How to Build a DIY Golf Mat
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Do you want a nice golf mat to hit off of, but the prices are insane? Here’s the DIY golf mat I built to achieve the realistic feel of a top-tier mat without the hefty price tag.
If you want a golf mat for your simulator or backyard net, you’ve got a few options:
- Buy a cheap mat and deal with unrealistic turf/club interaction, and risk hurting yourself on the poor padding
- Buy a $500 mid-level mat that might not be realistic, but won’t hurt your wrists and arms
- Invest $900 – $1,400 on a pro-level mat
- DIY a mat by combining a cheap mat with a pro-level hitting strip
DIY Golf Mat Guide
The idea here is you’re going to buy a less expensive mat and then add in a strip of good turf to hit from. In most cases, you’re just hitting off one area of the turf anyway, so all that extra space is just wasted money on expensive turf to stand on. Let’s get building:
Tools Needed
- Razor/box cutter
- Tape measure
- Duct Tape
- Cheap large mat
- Hitting strip
- Carpet tape & foam tiles (optional)
Selecting a Base / Stance Mat
When picking a base mat, you’ll want to consider these factors:
Mat Size
I have a 6′ x 10′ mat. To determine your minimum width, measure the width of your driver stance (from the back heel to the ball). Then, you’ll need to add at least another foot, plus some extra space if you have a simulator you want on the mat. I’d say 5 feet is probably minimum, with an extra foot if you want some space and/or have a simulator that sits to the side.
For the length, you can measure your driver stance from the other direction. If you’re hitting into a net with a hard floor, you’ll want to have something to cover it so the ball doesn’t bounce. This can be a long mat, like my 10′ one, or some other floor covering.
Mat Thickness
If you buy a mat with the same thickness as your hitting strip, you won’t need any extra modifications. If you buy a thinner mat, you can purchase interlocking foam tiles from Amazon (after measuring, I needed 1/2″ extra, and these worked perfectly) and attach them to the bottom of your mat using carpet tape to add extra padding and match the strip’s height.
Some Mat Options
| Stance Mat | Size | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| GoSports Elite | 5×3, 5×4, 5×5 | $ |
| Golf Guru | 5×4, 5×5 | $ |
| Net Return Pro Turf | 6×10 | $$ |
Selecting a Hitting Strip
The hitting strip is where you upgrade to a premium mat. The nice thing about this approach is that you can also replace just this small piece if it eventually wears out.
Here’s a comparison of popular hitting strips to help you decide:
| Mat / Strip | Feel | Feedback on Fat Shots | Injury Protection | Real Divot Simulation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SwingTurf | Medium-soft | Medium | ✅ Good | ❌ Not much | Balanced – a little forgiving, works well for home setups |
| Fiberbuilt Strip | Very soft | Low | ✅✅ Excellent | ❌ Not much | Great for injury prevention, but may mask slight fat shots, and expensive |
| Country Club Elite Strip | Firm | ✅ High | Medium | ✅ Yes | Closest to real turf – gives instant feedback on poor strikes |
| Holy Grail Hitting Strip | Medium-firm | ✅ High | ✅ Good | ✅ Yes | Popular DIY upgrade — solid ball-striking feedback with good feel; budget-friendly and customizable |
| SIGPRO Softy Strip | Soft-medium | ✅ Medium-High | ✅✅ Excellent | Slight | Nice middle ground – blends feel + realism for indoor use |
| EZ Tee Hybrid | Firm-medium | ✅ High | ✅ Good | ✅ Yes | Durable and tour-proven – excellent for low-point feedback; stiff for some users |
I chose to go with an EZ Tee 1×2 strip as I wanted something where I can feel if I hit the ball fat and won’t get hurt by hitting down into the turf (e.g., taking a divot). I can also take a swing without a ball and immediately tell by how the club brushes the grass where my contact point was (I couldn’t tell this at all with my old SwingTurf mat).
The other options I almost bought, which I think would have been great as well, were the SIGPRO Softy and the Country Club Elite.
Build Steps
First off, you’ll want to pick the placement of your hitting strip on your mat. Get some exact measurements here, as you only want to make these cuts once.
Lay the strip on top of your mat and find the best placement with your driver. If you’re hitting into a net or screen, you’ll want to be as close to the middle of the mat horizontally as your stance will allow and toward the back length-wise. Ensure you can tee the ball up toward your front heel and take a wide stance with some room, so you’re not right on the edge.
Then measure the distance in from the sides. I flipped the mat and traced the hitting strip to know where to cut.
If you flip the mat, make sure you’re still cutting the correct side (as it’s the opposite now that you flipped it!)
If your hitting strip is a different height than your mat, you may want to measure the difference once you have the strip and mat, and then buy some foam tiles. Mine was roughly 1/2 inch different, so I got that thickness. You can cut the foam tiles with a razor blade to make them fit precisely around the hitting strip, and then use carpet tape to stick them to the bottom of the mat.
For my mat, I roll up the end when a car is parked in the garage, so I didn’t put foam tiles along the entire 10 feet; I just used them on the part where I stand.
Finally, I put the hitting strip into the hole I’d cut out and carefully pushed the grass through. Then I taped the bottom down with duct tape so it wouldn’t move or fall back out when I flipped the mat over.
If you have questions, a favorite mat, or suggestions, leave them in the comments.
