SwingTurf Golf Mat Review

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In this review of the SwingTurf golf mat, I cover how it performs on my simulator and how it helped me recover from the dreaded golfer’s elbow.

swingturf golf mat

SwingTurf Overview

The SwingTurf golf hitting mat was designed by Rain or Shine Golf, an online golf simulator retailer. They designed the mat taking into account feedback based on the other mats they’ve sold over the years. Its primary objective is to balance forgiveness and a realistic fairway-like feel.

This mat is sold as a stand-alone product and a part of simulator packages. It comes in 5′ x 5′ and 4′ x 9′ sizes. It’s priced competitively compared to other mats (possibly slightly less expensive).

What to Look for in a Golf Mat

You’ll need to consider several features when looking into a golf mat. These will help you decide which mat is right for you and what price point you should expect to pay.

  • Safety – The thickness of a mat and its forgiveness directly relates to its potential to cause injuries. If you’re hitting shots outside, you’ll dig into the dirt, but hitting on a mat can cause wrist and arm injuries if it isn’t built well to reduce tension. If you typically pick the ball off the surface without a divot, this will impact you less.
  • Feel – Better quality turf will feel more like grass and provide more realistic feedback on shots. A thin rug-like turf penalizes miss hits and fat shots less and doesn’t provide helpful feedback when practicing.
  • Durability – Better quality turf will stand up to many shots without wearing thin or leaving imprints from standing or swinging.
  • Stability – When swinging, you want textured turf that provides stability, so you don’t twist out of your stance. You also don’t want a mat that is so lightweight that it moves while you swing.
  • Accepting Tees – Some golf mats are thick enough to hold a regular golf tee, just like the ground. Other mats use a rubber tee or need a tee system like the tee claw.

My Experience With SwingTurf

net return pro turf vs swingturf

How an Injury Led to My Search for a New Mat

When I initially set up my SkyTrak simulator, I purchased a package with a Net Return and a Net Return Pro Turf mat. While the net was great, the mat eventually started causing my arm to hurt.

I’m typically a picker (hitting the ball off the top without creating a divot), but I took more divots as I improved my swing. This led to my developing golfer’s elbow, causing pain in my forearm and elbow. After realizing it was an issue with the mat, I began looking for a replacement.

I returned to Rain or Shine Golf, where I’d purchased my simulator setup, and found that they’d released the SwingTurf mat and replaced the mats they’d previously included in their simulator setups with it. After comparing the features and price points to other available mats (such as the Fiberbuilt and the TrueStrike), I ordered the 5′ x 5′ mat.

My Review of the SwingTurf

After unrolling my SwingTurf mat, the first noticeable thing was how much thicker and nicer feeling the mat was compared to my previous one. It’s 1 5/8″ thick compared to the old one at 3/4″, which makes a world of difference.

Hitting on the mat is significantly easier on my joints, and my elbow issues have gone away. The mat is also nicer to stand on with more cushion.

The feedback from the mat is excellent, making it easy to feel exactly how good (or bad) a strike you make. The depth of the surface helps alleviate the common mat issue where the club bounces unnaturally.

I think either size (5′ x 5′ or 4′ x 9′) is a good option. If you have the extra space, the 4′ x 9′ leaves space to place the simulator and hit a driver. With the 5′ x 5′, I can hit my driver comfortably, but I am taking up most of the space on the mat and tend to set my SkyTrak off the mat on a block that levels it with the height of the mat.

I’ve had the mat for seven months, hitting thousands of shots, and it has yet to show any real wear. It’s recommended to rotate it occasionally to distribute the wear evenly. One feature it doesn’t have that some more expensive options have is a replaceable hitting strip.

swingturf ball on golf tee
A ball teed up on the SwingTurf mat

An added bonus of the SwingTurf is that it holds a golf tee, making practice more realistic. Unlike the ground, your tees can only go into the turf a specific amount, so depending on your preferred tee height, you may want to cut down some tees to your ideal length. This is easy to do with a strong clipper or shears. I still use a tee claw to keep the tees from flying all over my garage.

I’m very happy with my purchase of the SwingTurf, and my joints also thank me for it. I’d highly recommend this mat if you’re in the market for a high-quality option.

Pros

  • Great feedback for a mat
  • Easy on joints preventing injury
  • Can use real tees
  • Long-lasting

Cons

  • It might require cutting down some tees to get the right height
  • Feedback of a mat can’t match real turf
swingturf thumbnail

SwingTurf Golf Mat – 4.6/5

The SwingTurf golf mat is an excellent option for a simulator setup. It’s durable, provides great feedback, and is easy on the joints.

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4 Comments

  1. Avatar for Erik Lund

    Erik Lund

    I’ve had my swing turf 4 X 9 for just over a year with 355 rounds played on it with really good results. I’ve been curious how this mat measures up against the other big names and thank you for doing this review! Any time I’ve had any pain its been alleviated by sports tape. Only wrist pain and that’s more likely from playing 7-8 rounds per day sometimes. I’ve moved ST about 1/2 foot to change where I’m hitting since a very slight lower area appeared after approximately 200 rounds. The other 150 have been on the new area and it’s doing fine so far. I took up golf after a hiatus of 15 years and my prior golfing was maybe 15 rounds and driving range time. Joined a country club in 2021, played that summer (loosely using the term played) and then put the sim in a year ago Dec. So my swing has improved after two years on courses and those rounds in the sim. I believe this is why this section of the mat is less affected with the 150 rounds I’ve got on this section.

    • Avatar for Kyle J. Larson

      Kyle J. Larson

      Awesome, thanks for adding your feedback on the mat. I’ve found sports tape pretty helpful, too, for wrapping my fingers to prevent wear when I’m putting in some extended hours on the simulator.

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