DIY Real Feel Golf Mat for only $271.50

[Mike80]

I wanted to share the latest golf sim project I just finished. I wanted to make my golf mat feel a little softer and more like hitting down in the ground creating a divot. So you could spend $750 for a TrueStrike golf mat with a gel insert or you could do what I did for 1/3 the cost...and actually I think it's better.

I have the 5' X 5' ULTIMATE PAR COMMERCIAL DRIVING RANGE GOLF MAT from AllTurfMats.com. Cost $199.
Link: http://www.allturfmats.com/product-p/utpq6060.htm

I bought a 18 in x 16 in Ultra Gel Pad from OnlyGel.com. Cost $72.50
Link: https://onlygel.com/index.php/motorc...stock-232.html

I flipped my turf over and cut out a section of the foam bottom and placed the gel pad below the turf. I didn't glue it or anything. This gel pad is 5/8 in thick and that was exactly the thickness of the foam padding below my turf. So it fit perfect.

This feels so much better now. You can hit down and compress the ball and it feels like actually making a divot. Doesn't have any hard feel like before. I definitely recommend others doing something similar. You won't regret it. I also like this method because you don't have any insert and everything looks clean on top with no cut outs or mismatching turf colors.

The biggest tip is to use a oscillating multi-functional power tool (see what I mean in picture). This was the easiest way to cut out the foam. It only took about 30 minutes to cut it out.

If anyone else does this post back your results and how you like it! But definitely recommend others trying this!!!

See attached pictures!

[Pieter Mottie]

Is it gel or gel foam??? Like I said I bought gel packs the once you get for medical reason to put on arm

Yours is same ??? Or it's a foam

[Mike80]

Yes that link above is correct and the gel I ordered. It is super soft. Not firm at all.

I think it works great! Only little issue I am now having is a couple places my turf bubbles up since the turf is not stuck to the gel. I am going to first try placing a thin board below the gel to push it up higher so it's tight against the turf. Option 2 is I will glue the gel secure to the turf.

If you even want a softer feel, you could cut out your turf and add a very thin turf and glue to top of gel pad and place as an insert to your large turf mat. That's another option to get softer feel.

Let us know how it works out for you.

[andygg1986]

I just wanted to give an update on this. I ordered the mat and gel and received them last week. I had a neck problem and didn't get to try it out until yesterday. Here are my thoughts/observations:

1. Cutting the foam out of the bottom of the mat was more difficult than I anticipated. I found that if I touched the oscillating blade to the foam and then turned it on, it wouldn't cut. I think the foam would just move with the blade. Instead, I had to turn it on and then start cutting. I also worried about going all the way through the mat but didn't have any issues with that.
2. The gel is very soft. It seemed a little thinner than the foam even though both were supposed to be 5/8" thick, so I used the smoothing foam that came with the gel underneath to add a little thickness.
3. I bought 3M Spray adhesive #90 which was recommended by the gel company. The can said to wait up to 10 minutes for it to get tacky. I think this was too long as the adhesive seemed pretty dry. I think the gel might have absorbed some of it and sped up the curing. I may re-glue later on but went ahead for now.
4. So far, playing on this seems easier on my elbow than the CCE strip that I had before. I don't feel like it grabs the club when I take a divot. The softness in terms of hitting down seems comparable between the two.
5. Putting is much better on this than the CCE strip. The nylon "blades of grass" are similar on both, but much shorter on this one. I think this keeps them from getting deformed which causes short putts to bounce around on the CCE.
6. My wedge shots still all have hook spin, but it does seem reduced over the CCE mat.
7. The mat is less penal on fat shots than CCE. I think that the CCE took too much distance off on fat shots.
8. The under-foot firmness seems much better than a full CCE mat would be. The "grass" is fairly thin and compresses some under your weight, but the foam has minimal give. I think the foam would be hard to hit off of, but the gel takes care of that.

Overall I am happy with the new mat. If you don't mind spending 30-45 minutes, it seems like a good option in the $225 price range.

[vadawg]

Thanks for the good information. I am getting ready to follow suit and construct this same mat. Would you do anything differently? Any tips? How is it holding up?

[vadawg]

For those using this set up with SkyTrak. Do you set the SkyTrak on the mat or on something next to it, but raised to the same height as the mat?

[wbond]

You need to make certain your skytrak is not moving around AT ALL on any mat you are using. I have mine sitting next to the mat brought up to the same height so there is no chance of this happening. people have had issues with skytrak being on the same mat and moving during impact.

