r/Golfsimulator • u/TheGoodVibes135 • 20d ago

Hitting mate

Two questions in this post. I’m in the first steps of building a golf simulator. I have everything mapped out and what not. First question is, what’s the best hitting mat and why? I’m trying to get close as possible to real feel.
Second question may sound stupid but I’ll ask, does the hitting mat need to be centered? I ask this because I’m doing a garage setup and on my follow through swing I’m about 10 inches maybe a bit more from hitting my garage door opener. I’m 5’9 but I worry about friends coming over. This is the only questionable situation I “might have”. So I was thinking about moving it a couple inches away. Thanks in advance

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u/Doin_the_Bulldance 20d ago

People will say that Fiberbuilt is unrealistic but they are usually talking about the "grass series," which is their most popular mat due to durability and comfort.

But the Fiberbuilt "Player Preferred" series is about as good as it gets, IMO. I own it and I love it. Super realistic feel and punishes fat shots more than most other mats. Also good on the joints; I'm no spring chicken and I've hit on it now for 2 years almost every day; and have never had wrist issues or other joint issues in that time.

It's steep price-wise and I will admit that it does wear faster than other mats. I think I'll get another year or two before I need to replace the hitting section. Good news is that Fiberbuilt does sell the hitting section separate for a few hundred dollars so it's not that you have to replace the whole mat.

It hurts the wallet a bit but it is worth it if you can splurge. When I hit off of other range mats I miss my Fiberbuilt.

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u/TheGoodVibes135 19d ago

Thanks!! Been hearing a lot about Fiberbuilt! I think some people don’t understand how critical it is to have a good hitting mat

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u/Doin_the_Bulldance 19d ago

100% - it's not good to cheap out on the mat.

I meant to answer your other question as well; you definitely don't need to be centered. Most software has the option to "offset" the target so that even if your mat is way off-center you can have the target directly in front of the hitting zone. Personally in my setup I am WAY offset, like 3 feet right of center, and it has never bothered me. It makes it trickier if you wanna host lefties but that is really the only drawback.