It’s that time of year when most of the golf courses are enforcing a winter mat policy.
Love them or hate them, if you wish to play throughout the winter you have to use one.
With so many different types to choose from how do you know which winter golf mat is the best for you?
I have tested the 4 most popular to help you make a decision.
In this test I used a 7 iron to compare the launch angle, spin rates and distance differences between each mat. The same balls were used throughout the test.
After a series of shots with each, here are the numbers from the Foresight GC2 launch monitor.
Analysing the data…
Fact 1: Mats launch the ball higher
It doesn’t matter which mat you use; the ball will launch and fly higher than off the turf.
Fact 2: Back spin increases with a mat
Typical backspin with a correctly fitted 7 iron should be around 6500-7000rpm but you can see the readings with a mat are always above that figure.
Fact 3: No difference in distance!
This came as a big surprise. Having used winter mats for some years I felt sure there would have been a significant difference in distance the ball would fly. However, the distances were incredibly similar no matter whether hitting from a mat or the turf.
The mats on test…
Launch Mat
The Launch Mat from Masters Golf is a lightweight mat that offers the greatest convenience as it easily fits in your pocket.
This mat produced the highest ball launch angle and highest peak height of all the mats on the test. So, if getting the ball in the air is something you need to do – this is the one for you.
Buy the Launch Mat for £11.99 on our website – buy now
The curved shape means there is some give in the mat so, although it sounds quite hard when you strike it, it feels pretty good. The hole to place the ball in provides a secure mount for the ball even on very steep slopes.
If you want to hit the ball higher and want something you can keep in your pocket – the Launch Mat is a great option
Pros ✅
✅Lightweight and easily fits in your pocket
✅Sits flush to the ground, ideal if you sometimes hit before the ball as you won’t catch the back edge of the mat
✅Great on sloping lies
Cons ❌
❌May flight the ball too high for some
❌It sounds quite hard when you strike it
Buy the Launch Mat for £11.99 on our website – buy now
Masters Mat
This AstroTurf mat features a soft cushioned underlayer that makes for a pleasant feel and sound at impact. If you have a steeper angle of attack – so would take big, deep divots from the grass then this would be the matt of choice for you.
It comes fitted with a carabiner clip that makes it easy to take on and off your golf bag.
The thickness of this mat means the ball sits up higher and it could also be quite easy to strike the back of the mat resulting in a terrible shot.
Buy the Masters Mat for £9.99 on our website – buy now
Pros ✅
✅Lightweight and a soft feel
✅Ideal if you have a steeper angle of attack as it has lots of cushioning
Cons ❌
❌It could be easy to strike the back edge of the mat due to the thickness of the contstruction
❌Not great on sloping lies
Buy the Masters Mat for £9.99 on our website – buy now
Carpet Mat
I call this the carpet mat because I didn’t have any official name for it, and it has a pile very much like that you would find on a hard-wearing carpet.
On the test this was the mat that produced the numbers nearest to that of playing from the turf.
Buy the Carpet Mat for £9.99 on our website – buy now
All mats launch the ball higher and with more back spin than shots played from the turf, but this mat produced a launch and peak height very close to normal play.
Pros ✅
✅Best on test for replicating very close to the same ball flight as from grass
Cons ❌
❌The ball sits up quite high
❌It could be easy to strike the back edge of the mat due to the thickness of it
❌Not great on sloping lies as difficult to get the ball to stay on it
Buy the Carpet Mat for £9.99 on our website – buy now
Fairway Products Multimat
WINNER – BEST ON TEST 🏆
A unique feature about this mat is it has two usable sides that offer different ball flights.
The shiny side produces more spin and a higher ball flight than the bristle side though the bristle side compares more closely to the flights from the turf.
Buy the Multimat for £12.50 on our website – buy now
I really like this mat and thanks to its versatility from sloping lies and the size of it, I have awarded this my best on test.
Pros ✅
✅Two usable sides providing different launch conditions and feel
✅Very good on sloping lies
✅Long length means it’s less likely you will hit the back of the mat before the ball
Cons ❌
❌Long length means it is quite big to carry about but that’s not a huge issue as it does clip on to your bag
Buy the Multimat for £12.50 on our website – buy now
If you want to speak to us about winter mats and have a FREE trail of any of the mats reviewed above please come and speak to us at Dunes Golf Centre in Fraserburgh.
👀Watch my YouTube video review of the best winter golf mats for 2020. Oh, and please subscribe to my channel to get the latest content 😊
Messages from the local greenkeepers on winter mats…
James Peace – Headgreenkeeper at Fraserburgh Golf Club
Mats were first introduced in NE Scotland in the late 80’s and I worked at Newburgh then. The main playing season was April to September back then and at that time I also played a lot of winter golf,
In addition to mats, lifting the balls to the side and tee up on fairways were also tried. This was a big failure as it caused too much damage to the course. In fact this damage did not recover till the summer months or later.
Anyway, as a greenkeeper the best way forward ,during the winter months, is to use mats. No arguments here.
The main playing season now would be March to October , so 4 months of using mats is a small thing to do to protect the course, this also gives the player a nice dry lie in what is usually a wet winter these days.
We just need club golfers to understand that they are doing their bit to help protect the course and make it much better for themselves and everyone in the Spring and Summer.
Picking the right mat is also important, I prefer the multimat that you have trialled.
John Littlejohn – Headgreenkeeper at Rosehearty Golf Club
With more golfers playing all year round, mats are a great benefit in the winter months.
Recovery of damaged grass stops at this time of year and here in NE Scotland it can be as late as June before we get heat back into the soil which is needed to get seed to germinate.
So, without mats you can imagine landing areas soon becomes full of divots and no one wants to play out of them.
Also the start of the season gets off better as yet again you don’t want to play out of seeded areas.
So, mats are a great asset for members by allowing them to play all winter, whilst protecting the course and it means they will play off better surfaces when summer golf starts