[jack851927]

FOlks...no movement is really key...it is worth it to invest in the ST protective steel case with leveling feet.

[andygg1986]

I'm still happy with the mat and it is holding up well so far. I don't have any other tips other than point number 1 in my post above about the oscillating tool. To raise your skytrak I would buy one of the small pieces of mat from all turf sports and just set it next to your hitting mat.

[vadawg]

I just ordered the gel, a 4x5 mat and a 1x2 mat for the SkyTrak. I'll let everyone know how it turns out.

[wbond]

vadawg So how did yours turn out? Are you liking it? I think I may go this route as well.

Mike80 how is the gel doing? Is it degrading at all or getting a depression in the hitting area? You mentioned earlier about putting something under the gel to raise it all the way up to the mat, did you end up doing this?

I just ordered the gel, a 4x5 mat and a 1x2 mat for the SkyTrak. I'll let everyone know how it turns out.

[taylor310]

I ordered a 3x5 mat and the gel. I'm kind of curious as i'm scared it may be too narrow to tee it up away from the gel. I really don't want to flip the darn thing every off every tee.

[brnixon]

I wanted to share what I did with this. I also made this mat. I initially did as Mike80 and taped the white foam that comes with it do the bottom of the gel and mat. Well, I was still getting things set up so I was moving the mat around a fair bit and the clear packing tape was catching and coming off. Well that would catch and the gel would then move and get bunched up in spots. I also noticed that even though the site for the mat says the foam is 5/8" the gel section was a tad lower than the other parts. I took a closer look at their website and noticed they state total thickness is 1 3/8" turf is 1/2" and foam is 5/8". Well 1/2" and 5/8" is only 1 1/8 inch so I can only assume the missing 1/4" is either in adhesive for the foam or the foam is actually 7/8". I had some 1/4" hardboard lying around so I cut a piece to match the gel and used spray adhesive to attach the hardboard to the gel. I then duct taped the hardboard into the mat. This made the thickness perfect with the rest of the mat and keeps it in there way better. I can lift the mat and move it without the gel moving at all.

[vadawg]

Here are a few pictures from building the mat. The key is the Multi function power tool. You have to be more aggressive than I thought with cutting out the foam. I am happy with the result and when hitting the ball you can really feel it compress when hit correctly. The mat has held up well with no signs of wear. I haven't had to move it since putting it in front of my net but I would imagine if I did it could cause problems with the gel.


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[vadawg]

Here are a few pictures from building the mat. The key is the Multi function power tool. You have to be more aggressive than I thought with cutting out the foam. I am happy with the result and when hitting the ball you can really feel it compress when hit correctly. The mat has held up well with no signs of wear. I haven't had to move it since putting it in front of my net but I would imagine if I did it could cause problems with the foam.


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To avoid flipping the mat to change out the tee I use the tomahawk golf tee with the claw so I don't have to chase them. See pictures


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[Mike80]

Hello everyone! Haven't logged in lately. Glad to hear some of you are trying this out! With a little work you can make an awesome mat that feels better than any other I've seen! Mine is holding up great! Here is the only modification I've done. I was getting a slight bubble in the turf because the gel was slightly lower. So I added a very thin piece of wood below the gel pad to push the gel up tighter. The wood was very thin, about 3/8 inches thick. This made a huge difference. It pushed the gel up tight and have no bubble. It's perfect! I'm telling you this feels awesome to hit off of!

Thanks for others providing pics. Yes the oscillating saw is the only way to cut into your bottom mat. It only took me 45 min to do it. So not very hard. Keep your post going on your progress and review. Glad to see others doing it. I love the feel! Like I said maybe add a very thin board below to push the gel up tight. That's it. Also I didn't use any adhesive. Adding the board pushed it up enough where I didn't need anything else.

Also, I have my mat screwed into concrete so it doesn't move. I suggest this. If your mat moves and shifts, not sure but could make the gel bundle up. So secure the mat tight to floor!

[CBDBOZ]

Has anyone tried this in a hitting strip.... (CCE)....I'm guessing may not be wide enough?






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[andygg1986]

I used a CCE hitting strip before going this route. The CCE has much longer grass fibers on it so I don't think you would ever compress it enough to tell that there is gel underneath.

[Hatchman]

The link to the onlygel site in the OP doesn't work anymore.
Does the company/site exist anymore?


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[Akotu]

Here's the updated link:

https://www.onlygel.com/collections/motorcycle-seat-gel-pads/products/conformax-motorcycle-seat-gel-pad-pad-stock-series