TrueStrike or Fiberbuilt

[Trickle007]

Currently using CCE but I am looking into getting either a Truestrike or a fiberbuilt. Looking for pros and cons of both from people who actually used both. I like my CCE but can be a little rough on the elbow with my swing path.

Any advice that you all can provide would be greatly appreciated.

[DannyMRICS]

Love my Truestrike. Haven’t used FB. The only thing I’m not sure about is how easy it is going to be to set the Truestrike into a putting green. Lots of people seem to have done this with the FB, but not so much with the TS.

[Alphaseekr]

A 1x3 is $229 w/ free shipping. I just ordered the 4x5 set, $499 free shipping. It looks like you really can’t go wrong with either.

The only complaints I saw on TruStrike were some questions on durability of the gel section, honestly though, it was a small sample of opinions on this site. The big complaints on FB is putting, I don’t putt on my sim. That was all that really went into my thinking. They both seem to successfully accomplish what CCE and cheapo range mats cannot.

[Jwheels9876]

To the people who have used both, which plays more realistic? I'm also looking to buy perhaps one or the other but I don't want to get something that's going to allow me to get away with mishits. Right now I'm using 2 of these side by side and if I hit it fat, I get punished probably a bit too much but it's made me a better ball striker over the last 2 years for sure. https://www.allturfmats.com/product-p/4x5ttgolf-atm.htm

I'm wondering if the price of the FB or Truestrike is even justified? I would want something about 8 foot long and 4-5 foot wide...

[Alphaseekr]

Jwheels9876 I’m currently using the exact same ATM sized mat. I’ll post an update on my FB thoughts in comparison.

[Jwheels9876]

Awesome, look forward to hearing your thoughts.

[DannyMRICS]

Trickle007,

If you already have the CCE, can’t you use that as your stance mat, and drop a hitting strip into it, saving you some cash?

The Truestrike stance mat is fine, but the real value is in the hitting strip of course; same with the FB I would imagine. Not sure how easy it is to insert the TS though ...

Have you looked at the Divot Action? That looks good, and looks like it could easily be cut into your CCE.

Dan

[Trickle007]

I could cut something in to my cce but that sounds like to much work and I could easily mess up a $500 mat. I would rather just spend the $500 to $750 once and be "plug and play". I am not really concerned with the money side of it.

[Trickle007]

Well I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a Fiberbuilt 4' x 7' Single Sided Studio Golf Mat. I went with the 4x7 so I can set my skytrak on top of the mat so I don't have to mess with leveling the unit with the screw in feet. Few reasons why I went with the Fiberbuilt over the truestrike was:

1) Being that I use a Skytrak and have to hit around the laser dot means I would always have to hit off the gel section on the TrueStrike even with woods meaning I can't use real tees (I am not a fan of Tomahawk tees or the shuttlecock looking ones) I like to use the tees I use on the real golf course.

2) when the 1x4 section of my fiberbuilt wears and needs replacement it is a $200.00 fix compared to the gel section of the TrueStrike which is $385.

3) reviews state it is much easier (and Realistic) to hit short range shots (flops and Chips) with the fiberbuilt. My sim short game has been terrible (hoping fiberbuilt can help improve this).

4) The final Reason I went with fiberbuilt is the fact it was in stock. Over the next 6 weeks I will be putting in some major sim hours preparing for the start of my real golf season. TrueStrike will not be available anywhere until mid March and when you include shipping I won't see a TrueStrike for at least 2 months. Being that I was flip flopping on both mats I let the major deciding factor be what is available now.

I am pretty sure I would be completely happy with either of the 2 mats in discussion.

Thank you for all your opinions and reviews. When I get the new mat delivered and set up I will post a few picks and let you know what I think. Here is a link to what i ended up purchasing:

[Wundej]

Well I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a Fiberbuilt 4' x 7' Single Sided Studio Golf Mat. I went with the 4x7 so I can set my skytrak on top of the mat so I don't have to mess with leveling the unit with the screw in feet. Few reasons why I went with the Fiberbuilt over the truestrike was:

1) Being that I use a Skytrak and have to hit around the laser dot means I would always have to hit off the gel section on the TrueStrike even with woods meaning I can't use real tees (I am not a fan of Tomahawk tees or the shuttlecock looking ones) I like to use the tees I use on the real golf course.

2) when the 1x4 section of my fiberbuilt wears and needs replacement it is a $200.00 fix compared to the gel section of the TrueStrike which is $385.

