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DIY Divot Action Mat
TL;DR - Jump to supplies and construction if you don't want the background/testing.
After recently discovering I've got enough ceiling clearance to hit balls inside, I've set out to work my way towards a SIM. Started with a basic 10' x 7' net and needed a mat. While the cost savings is nice, I personally enjoy DIY work and decided to try my hand at a hitting strip. It seems the primary two DIY mats people make are either the gel or foam type. I've hit off of a true strike mat before, and really liked it. But felt the foam option may be even better. So I started collecting supplies and came up with a quick proof of concept, which included the following:
So I drew up some adjusted plans and set out to make my "official" divot action mat. For the base of both the hitting strip and stance mat, I decided on using some 3/4" melamine I had laying around. I bought a massive IKEA wardrobe worth of it for like $20 a while back from a guy on FB marketplace. So it was time to put it to use. Which served a purpose beyond the fact that I had it on-hand. That purpose being I wanted to cut out a portion the size of the hitting strip, and then screw the polycarbonate directly into my base. As this would make it super easy to replace the strip when it wears out.
As for the strip, I opted to go with the polycarbonate again. But this time I was just going to use some construction adhesive and glue the turf down. Speaking of, the turf was really the hardest thing to source. I looked all over for remnants. No luck. And any non-remnants required sizable orders and shipping fees. Fortunately, someone here recommended Synlawn, and I found Lowes sells it in reasonable quantities. I was a little skeptical that it wouldn't be as nice as the professional grade sample I'd used in the proof of concept mat. But it's actually really nice. Even tested it on a stimpmeter and it rolled right at the 10 that was claimed. I actually like it slightly more than the sample I'd received.
Given that the "test" mat was 1" in height, but my second one was using a 3/4" base, I needed some new open cell foam. Which I wanted to change up anyway in favor of a slightly more "springy" and softer version. It was actually surprising to find that 3/4" open cell foam isn't that common. Fortunately, the one kind I found on Amazon was absolutely perfect. A bit less stiff, and rebounded more quickly. With everything together, it was time to make this thing.
Supplies Summary (total investment of around $90)
The stance mat turned out great. Given the weight of the 3/4" melamine, it's super stable. While being very comfortable at the same time. Now the hitting strip is absolutely amazing. The slightly softer foam made a noticeable difference. It really is a dream to hit off of. Hands down the best mat I've ever had the pleasure of using.
Screwing the strip to the melamine base was definitely the way to go. More secure than velcro and less permanent than some type of adhesive. It'll take minutes to change out if/when the turf needs replaced. And I still have enough turf on hand to make 3 more. So replacements will cost me only $17 for another sheet of Lexan. Similarly, if I ever need to replace turf on the stance mat, it'll be super easy as well. The crown staples did a great job of securing the turf. While allowing for easy removal if needed.
I also find this solution is perfect for my space. If you have a dedicated sim room, portability and storage won't matter. But for me, being able to quickly move the mat out of the way is a big deal. And since it's affixed to a solid base, I can stand it upright off to the side of a room without any concerns about the turf deforming.
Bottom Line
This was a fun and simple project that was absolutely worth doing. The cost of $90 wasn't insignificant, but still a nice savings over any manufactured mats worth using. And, not only did I make both a hitting strip and stance mat with that investment, but I still have enough material to make another 3 replacement hitting strips.
After recently discovering I've got enough ceiling clearance to hit balls inside, I've set out to work my way towards a SIM. Started with a basic 10' x 7' net and needed a mat. While the cost savings is nice, I personally enjoy DIY work and decided to try my hand at a hitting strip. It seems the primary two DIY mats people make are either the gel or foam type. I've hit off of a true strike mat before, and really liked it. But felt the foam option may be even better. So I started collecting supplies and came up with a quick proof of concept, which included the following:
- Lexan polycarbonate sheet from HD (.093" thick) - $17
- HD double sided tape (already had on hand) - Free-ish
- 1" sheet of form insulation board - $7
- Putting turf (12" x 12" sample) - Free
- 1" open cell foam - $13
So I drew up some adjusted plans and set out to make my "official" divot action mat. For the base of both the hitting strip and stance mat, I decided on using some 3/4" melamine I had laying around. I bought a massive IKEA wardrobe worth of it for like $20 a while back from a guy on FB marketplace. So it was time to put it to use. Which served a purpose beyond the fact that I had it on-hand. That purpose being I wanted to cut out a portion the size of the hitting strip, and then screw the polycarbonate directly into my base. As this would make it super easy to replace the strip when it wears out.
