Fiberbuilt Player Preferred

[bombri]

I have a couple questions about the updated version of the FB mats (I have the original bristled version).
1. Is the player preferred version more similar to a tightly mowed fairway? I stopped using the original and started hitting off the standing turf so I had more feedback on ball/ground contact.
2. How is the impact protection? Does it hurt wrists/elbows?
3. I have a turf putting green and just need a small insert, do they sell the player preferred in inserts?

Anyone looking to sell their mat?

Thanks!
Brian

[ctalampas]

I have a couple questions about the updated version of the FB mats (I have the original bristled version).
1. Is the player preferred version more similar to a tightly mowed fairway? I stopped using the original and started hitting off the standing turf so I had more feedback on ball/ground contact.
2. How is the impact protection? Does it hurt wrists/elbows?
3. I have a turf putting green and just need a small insert, do they sell the player preferred in inserts?

Anyone looking to sell their mat?

Thanks!
Brian

I actually have the same question as yours. I first owned a cheap 3x5 hitting mat which had a tight lie. Eventualy, I put a cutout and inserted a Callaway hitting zone. Then I bought the FB 7x4 (4x4 stance mat, 1x4 grass strip, 2x4 spacer mat). I was actually happy in a sense that it was friendly to my arm and wrist. But like you, I wanted to get more feedback especially on fat shots. I spoke with one of their specialists and asked him about the feel, difference and a possible convertion to a Player Preffered Series. It was possible to convert. He would just have to submit to engineering what I already have and purchase the components to convert it. He said it was like hitting from my stance mat but better in absorption. It was kind of hard to imagine the real feel except to compare my old 3x5 and the stance of my FB Grass Series. It could be in the middle. I could bury my fingernail in the latter. So, I could only imagine that with the vibration absorption layer, it would definitely help prevent injury.

[Brettster]

I agree - I wish Fiberbuilt was better at discussing changes and exactly how things changed with their mats, especially when some of them can be $4,000 or more! I have a few Fiberbuilt strips that come with ProTee sensors, one is 5-6 years old and appears a little firmer, harder bristles. But, I'm not sure if that's from wear, or what. The other I have is probably no more than 1 year, maybe even more like 3-5 months of use. Then you have the different names, the 'Grass Mat', the 'Performance Mat', and the tiny little 'flightpad', etc, etc.

Come on guys, I hope someone from Fiberbuilt is listening? Please give us better details on your products, before we can even make $1,000 decisions. I'm probably likely to go with strips only at this point, just because it's so hard to determine if there is any difference in stance mat, and I really don't know what you mean by 'updated mats', when was that update done (recently)?

[bombri]

Thanks guys, glad to know I'm not the only person with this question. I've got my old fiberbuilt stance mat cut in half and sitting right now in my syn lawn putting turf but the lie is too tight without much absorption. I'm looking for something a little softer without feeling like a flier lie in short rough like the original Fiberbuilt.

If anyone has ideas I'm all ears.

[LoR]

I'm in the same boat here. I have an older Fiberbuilt mat. I just recently bought a 4pc grass strip. Cost me $417.00 CAN. Though its well built and is easy on the wrists it feels like I'm hitting out of first cut rough. Very disappointed. Was wondering if any of you found an alternative or did anyone try Fiberbuilt's players preferred mat?

[StalefishFS3]

Anyone looking for a strip should look into the EZ Tee Hybrid. This guy is selling strips of it. I bought one from him, and the EZ Tee is pretty darn good. I believe it is what Trackman installs in their turnkey systems.

https://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum/classified-ads/golf-clubs-and-accessoires/358881-ez-tee-hybrid-hitting-strip

[frackh]

I actually have the same question as yours. I first owned a cheap 3x5 hitting mat which had a tight lie. Eventualy, I put a cutout and inserted a Callaway hitting zone. Then I bought the FB 7x4 (4x4 stance mat, 1x4 grass strip, 2x4 spacer mat). I was actually happy in a sense that it was friendly to my arm and wrist. But like you, I wanted to get more feedback especially on fat shots. I spoke with one of their specialists and asked him about the feel, difference and a possible convertion to a Player Preffered Series. It was possible to convert. He would just have to submit to engineering what I already have and purchase the components to convert it. He said it was like hitting from my stance mat but better in absorption. It was kind of hard to imagine the real feel except to compare my old 3x5 and the stance of my FB Grass Series. It could be in the middle. I could bury my fingernail in the latter. So, I could only imagine that with the vibration absorption layer, it would definitely help prevent injury.