3) reviews state it is much easier (and Realistic) to hit short range shots (flops and Chips) with the fiberbuilt. My sim short game has been terrible (hoping fiberbuilt can help improve this).

4) The final Reason I went with fiberbuilt is the fact it was in stock. Over the next 6 weeks I will be putting in some major sim hours preparing for the start of my real golf season. TrueStrike will not be available anywhere until mid March and when you include shipping I won't see a TrueStrike for at least 2 months. Being that I was flip flopping on both mats I let the major deciding factor be what is available now.

I am pretty sure I would be completely happy with either of the 2 mats in discussion.

Thank you for all your opinions and reviews. When I get the new mat delivered and set up I will post a few picks and let you know what I think. Here is a link to what i ended up purchasing:

Maybe I’m missing something, but Fiberbuilt doesn’t take real tees unless you use a rubber tee holder. Was that what you were planning?

[Alphaseekr]

That’s correct FB takes real tees within the ultra-short rubber tee holder. Tees cannot be directly spiked into the mat like a CCE or ATM Super.

[Trickle007]

Maybe I’m missing something, but Fiberbuilt doesn’t take real tees unless you use a rubber tee holder. Was that what you were planning?

This is what I plan on using, the top of the rubber tee sits flush with the fiberbuilt mat. This rubber tee is designed to hold real tees. Then what I do is place the red dot from the skytrak at the top of the rubber tee and I just hit my iron shots about 1 inch behind the rubber tee. This allows my to not have to move skytrak and still be able to use a tee and hit irons and fairways off the deck and skytrak picks everything up just fine. This is exactly what I am currently doing with my CCE.

[wbond]

Let us know how it is hitting into the rubber tee on every iron shot. I wonder if you'll either tear it or not like the feeling of hitting into it. If you don't like it, you could make a short slider to move the ST in and out with linear bearings or some type of roller so you could still use the real tees that you prefer.

[Trickle007]

Let us know how it is hitting into the rubber tee on every iron shot. I wonder if you'll either tear it or not like the feeling of hitting into it. If you don't like it, you could make a short slider to move the ST in and out with linear bearings or some type of roller so you could still use the real tees that you prefer.

I have been hitting behind the rubber tees with my irons for a year now... It has never been an issue with the CCE. Possibly with the fiberbuilt it may be more forgiving which may cause an issue but if it is I can hit hit my irons even further behind and skytrak still picks it up, I have hit as far a 4 inches behind the dot with same results as hitting on the dot. but i will update after a few rounds.

[Wundej]

I have been hitting behind the rubber tees with my irons for a year now... It has never been an issue with the CCE. Possibly with the fiberbuilt it may be more forgiving which may cause an issue but if it is I can hit hit my irons even further behind and skytrak still picks it up, I have hit as far a 4 inches behind the dot with same results as hitting on the dot. but i will update after a few rounds.

It’ll definitely feel different. The CCE tee hole still has a lot of resistance because of the stiffness of the CCE material. You’ll probably “feel” the rubber tee more on iron shots with the Fiberbuilt but may not be a big deal.

I would definitely suggest rotating the rubber tee 45* every session. It’ll keep the long term deformation uniform. Then you won’t end up with it leaning in one direction from all the Impact.

[Trickle007]

I have about a dozen of those rubber tees. There really inexpensive so wearing them out should not be a problem.

[Alphaseekr]

So I just received my 4x5 FB mat, hit a bunch of 7 irons and than played a full round on E6. It’s definitely a lot different than my CCE type ATM mat. I wouldn’t say in my estimation it is overly forgiving for a fat shot or bad swing. The mat overall is a huge improvement. Other than stating comments that others are familiar with, some additional considerations below:

The good
-easy to set up, the base is heavy and well constructed, took all but 10min or so
-definitely a large step up from the cheapo mats for sure
-the standing platform is CCE like but probably an inch or so thick and a very stable base, no quishy and not too hard, almost like standing on a fairway, firm and soft
-the 1x3 insert is well constructed, heavy and is definitely the jewel of what these guys do, thick turf but you can instantly tell from feel it’s “more forgiving”
-insert “feel” is far FAR superior to CCE/ATM mats, the 4x4 base is also a very nice step up from doing a CCE combo — though doing that works absolutely just fine (doing this crossed my mind, but I didn’t want to regret being too penny wise)

