We’ve all been there: you show up at the range with a bucket of balls, and now you’ve got a decision to make—do you set up shop on a clean patch of mat or hunt down a beat-up square of grass with a hundred divots already carved into it? Going to the range, you should already know that the beat up range ball is going to fly shorter than the distance your ball will fly on the course. 

As someone who has been spending a lot of time trying to sharpen my game, I’ve wondered if the surface I practice on really makes that much of a difference. Turns out, it does. Hitting off mats versus grass isn’t just a matter of convenience—it can change the way you practice and even how your swing holds up on the course.

So, let’s break it down.

Mats and Grass: The Big Difference

The biggest separator is feedback. Mats are forgiving—maybe too forgiving. If you hit a shot fat on grass, you’ll know immediately (and so will your ego). On a mat, though, the club just skips along and still sends the ball on a half-decent flight. That “false feedback” can mask bad habits that sneak back in when you’re actually on the course.

One way to keep yourself honest on mats is by listening to the sound. You want to hear the click of the club meeting the ball first, followed by the thump of the mat. If you hear it the other way around—the thump first, then the click—it means you caught it heavy.

There’s also the body factor. Most mats sit on top of concrete, which means less give and more wear and tear on your hands, wrists, and elbows. If you’ve ever left a range session feeling sore, the mat probably had something to do with it.

Around Greenville, I like to practice at Haas Family Golf, where you can hit off both mats and grass. Having that option makes it easy to get the best of both worlds, and the facility also has a solid short game area if you want to work on chipping and putting. It’s a setup that makes longer practice sessions actually feel worthwhile.

Irons: Where It Really Matters

Irons are all about ball-first, then turf. Grass tells you the truth every time—a crisp divot just in front of the ball means you nailed it, while a chunk or thin shot keeps you honest.

On mats, though? No divot, no lesson. Even a heavy shot can feel solid because the club skids instead of digging. It’s basically practice in disguise.

Drivers & Hybrids: No Big Deal

For the longer clubs, mats don’t cause nearly as much trouble because you’re hitting up on the ball.

Wedges: The Short Game Struggle

This is where mats can really mess with you. Wedge play is all about feel—using the bounce, controlling spin, and learning how the club interacts with the turf. On mats, the club always bounces, which makes it almost impossible to replicate how it’ll play on grass. That’s why distance control and touch shots just don’t transfer the same way.

The Takeaway

If you have the option, always go with grass. It gives you honest feedback and builds habits that actually hold up on the course.

But if you’re stuck with mats, here are a few things that help: