Article #61
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Dear Jitterbug:
There has been so much rain this year my local driving range has adopted the "mats only" policy for most of the summer. Do you think hitting off the artificial turf is helpful, or should I only hit on days green grass is available?
Franklin Miller
Jitterbug Gang Fan
Jitterbug:
Hitting off the mats is not exactly like hitting from grass but it's close enough so time you spend there is beneficial.
Granted, under most circumstances you don't have to hit quite as good of a shot to achieve a fair result from the mats, but so what? You still had to square the clubface. You still had to swing on a reasonable path. If that ball is flying long, high and true, you put a good swing on it no matter what surface you launched it from.
So Franklin, don't be a grass snob. Them mats ain't all that different.
Mr. Vaughn:
I like the matts! They're particularly helpful for practicing pitch shots, say from 35 to 75 yards.
Why?
Well, pitch shots, more than anything else, are ruined by less than crisp impact, and people get too discouraged to practice them. After hitting one a little heavy and one a little thin, most people revert back to practicing full swing. From the more uniform lie a mat offers, however, it's easier to hit the ball cleanly. With the stumbling block of faulty impact lifted, a guy can work solely on his touch, and in doing so, sink his teeth into a good short-game practice session.
Lord Berry:
Jack Grout said of a young Jack Nicklaus, "Jack practiced in weather a brave man wouldn't venture out in."
With that in mind, I bet young Jack would've practiced on whatever surface available to him.