As for the strip, I opted to go with the polycarbonate again. But this time I was just going to use some construction adhesive and glue the turf down. Speaking of, the turf was really the hardest thing to source. I looked all over for remnants. No luck. And any non-remnants required sizable orders and shipping fees. Fortunately, someone here recommended Synlawn, and I found Lowes sells it in reasonable quantities. I was a little skeptical that it wouldn't be as nice as the professional grade sample I'd used in the proof of concept mat. But it's actually really nice. Even tested it on a stimpmeter and it rolled right at the 10 that was claimed. I actually like it slightly more than the sample I'd received.
Given that the "test" mat was 1" in height, but my second one was using a 3/4" base, I needed some new open cell foam. Which I wanted to change up anyway in favor of a slightly more "springy" and softer version. It was actually surprising to find that 3/4" open cell foam isn't that common. Fortunately, the one kind I found on Amazon was absolutely perfect. A bit less stiff, and rebounded more quickly. With everything together, it was time to make this thing.
Supplies Summary (total investment of around $90)
- 3/4" Melamine (already had on hand) - Free-ish
- 12" x 24" Lexan Polycarbonate (.093" thick) - $17
- 1' x 15' Synlawn Multi-use Turf - $45
- Liquid Nails Fuze It Max - $10
- 3/4" Open Cell Foam - $14
- Misc. hardware and tools I already had on hand (truss screws, rubber washers, crown nail gun, jigsaw, drill, etc.) - Free-ish
- I started with my stance mat. The melamine panels I have are around 2' x 3', so I cut the appropriate amount of turf and stapled it with my crown gun and some 1/2" staples. I also included some thin foam underlayment that I had leftover from when we installed our bamboo floors. Not mandatory, but it added a little more cushion. And also about the same thickness as the polycarbonate. Making the height of the stance mat and strip virtually identical.
- Next I took my polycarbonate sheet, and drilled some holes .75" from each end and spaced 2" apart. I drilled them larger than the #8 truss screws I was going to use. As I wanted to avoid risking any splitting that close to the edges. Instead relying upon enough clamping force with the truss screws and rubber washers. I then cut a 2' strip of turf and adhered it to the polycarbonate with the construction adhesive. If you plan to screw the poly to your base, it's important to leave some space without adhesive near the holes at each end. I left about 1.5" at each end clear of any adhesive. As that would allow me enough room to move the turf out of the way when fastening the strip to my base.
- While waiting for the adhesive to cure, I grabbed another melamine panel. I cut a rectangular hole in the center roughly 12.5" by 21". I oversized the width to ensure the hitting strip wouldn't bind against the base. And then undersized the length, effectively by 1.5" on each side to provide enough room to screw into the melamine. I also drilled some appropriately sized pilot holes matching the pattern of my polycarbonate strip. Just to ensure I didn't get any splitting near the edges of the melamine.
- Once the adhesive cured (12-24 hours for the stuff I used). I lined up the strip and fastened it to the melamine with my truss screws and rubber washers. While I'd drilled 5 holes on each side of the strip, I only used 3 screws/washers on each side. And frankly 2 on each side were plenty strong for keeping the strip nice and secure.
- Finally I took some turf scraps from my earlier cuts and stapled it to the melamine with the embedded hitting strip, along with a smaller scrap of melamine. As this would give me a spot to keep a couple dozen balls in "queue".
The stance mat turned out great. Given the weight of the 3/4" melamine, it's super stable. While being very comfortable at the same time. Now the hitting strip is absolutely amazing. The slightly softer foam made a noticeable difference. It really is a dream to hit off of. Hands down the best mat I've ever had the pleasure of using.
Screwing the strip to the melamine base was definitely the way to go. More secure than velcro and less permanent than some type of adhesive. It'll take minutes to change out if/when the turf needs replaced. And I still have enough turf on hand to make 3 more. So replacements will cost me only $17 for another sheet of Lexan. Similarly, if I ever need to replace turf on the stance mat, it'll be super easy as well. The crown staples did a great job of securing the turf. While allowing for easy removal if needed.
I also find this solution is perfect for my space. If you have a dedicated sim room, portability and storage won't matter. But for me, being able to quickly move the mat out of the way is a big deal. And since it's affixed to a solid base, I can stand it upright off to the side of a room without any concerns about the turf deforming.
Bottom Line
This was a fun and simple project that was absolutely worth doing. The cost of $90 wasn't insignificant, but still a nice savings over any manufactured mats worth using. And, not only did I make both a hitting strip and stance mat with that investment, but I still have enough material to make another 3 replacement hitting strips.
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