Mat DIY idea....worth it?

[drewtaylor21]

I'm in the process of getting started and trying to save money where I can. I have decided on RealFeel CCE for a hitting strip (10x36") but here's my question: should I just get the CCE stance mat to go with the hitting strip (~ $185), or am I crazy for thinking I can combine the CCE hitting strip with the following stance mat for $120 total?

http://www.allturfmats.com/product-p/tc3648.htm

The all turf mat isn't the same height as the CCE, so I'd probably have to put some additional mat/tiling underneath the stance mat. Would this make it more likely to slide around? I don't want to make things overcomplicated, but I also like the idea of saving money along the way to apply to the LM down the road....

What do you guys think? Go the easier route with CCE the whole way, or is it easy enough to combine two different products and save some money?

Thanks for any advice!

[mthunt]

There's an old saying, spend the money and you'll regret it once, don't spend the money and you'll regret it every time you use it. Find a way to spend the money.

[Gamble Gamble]

great mantra

[wbond]

You mean something like this? Off to the side is the CCE hitting strip cut in half to fit drop into another mat. You can absolutely save money and do it right if you are willing to do some stuff yourself. You can even buy a very cheap thin mat to put on top of a platform built out thin plywood or whatever base you want and drop it in the same way.

[Ronsc1985]

You're trying to save peanuts compared to the total cost of a decent installation. Get a 5x5 CC elite for about 450 or so and move on.

If you do this you will be at the same height as the ball all the time and if the mat develops a slight depression from hitting irons from the same spot many times you can rotate the mat three times to get to a pristine hitting surface.

[FaultyClubs]

When i checked the 5x5 was more like $550 incl shipping so I bought a CCE hitting strip for $20. Maybe the savings are peanuts for the big spenders but if you are handy building things and have a good workshop then it might be worth it. However i wouldn't go the route the OP described...that just sounds messy. Do it right whichever way you go.

[wbond]

I guess it depends on your definition of "peanuts" I would consider a savings of approx $400 to be pretty significant. The full mat or a properly built DIY platform will both perform, just depends on your diy skills and the amount you want to spend on your mat setup.

[Ronsc1985]

When i checked the 5x5 was more like $550 incl shipping so I bought a CCE hitting strip for $20. Maybe the savings are peanuts for the big spenders but if you are handy building things and have a good workshop then it might be worth it. However i wouldn't go the route the OP described...that just sounds messy. Do it right whichever way you go.

Current price at Costco is $449 shipped and they have a sale every now and then.

[Ronsc1985]

I guess it depends on your definition of "peanuts" I would consider a savings of approx $400 to be pretty significant. The full mat or a properly built DIY platform will both perform, just depends on your diy skills and the amount you want to spend on your mat setup.

Unless you can get a hitting strip and the required other materials for less then $49 you're not going to save 400.

[drewtaylor21]

You mean something like this? Off to the side is the CCE hitting strip cut in half to fit drop into another mat. You can absolutely save money and do it right if you are willing to do some stuff yourself. You can even buy a very cheap thin mat to put on top of a platform built out thin plywood or whatever base you want and drop it in the same way.

Yeah something like that. I had actually just thought of doing it as pictured below and building a perimeter around them to secure things, but dropping the hitting strip within the stance mat seems like a better idea. Do you find the mat moves around at all? Seems like it would stay put pretty well.....What did you use to make the cuts in the stance mat? Did you find any issues in the integrity of either mat once you cut them? That would be my main concern. Thanks for the input!

[m3w]

If you do it like in your drawing, it would prevent the leading edge from being pulled up when you follow through the ball. It's a little better than having a smaller cut-out.

[drewtaylor21]

You're trying to save peanuts compared to the total cost of a decent installation. Get a 5x5 CC elite for about 450 or so and move on.

If you do this you will be at the same height as the ball all the time and if the mat develops a slight depression from hitting irons from the same spot many times you can rotate the mat three times to get to a pristine hitting surface.

Question for you CCE users: do you find the mat to be too squishy underfoot at all? It seems like the way it's built is great for replicating a fairway in terms of ball striking, but not having ever stood on one I worry it may not be as firm as I'd like to stand on.

[m3w]

It is a little bit squishy, from my point of view. I have a 60 x 90 mat. If I did it again, I would buy a firmer stance mat and just a strip of hitting surface.

[Ronsc1985]

Question for you CCE users: do you find the mat to be too squishy underfoot at all? It seems like the way it's built is great for replicating a fairway in terms of ball striking, but not having ever stood on one I worry it may not be as firm as I'd like to stand on.