The bad
-don’t like paying $499 and receiving styrofoam inserts to stabilize the base, improve the material to a lightweight hard plastic
-packing was ok, boxes came damaged, contents can move but items were secured and not damaged or scratched in any way
-I didn’t adjust my Skytrak height all that well so initially had a higher number of misreads. I’m still working on that but got the number down significantly to what is closer to what seems my normal 1-2 per 80-100 hits.
-base slightly moves, I mean ever so slightly after a several hits, now I do have it on a green felt like carpet, we are talking 1” maybe on the 4x4 standing side, the CCE/ATM had to be moved back into place regularly
-don’t count on successfully putting, I don’t putt but it will be hard with this style mat
-as others stated, you cannot use Tomahawk tees, they just don’t stand well, however you can use BirdeeTees and other rubber type tees, no problem

Hoping the joints feel good, the mat holds up and Skytrak does it’s thing, no misreads.

I still question the price I paid from my own budget perspective, but the alternatives were not too much less $ and perhaps wouldn’t meet my “feel standards”. Overall, no other regrets, this is the purchase I would make again on a re-do.

[Jwheels9876]

Would you say it's too forgiving compared to the ATM? You know how penalizing that can be but that's how real life is when you chunk a ball so I actually like it as it makes me hit the ball correctly or pay the price with reduced distance as I would IRL.

I use tomahawk tees in the sim and IRL. I got so used to the perfect tee height that I can't be bothered using real tees on the course anymore.

Wondering why you decided to get rid of the ATM in the first place? I've had mine for 2 years and it's like new but I've always wondered if the Truestrike or FB would be a better choice. As much money as I've spent on stuff for this hobby, another $1000 on a really nice mat wouldn't be an issue but I'm afraid of spending that much and finding out I didn't improve my situation.
Thanks for the review, I hope you enjoy the new purchase.

[Trickle007]

Jwheels9876 if you dont like you could always sell it.... I know it is a big giant pain in the ass selling things but it is an option.

[cooke23]

I just got a 1x3 delivered today. The build quality is legit. Top notch. I will say I was surprised how thick the Pyle was. The whole thickness of Pyle and the base is 1 3/4in with the base only being about 1/2in or so. To me that made it play quite a bit less forgiving on fat shots than CCE and my Divot Action. Your club can dig so far down now. I was initially hitting shots off the top of my iron faces and even sky balled one of my hybrids. That’s literally never happened in my sim before but occasionally happens outside. Hands down....the FB performs closest to outside that I’ve ever hit on. For better or worse I guess. Short game is LOADS better/easier on this too but I was quite good with the DA and CCE tight lies chipping but with time I think I’ll get better off this too. Another thing I’ve noticed.......back spin numbers are about 10% higher. 10000 normal RPMs were spinning close to 11000.

[Trickle007]

Well received my new fiberbuilt today. Played 27 holes and alot on the range. My 1st impressions the fiberbuilt will make you a better ball striker. When you hit a fat shot you are penalized just like on a real course. Fat shots with my 7 iron where going 135ish and when I struck it clean I get about 165 on average. I was afraid the fiberbuilt would be to easy to hit off of but I i was wrong, you have to make quality golf swings or your penalized just like on a real course(this is a good thing). Chipping is a big improvement on the fiberbuilt. As for putting it may be slightly slower but it is not a problem I actually like putting on the fiberbuilt. Just like in real golf you just have to get used to the speed.

Also they must have changed the standing base as all the ones I have seen on the internet had foam inserts, mine came with solid rubber sections that interlock then you lay the turf on. I will say CCE is more comfortable to stand on the the fiberbuilt platform.

Jwheels9876 the fiberbuilt will take some getting used to but it is more realistic then your traditional golf mat. You do not get the bounce on a fiberbuilt that you do with traditional mat I.E. hit a ball fat and club just bounces into ball. With the fiberbuilt fat shots your club goes under the ball. At this time I definitely recommend a fiberbuilt.

[JiminSc]

Yes in talking with Fiberbuilt the new mats have rubber sections that interlock, no more zip ties.

[scottmizo]

Thanks for the update. I am considering the same mat but I have a lefty in the house and was wondering if it it possible to rotate the mat without disassembling.

[Trickle007]

scottmizo simple answer no you can't easily move the mat. When assembled it is super heavy I had a hard time pushing it 3 inches. I think fully assembled the entire set up is 100lbs + I know the entire shipping weight was 120 lbs.