Fibrebuilt Mat and Injuries?

[CRM43]

Looking for anyones first hand experiences with this or other hitting mats
From the research i did prior to building my simulator, it was deemed that the fibrebuilt mats were considered better for preventing injuries etc.

After 3 weeks of using the mat i developed a hand injury which seems unique to the simulator experience.
After 5 -10 full swing shots (irons) on the sim i get an excruciating pain on the top of my hand, so much so i can no longer hit a full shot, only half swings.
If i play on grass i'm fine for a full 18 holes without any issue whatsoever.

While there's probably no qualified medics going to answer this and then its not something that can be really diagnosed without an examination, has anyone suffered with this themselves or have an indication on what it could be, or a recommendation on a better mat to prevent this.

It seems to me that the pile on the hitting mat is the issue, the only time it doesn't hurt is if i pick the ball up cleanly with little to no turf interaction, if i aim to take a divot after the ball it hurts as would fat shots too. Once again playing on grass has no affect whatsoever no matter what shot i play.

[Wizard of Coz]

Sorry to hear that. That really sucks! Fiberbuilt has been great for me. Closest thing I have had to turf interaction. Give it some rest. I had tendinitis with cce but nothing with fiberbuilt so far knock on wood!

[Jarl]

Ditto for me.
Fiberbuilt has been great...truer distances and no wrist/arm pain.

Could be increased repetition strain. On the course you hit (100 to 300 yds depending on how well you whack it) then walk/ride to your ball. Could be minutes before you hit again.
Indoors I'd guesstimate you're hitting every 15-30 seconds (especially on the range) and playing 2-3 times per week. Whereas you might only be golfing outdoors maybe once a week. My guess would be strain.
Everybody is different though so possibly it's not the right mat for you.

[trhuke]

I second Jarl's thought. A full round outdoors is generally under 100 swings, (one hopes), I've hit 250-300 swings indoors without thinking about it. And I get unexpected pains sometimes too. Mostly forearms for me. I'm fairly certain that Fibrebuilt is one of the safest mats to hit off of. I had a CCE mat and it was just killing me.

[Msmith6208]

I have just installed the Fiberbuilt. For me, I am beginning to get some relief from some chronic wrist pain. I started with CCE, then tried the mag-strike. It was an improvement, but Fiberbuilt has been the answer to my wrist pain.

[DirtyGarry24]

It doesn’t sound like you have a fiberbuilt mat. There isn’t any “pile” on a fiberbuilt. It’s literally long fibers sticking straight up that offer very little resistance on a strike. Only way I see it causing issues would be if a guy bottomed out the turf and hit the hard plastic.

[Wizard of Coz]

I agree 100% with that. Long fibers no pile

[jrz]

The Fiberbuilt appears similar to a big, wide push broom upside down - correct?

[Wizard of Coz]

Yes upside down broom

[ChadGolf]

There are fiberbuilt "stance" mats and typically fiberbuilt hitting surfaces. You probably have a stance mat.

See the standing part here:

https://fiberbuiltgolf.com/collections/studio-golf-mats/products/5-x-4-performance-mat

The actually hitting surface of a fiberbuilt looks like an upside down broom and has a lot of "bristles"

[abenjami]

It doesn’t sound like you have a fiberbuilt mat. There isn’t any “pile” on a fiberbuilt. It’s literally long fibers sticking straight up that offer very little resistance on a strike. Only way I see it causing issues would be if a guy bottomed out the turf and hit the hard plastic.

Yup. And even if you bottom out and hit the hard plastic every now and then, it doesn't really hurt. I say this because when I got my fiberbuilt hitting strip, I intentionally bottomed it out a few times to see what effect that would have on my floor underneath.

[cmckelvmi]

Haha, does everyone else see the add in post #7? Coincidence?

I echo what the others have said about it sounds like you're not hitting off a FiberBuilt. My FB Flightdeck has saved my wrists from having any pain compared to CCE.

[DirtyGarry24]

You've got the ad now. Maybe you're the biased fiberbuilt rep! Lol, I noticed that yesterday too after posting.

[Architex]

I have a FiberBuilt and have used it for over 5 months. No issues at all. Other than putting

[CRM43]

Just a quick follow up, it turns out to be an overuse injury which has been aggravated by using the golf sim, unfortunately my job causes a similar movement which is causing the problem, as i have no choice but to continue working, i'm looking to sell my newly built simulator Really disappointed, within the 6 weeks i could use it, it had helped me to drop my handicap by 2 strokes and there was more to come I'm sure.

[trhuke]

Maybe you could rest the hand a week or two and then give yourself a strict swing count, (and stick to it no matter how sure you are that that just ONE more swing will finally get rid of that hook/slice/whatever).

[Stingreye]

Might be worth giving a DIY divot action a try. With no foam or anything under it, it’s very easy on the swing. Even more than fiberbuilt. I personally use fiberbuilt but the diy divot action is even easier on joints when I used it.

[Michael M.]

Sorry to hear that the simulator has to go.
I don't have a Fiberbuilt (I have a Divot Action insert) - but I have the exact same pain. It is on the top of my left hand below my ring and pinky finger. I am convinced it isn't the mat's fault. Instead it is from me hitting soooooo many balls and having a constantly changing swing. I am on a long search for what works. I think it is the action of either: a) flipping my hands; AND / OR b) putting the brakes on my swing when I fear I am going to hit the ceiling (I feel the pain when I simulate trying to manipulate the swing right after ball impact). I note that when I am relaxed and swing with no tension the ball goes further, straighter, I don't hit the ceiling, and my hand doesn't hurt. I just need to repeat it now.
Bottom line - with a decent mat and a decent swing - I think pain can be avoided. (That and quitting before passing the 100 ball mark.)