I guess it depends where you play. I play mostly on zoysia so it's a perfect match. The same would apply to bermuda grass. If you are playing on GB/Scotland links courses which are in general hard as a rock then maybe it would seem too soft.

Remember soft in a mat is good if you hit a lot of balls since the hard mats tend to beat up your wrists and elbows if you hit it even slightly fat.

[mthunt]

Hard mats are way too easy to hit off of. Fat shots bounce into the ball.

[wbond]

A friend of mine has the full CCE mat and i find it feels a little too soft to stand on and not reflective of the fairways we play on here in MI. Your drawing of having it the full width would be better, because as mentioned, the turf that is front of the hitting strip will start to get pulled up. The only reason i did this is because this mat was designed for the P3 proswing unit which dropped in. I then bought an aftermarket turf for the P3 as well as one for the opti and made all of them the same size. I just cut through the mat with a new razor blade and a straight edge. When i redo my stance platform, i would do it like your drawing. Make a perimeter and then place the full length hitting strip on one side.

[mthunt]

Question for you CCE users: do you find the mat to be too squishy underfoot at all? It seems like the way it's built is great for replicating a fairway in terms of ball striking, but not having ever stood on one I worry it may not be as firm as I'd like to stand on.

I really thought mine was squishy when I got it but it's not. It only seems squishy in bare feet. When you're playing it's perfect. It's like a fairway.

Mine is 60x120

[Alienator]

I did the same thing. I got the 10x18 CCE strip and its plenty big enough to hit off of.
I then built a platform 10ftx4ft out of 1/2 OSB at 12$ for the sheet and 3$ for the 2ft x 4ft piece.
I ran 4 10ft 2x4s lengthwise under it to give it some support at 14$.
On top of the platform I put 3/4" hard pink insulation styrofoam and then 1/2" heavy duty carpet padding. Both of these I got free but you could purchase for less than 30$.
Then I put some of the cheap outdoor green carpet from home depot on top, it was 43$ for the 11ft by 6ft piece (it only comes in 6ft width).
I cut out a spot the size of the CCE mat in the pink foam, carpet padding and then cut an x in the green carpeting and pushed the CCE into the hole and ran a couple of screws in the corner to hold it down. The CCE seems to be about 1/8" taller than the surround platform but its close enough, you never get perfect level lies in golf even on tee boxes.
This all came in under 100$ for me for everything and even if you had to buy everything and paid a little extra it would be less than 150$.

The main reason I went this route is I am a lefty and my friends are all right handed. I also have a drain in the middle of my garage and the floor has about 3 inches of slope in 4 feet right where the mat would go, really poor concrete work imo but that's another story. Now my platform spans the drain, and everyone can stand on a level mat and it cost less than 1/4 the price.

[jetergr]

This is fantastic. I'm actually going to try and build the exact same thing.

How did you fasten the insulation to the wood?

And the padding to the insulation?

And the carpet to the frame?

[Alienator]

I used clear Silicone to attach the pink insulation foam board to the wood and the carpet padding to the pink foam board on the other side. Took 4 tubes total as I was fairly liberal with it. I used 3/8 staples to attach the carpeting on the underside. I used a couple of 1 inch wood screws to hold the strip of CCE in the middle so it didn't slide or pop out.
Make sure you pull the clear plastic film off of your pink foam board insulation as it doesn't stick to it very well and you don't need the R value in this project.

[drewtaylor21]

I did the same thing. I got the 10x18 CCE strip and its plenty big enough to hit off of.
I then built a platform 10ftx4ft out of 1/2 OSB at 12$ for the sheet and 3$ for the 2ft x 4ft piece.
I ran 4 10ft 2x4s lengthwise under it to give it some support at 14$.
On top of the platform I put 3/4" hard pink insulation styrofoam and then 1/2" heavy duty carpet padding. Both of these I got free but you could purchase for less than 30$.
Then I put some of the cheap outdoor green carpet from home depot on top, it was 43$ for the 11ft by 6ft piece (it only comes in 6ft width).
I cut out a spot the size of the CCE mat in the pink foam, carpet padding and then cut an x in the green carpeting and pushed the CCE into the hole and ran a couple of screws in the corner to hold it down. The CCE seems to be about 1/8" taller than the surround platform but its close enough, you never get perfect level lies in golf even on tee boxes.
This all came in under 100$ for me for everything and even if you had to buy everything and paid a little extra it would be less than 150$.

The main reason I went this route is I am a lefty and my friends are all right handed. I also have a drain in the middle of my garage and the floor has about 3 inches of slope in 4 feet right where the mat would go, really poor concrete work imo but that's another story. Now my platform spans the drain, and everyone can stand on a level mat and it cost less than 1/4 the price.

That's an awesome build! Well done