DIY TrueStrike gel pad 4x5 mat for around $175

[Liveonce]

My local Home Depot and Lowes only had thinner lexan. I bought Makrolon brand on Amazon:

Makrolon GP General-Purpose Clear Transparent Polycarbonate Sheet, 3/16" Thickness, 24" Width, 24" Length https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RY8R33I

How much did the DIY divot action Cost to make?

sorry edited for divot action

[GungHoGolf]

Less than the DIY TrueStrike - Lexan (polycarbonate) is cheaper than UltraGel. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PAYW58Q

[JMinAZ]

I need a little guidance/insight. I'm looking at building my own DIY Divot Action and stance mat. My golf sim will be located on carpeting in my upstairs playroom with only 9' ceilings, so I want the platform as low as possible. Sounds like I need 1-inch of clearance for the Lexan insert to work optimally...here is my idea: use 4x8 plywood, stand the plywood on 1" thick wood to get the clearance off the carpet, cutout section from the plywood, add the Lexan, top with Synlawn or similar grass. This will be used for both lefty and righty golfers...

1. Do you think a 4x8 hitting area enough room or should I add another foot so it would be 4x9?
2. Do you think 1" wood not tall enough, do you think I should use 2x4 instead? Thanks!
3. How do you mark the hitting area since I will have a Mevo+ and nothing showing where they should hit from?

THANKS!

[GungHoGolf]

I need a little guidance/insight. I'm looking at building my own DIY Divot Action and stance mat. My golf sim will be located on carpeting in my upstairs playroom with only 9' ceilings, so I want the platform as low as possible. Sounds like I need 1-inch of clearance for the Lexan insert to work optimally...here is my idea: use 4x8 plywood, stand the plywood on 1" thick wood to get the clearance off the carpet, cutout section from the plywood, add the Lexan, top with Synlawn or similar grass. This will be used for both lefty and righty golfers...

1. Do you think a 4x8 hitting area enough room or should I add another foot so it would be 4x9?
2. Do you think 1" wood not tall enough, do you think I should use 2x4 instead? Thanks!
3. How do you mark the hitting area since I will have a Mevo+ and nothing showing where they should hit from?

THANKS!

4x8 should be plenty wide for both RH and LH players, with hitting area centered.

1" clearance below lexan is more than enough. Could probably skip the 1" wood under the plywood since it's going on top of carpet - that would leave about 1/2" of clearance (if 3/4" plywood) that would be cushioned by the carpet below in case it bottoms out.

You can mark the turf with a Sharpie to show your optimum ball position. Mevo+ reads ok if ball is within 6" of the dot.

[trhuke]

Not to mention 4x8 is a VERY handy size.......

[JMinAZ]

Considering that I have this DIY divot action under the artificial turf, what is your recommendation for attaching the turf to the plywood? Initially, I intended to use glue, but if something goes wrong with the divot action that would prevent me from cleanly lifting off the grass. Any suggestions? I'm going to try to knock this out today. Thanks!

[trhuke]

If the turf is solid enough some screws on the sides. If it's fairly lightweight maybe some screws with washers

[GungHoGolf]

Yes, a few wood screws around the perimeter.

[JMinAZ]

Thanks! Ended up using screws and washers..and then went around with a staple gun. I painted the screws and washers dark green to hide them better...and then used the same color to mark the edges of the hitting area. I think it turned out good.

[trhuke]

Looks good! Swing away!

[Aaijala]

looks great and thanks everyone for all the great info! How is this working out for you? I’ve had a jury-rigged garage SIM setup using a CCE mat which I thought I liked- but now After a month or so I am developing wrist and shoulder and even back pain from the CCE mat. I’m about to undertake a full garage SIM build and was planning to use putting turf over concrete for the entire floor and a cutout area for a hitting insert. But I am intrigued by the idea of using some type of DIY divot action or true strike-like “insert” underneath the putting turf In the hitting zone like you and GungHoGolf have done so I could maybe just hit off the putting turf(assuming I pick the right one- I’m still learning from this forum what might work best). If it begins to wear I could simply replace a section of the putting turf and it would look no different than a hitting insert- maybe better since it would exactly match the turf(appearance only matters because it will also be used as an entertainment room for the rest of the family). However it seems I would need to build a subfloor of some type or at least use a thicker foam pad base to accomplish this since I think most of the preferred putting turf solutions I am reading about are no more than .5-1 inch thick and wouldn’t leave room for the gel or Lexan and clearance needed. Any thoughts on the best way to go?

[DAK60]

I am planning to do the DIY Divot Action mod with the 3/16” Makrolon so I created a base with 3/4” Plywood with 1x4’s beneath layed on their side and a 10” x 16” cutout. Everything is ready to go once I get the Makrolon and Synlawn Precision Putt turf. Out of curiosity I layed my current 5star Perfect Reaction mat down on the base to see how it would feel. It has a 5/8” base and is close to 1 3/4” thick overall with the turf. I can’t say for sure, but it sure reacts very similar to GungHoGolf’s video. I’m sure my club still grabs more with my existing mat than it will with the SPP turf, but it is definitely more forgiving than when used directly on my concrete floor. I will try to post a video.

[stunted]

Yes, still loving the DIY Divot Action. 3/16" lexan is over an air gap. Have been using it every day for around 6 months. The lexan will never wear out. If/when the SynLawn Precision Putt turf wears out over it, I'll simply cut out and replace that section with some double-sided tape.

-Ron with GungHoGolf.com

Is the gel possibly quieter than the divotaction? I've had divotaction in the past and I remember there being a plasticky thawck.

How did the allturfmats hold up? Would using double-sided tape help prevent bubbling of the mat?

[GungHoGolf]

Is the gel possibly quieter than the divotaction? I've had divotaction in the past and I remember there being a plasticky thawck.

How did the allturfmats hold up? Would using double-sided tape help prevent bubbling of the mat?

Gel can be quieter, but we sell our own Holy Grail hitting strip now that is similar to the DA and it's just as quiet as gel: https://store.gunghogolf.com/Holy-Gr...rip-c113543171

Gel underneath turf does offer impact protection (a fairly soft feel when taking a divot or hitting fat), but doesn't compress much at high speed, so the club never really gets a chance to smooth move downwards after ball contact like a DA or Holy Grail design.