the same last year when we came off mats, but found my touch after a couple of bounce games on full fairways.
Same as comparing driving range mats to grass.
I still support using mats as our course remained in good nick (especially around the landing zones) later in the season

 

[Deleted member 16999]

We Tee it up on Fairways at our place during the winter and I hate it, 2 Drivers or whatever on Par 5's and scoring tends to be low, exactly like you cone Spring, after 3-4 months of nice, crisp clean shots, reality kicks in and I reckon it normally takes 2-3 weeks before I adjust to playing as it lies.

 

[patricks148]

No mats in the sunny south

I guess so, would they float away?

 

[IanG]

Definitely, we're on mats from Xmas to the end of Feb in the fairway and the semi-rough.

Yesterday I went to our practice ground to do a bit of short game stuff and struggled to make a clean contact off the grass. You get away with murder on the mats as nothing digs in. I ended up just hitting soft 8 irons for a while to get the swing back on the right path. Came back after a while.

Truth be told I quite enjoy the leg-up the mats give you for 10 weeks in the winter. The wee bit of flattery thus produced is encouraging on cold, damp and windy mornings. The return to reality in March is always a bumpy ride

 

[jamielaing]

I hate mats so have always gone to the side and played from the rough. Cue March/April when I will be bemoaning all these tight lies!

 

[Deleted member 1147]

It's been so wet down here that we've been using mats in the rough as well as the fairway.

I shall be totally lost when I have to hit the ball from "ground level" once the course dries out a bit.

I hate mats, but the course is looking lovely with wet, but pristine fairways (no divots in sight).

 

[HankMarvin]

Not a great lover of using mats but must admit they are good for hitting your wedges in close and checking up

 

[Sweep]

We have been on mats and there is no doubt they are much easier to hit off. I practice mainly off a mat in a cage net and I am always surprised how much harder it is to hit off the different kinds of lies you experience with real grass. Mats flatter your game and it's important to realise that real golf is played off grass and mats in winter is just practice.

 

[One Planer]

may be unique to Scotland, but we have been on Fairway mats since the end of November, and we use these for all play except the rough and the tee and the greens. in previous years we have had them in use and also the option to drop to the side(first cut). I only tended to use them for wedge shots before this winter and always kicked in into the first cut for longer shots.

Played at a course this weekend that you could still play from the fairway and i don't think Ive ever hit so many fats and thins! I imagine ive made things easier for myself with the mat as you are always on a perfect lie and a very slight up slope.

anyone else going to struggle initially once back on grass???


I suppose once we are back on the full course mid March, i will get back to normal by just playing on grass again

Our place didn't use them last year, but has this due to the weather.

I tend t grip down a little with all clubs when off matts. I've found it helps with the transition back to grass as it stops me trying to pick the ball off the matt.

 

[woody69]

We Tee it up on Fairways at our place during the winter and I hate it, 2 Drivers or whatever on Par 5's and scoring tends to be low, exactly like you cone Spring, after 3-4 months of nice, crisp clean shots, reality kicks in and I reckon it normally takes 2-3 weeks before I adjust to playing as it lies.

Fairway mats I get for maintaining the course, but teeing up is just odd IMO. Driver is about the only club I don't take a divot with so teeing it up isn't going to make a blind bit of difference to keeping the course in good condition! Such an odd rule.

 

[phil78]

We're using mats for all shots apart from tees and greens but played last week on a course where we were allowed to just play normally.
Longer shots were generally OK but my pitching and chipping was absolutely abysmal, a fine mix of chunks and thins.
Roll on March and a couple of rounds of the same before i's back to normal for the summer.

 

[BrizoH71]

I have found this as well, after coming off mats my first couple of rounds are always full of fatted shots. At least it was the case last season.

I'm trying the Rocket-launcher mat this winter in the hope of avoiding the issue, as it seems to promote having to hit down on the ball rather than the more sweeping motion off a mat.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Fairway mats I get for maintaining the course, but teeing up is just odd IMO. Driver is about the only club I don't take a divot with so teeing it up isn't going to make a blind bit of difference to keeping the course in good condition! Such an odd rule.

Not my choice and really don't like it, not as good as mats for protecting course, but lot less divots than no tee.

 

[stevek1969]

No mats at mine but i think the course could have done with them this winter, played with a mate today who uses them at Monifieth ,he hit thin bullet irons shots every time.

 

[louise_a]

We used in winter, I try to vary and hit some shots from the first cut too so that when we go back to grass its not a complete change. I played today and hit more shots from the 1st cut than I did from the mat.

 

[Robster59]

I have found this as well, after coming off mats my first couple of rounds are always full of fatted shots. At least it was the case last season.

I'm trying the Rocket-launcher mat this winter in the hope of avoiding the issue, as it seems to promote having to hit down on the ball rather than the more sweeping motion off a mat.

I'm on my second season with the Rocket Launcher now and they do seem to make the transition from mats to grass easier. Far better than other mats as well IMHO.
We have the option to hit off mats or first cut at our club. I tend to use the mats as it doesn't bother me.

 

[Green Bay Hacker]

The last two Sundays I have played links courses where the fairways have been firm and I've hardly hit a decent iron shot, long or short. The majority have been thins and I have 'got away' with them but fairway ball striking at the moment needs a bit of work done on it.

 

[Ross61]

This thread has cheered me up no end. All the tees are mats but everywhere else is off the grass. Thanks to your comments I can blame my fats and thins (mainly chipping) on the grass

scored 35 points yesterday in the howling wind, if it wasn't for the grass fairways as well who knows how big a score I would have got.