This might be a stupid question, but I'll ask it anyway ...

[rudebhoy]

I've just booked to play at an away course tomorrow. I asked the pro if there were any restrictions on, and he said, yes, fairway mats are in operation, but you can move the ball to the first cut and play from there instead.

That's fine as I hate playing off a mat, however, at my home course, when I'm playing a par 3, I don't bother teeing the ball up before hitting iron or hybrid. This is working great for me at the moment, so don't want to go back to teeing up unless I absolutely have to.

So, if fairway mats are in operation, does that mean you need to use a mat on the tee box as well if you don't want to tee it up?

 

[Neilds]

Erm, ask the club when you book in ?!?!?

 

[Foxholer]

...
So, if fairway mats are in operation, does that mean you need to use a mat on the tee box as well if you don't want to tee it up?

I wouldn't have thought so (the word 'fairway' seems to suggest not) but worth checking just in case.

 

[jim8flog]

I would expect that if the club requires you to tee off a mat on a tee they already have mats in place.

We use very large mats in winter (they are not yet out) and a local rule that says they must be used and and player must stand on them when playing their tee shot.

 

[rudebhoy]

I would expect that if the club requires you to tee off a mat on a tee they already have mats in place.

We use very large mats in winter (they are not yet out) and a local rule that says they must be used and and player must stand on them when playing their tee shot.

my home club has a similar policy, but only has large mats on a couple of holes in winter.

 

[davidy233]

As the whole idea is to protect the course it's a no brainer that you should use a mat on any shot from a tee where the ball isn't teed up

 

[rudebhoy]

As the whole idea is to protect the course it's a no brainer that you should use a mat on any shot from a tee where the ball isn't teed up

That was my initial thought, but it’s not a universally held view if you look above.

 

[jim8flog]

As the whole idea is to protect the course it's a no brainer that you should use a mat on any shot from a tee where the ball isn't teed up

It is not so much about protecting the course as protecting the fairway.

When you are on a tee you do not have the worry about the ball rolling in to a divot hole and it is very easy to sand/seed fill divot holes on tees as the greens staff are doing them all in roughly the same area (or under normal circumstances from the divot box on the tee for you own one).

 

[Yorkhacker]

We have mats on the par 3s at my course. When it becomes really wet, in the past they have used fairway mats in marked areas on certain holes. I'm under the impression they are going to be trialling a different system whereby you pin any divot you take back down, to stop the crows lifting them up again

 

[rulefan]

We have mats on the par 3s at my course. When it becomes really wet, in the past they have used fairway mats in marked areas on certain holes. I'm under the impression they are going to be trialling a different system whereby you pin any divot you take back down, to stop the crows lifting them up again

They are called McDivots
https://vivagreengroup.com/mcdivot-faq/

 

[toyboy54]

rudebhoy; haven't you sussed yet that when it comes to golf, there's no such thing as a 'stupid question'
Fall in line and buy a mat!
( don't you wish you'd invented the bloody things-such a simple idea-just like us)

 

[KenL]

I have never understood the policy of allowing people to drop in the semi. Are those areas not a huge mess by March?

We are expected to use a mat from fairway and semi-rough but not on tees. We do though have other "winter" tees for the par 3s.

Usually mid-Dec to February.

 

[rudebhoy]

rudebhoy; haven't you sussed yet that when it comes to golf, there's no such thing as a 'stupid question'
Fall in line and buy a mat!
( don't you wish you'd invented the bloody things-such a simple idea-just like us)

I've got 3 at home, hate them all.