Did they provide any price point for a conversion? I've submitted the question a couple of times to their sales email and never received a response.

[Timmy5under]

I purchased the 8' x 4' Player Preferred Series Mat but have only hit about 50 shots on it so far as I've been busy building my sim. With the price point being so high I was definitely a little nervous I wouldn't like it but so far I love it. It's super solid but has a forgiveness about it where you don't worry you'll catch it heavy and hurt a wrist. I am more of a picker of the ball so I can't give a lot of feedback on heavy shots, at least until I hit some more. I also haven't had other Fiberbuilt mats so I can't compare this edition to previous editions. What I will say is it is the best mat I've hit off of, and I've previously owned quite a few of 5' x 5' mats in the $400-$500 range. I'll give more feedback in the next couple of weeks after I put a few hundred shots in.

[frackh]

I purchased the 8' x 4' Player Preferred Series Mat but have only hit about 50 shots on it so far as I've been busy building my sim. With the price point being so high I was definitely a little nervous I wouldn't like it but so far I love it. It's super solid but has a forgiveness about it where you don't worry you'll catch it heavy and hurt a wrist. I am more of a picker of the ball so I can't give a lot of feedback on heavy shots, at least until I hit some more. I also haven't had other Fiberbuilt mats so I can't compare this edition to previous editions. What I will say is it is the best mat I've hit off of, and I've previously owned quite a few of 5' x 5' mats in the $400-$500 range. I'll give more feedback in the next couple of weeks after I put a few hundred shots in.

Can you take some pictures of the rubber base where the hitting strip and the stance mat meet? Curious to know if they're the same connection as the 9x4 Studio mat.
Thanks!

[Timmy5under]

It connects by plugs with the other pieces, either already part of the mat or the separate plugs they provide to use. There is a specific order of assembly and the main hitting mat has plugs on all four corners and the middle that mate to the adjacent piece.

[Lefty37]

I also purchased one after several phone calls to Fiberbuilt. It is quite good. It has a 1’ wide gel section in the middle of the 2’ wide section. The worst thing about it is the tees are so far off to the side that we have found that using the Mevo+ indoors hitting tee shots doesn’t work great. We bought some lose rubber driving range tees and all is well. I really don’t think you could drill a hole in the middle for a tee without ruining the center gel section. Overall it is really quite good. Better than the regular boot brush hitting strips, that is for sure.

[Timmy5under]

frackh here is a pic of the bottom of the Player Preferred mat. Sorry for the delay, didn't redo the shims underneath until this past weekend.

[frackh]

Thanks!
Not sure what's happening at Fiberbuilt but they're not answering any email or web questions on their product the past few months,

[Brettster]

Timmy5under - So that spot in the middle has gel inside of it, up to the turf??? Can you get a pic of how that looks from the top? I didn't know Fiberbuilt was making anything like that - with gel inside of it... Can you just buy the strip for that and get the gel? That might be a good option for some people.

[Phish828]

Yes they are very slow to respond now. I started getting green marks on my irons from player preferred mat and they went silent

[Pawheel]

I called FB and spoke to them about just replacing the standard hitting 1x4 mat with the player preferred. He said it doesn’t work like that. I’d have to spend $800 for the player mat and the wider under mat support due to the hitting mat being wider. I’d also have to replace the standing mat area due to it being a different height. All that would bring my cost of a 4x7 hitting mat to over $2000. I told him no thanks and I’d buy his competitors replacement product. I just ordered the gung-ho holy grail 1x4 strip. Not sure why FB wants to limit themselves this way.

[jasonreg]

I called FB and spoke to them about just replacing the standard hitting 1x4 mat with the player preferred. He said it doesn’t work like that. I’d have to spend $800 for the player mat and the wider under mat support due to the hitting mat being wider. I’d also have to replace the standing mat area due to it being a different height. All that would bring my cost of a 4x7 hitting mat to over $2000. I told him no thanks and I’d buy his competitors replacement product. I just ordered the gung-ho holy grail 1x4 strip. Not sure why FB wants to limit themselves this way.

I fully agree. It is a huge miss on their part. I tried early on to replace the hitting section of my 10 x 12 combo mat with the FB Preferred. I was even willing to buy the entire 4 x 10 hitting/stance area but that required new base sections and the cost was truly silly. I have the Bullseye original and the Bullseye Soft-Strike 1 x 4 sections. I like both but the soft strike is exceptional IMO. Perfect drop in and slightly shorter in height than the grass series so it is a near perfect transition for putting.