Having a high quality golf simulator and a launch monitor is one of the best ways to play home golf and bring the driving range to you. Premium golf mats will offer plenty of cushioning, as well as a realistic feel. 

Even the best golf practice mats can benefit from some additional padding, and yoga mats are some of the best materials that can be used under turf mats. The best yoga mats are made of heavy duty foam materials, and work great to add a bit of extra material between the range mat and the hard ground.

What Surface Do I Need To Put Under My Golf Mat?

---

There are a number of different surfaces that can be placed under a golf mat to help absorb the impact and shock from swinging a golf club. Some golfers choose to place their golf mats directly on top of grass, while others lay down a towel or foam like material. 

Why Cushion a Golf Mat

The worst setup for any golf mat is to have it sitting directly on top of hard concrete or other hard surface. Without anything under the rubber hitting mat to cushion the shock from impact, the energy put into the mat will bounce directly off of the hard ground and back up the golf club.

For this reason, situations where golf practice mats must be placed directly on top of a hard surface should be padded in some way.

Some golfers elect to use a simple solution like a beach towel to help absorb some extra energy from the impact of the strike.

Using a Yoga Mat

One of the best options to put under a golf mat is an everyday item that can easily be purchased at fitness and sporting goods stores. Yoga mats are made of a blend of synthetic materials, and are possibly the best solution to be placed under a hitting mat.

There are two main benefits to using yoga mats under hitting mats, with the first being the cushioning that they provide. Yoga mats are usually padded with some type of memory foam like material, and offer some of the most efficient shock absorbing options.

Because of the high quality of materials used in yoga mats, they are able to provide maximum shock absorption in a fairly thin profile. Other less dense foam materials that some golfers elect to use are much thicker, and will make the hitting mat sit higher off the ground. 

The second main benefit of yoga mats is the amount of grip that they provide. Yoga mats are designed to stay put on the ground while people put pressure on them from all different directions. For this reason, they are extremely useful when it comes to keeping hitting mats still.
Hitting mats have a tendency to slide forward with repeated use, especially ones that are not large enough to stand on. Yoga mats are one of the most helpful tools when it comes to keeping hitting mats still on slick and slippery floors.

Different Materials You Can Use

---

The best material that should be used under a hitting mat is a yoga mat, which can be purchased at most sporting goods stores, and are readily available online as well. When yoga mats are not available, there are a handful of other materials that can be used.

Gym Flooring 

While not as thin, efficient, or portable as yoga mats, the padding used to cover the floors of gyms can be a great solution for fixed hitting mats.

These thicker foam materials can be purchased in large sections, and are also commonly available in interlocking pieces. 

Yoga mats are superior to the gym flooring solution, as they are easy to roll up, and are made from a type of material that absorbs lots of impact with a thin profile. Gym flooring is great at absorbing impact as well, but it is much thicker and raises the hitting area.

For this reason, the gym flooring solution should be used on hitting mats that are not meant to be moved. Enough of the flooring material should be used so that the golfer is able to stand on top of it, ensuring that the golfer and ball will be at the same level. 

Carpet and Rugs

Strips of carpet and rugs can also be used under hitting mats to add some additional padding to a practice mat. Thicker carpets work best, and this solution is a great way to save some money.

Carpets and rugs can be a bit heavy and hard to transport, making them best for fixed mats.

Beach Towels

Some golfers choose to use beach towels to lay under their golf hitting mats. While beach towels do not provide a significant amount of cushioning under hitting mats, they are better than nothing and will also provide a moderate non-slip effect. 

Golf mats can also be placed directly on top of the grass for practice sessions. This is the best solution for golfers who have access to a patch of grass, but they do not want to cause damage to it by leaving divots.

While these are some of the best and most commonly used materials that are used under golf mats, there are many more options that can work in a pinch. Any extra cushioning is helpful, and golfers have used everything from packing blankets to old turf mats to help them out.

Worst Case Scenario – Wrong Surfaces Under Your Golf Mat

---

The worst case scenario when it comes to using hitting mats is a mat that is too thin on top of a hard unforgiving surface like concrete, dirt or tile. If the hitting surface does not provide adequate cushioning, and is placed on a hard surface, there is a high risk of injury to you or your clubs..

Artificial turf mats are a great way to use training aids and also practice on real grass without taking a divot.

Using a hitting mat in tandem with a golf net is also a great way to work on your golf swing in between trips to the driving range or golf course.

The main risk of using a hitting mat in a home setup is injury to the golfer. Besides unforgiving hard surfaces, another bad solution is a surface that is uneven or bumpy. 

Due to the fact that the ideal motion for hitting a golf ball involves hitting down at the ball, impact with the ground is unavoidable. Besides causing injury to the golfer, this impact can also cause damage to golf equipment.

Which Clubs to Use

Drivers are the most fragile golf clubs in the bag, and caution should be used when practicing on hitting mats, even with the use of rubber tees. Fairway woods and hybrids are also fairly risky on hitting mats, especially when hitting “off the deck” without a rubber or wooden tee. 

Irons and wedges are less likely to sustain damage when used on hitting mats, as they are the sturdiest of the golf clubs. Regardless of the club being used, it is important to adjust your golf swing when hitting off of golf mats. 

Once the golfer has become comfortable with solid contact using half swings, they can work their way up to larger swings. 

Adequate cushioning underneath the golf mat is especially important for golfers who have a steep swing and take large divots. Golfers who tend to catch the ball fat and those with steeper swings are at higher risk of injury or club damage.

FAQ Section

---

Can you put a golf mat on grass?

Putting a golf mat on top of real grass is a commonly used technique at driving ranges and by golfers at home alike. This is a great way to keep the grass from getting damaged and covered in divots, and the bounce of the grass allows for some shock absorption. 

How do I keep my golf mat from sliding?

While there are a number of different solutions for keeping a golf mat from sliding around, using a yoga mat is one of the best. The materials used to make yoga mats are designed to be exceptionally tacky, making them perfect for this application. 

How do I keep my golf mat from sliding on carpet?

Golf mats on top of carpets can be tough to keep from sliding. Even yoga mats and other tacky materials have a tendency to glide across carpeted areas, and sometimes solutions with adhesive need to be used, like duct tape or masking tape. 

Conclusion: Research by Tellmemoregolf.com

While some of the highest quality hitting mats provide a great deal of cushioning, there are others that require a bit of extra padding to make them usable over long periods of time.

Yoga mats are one of the best solutions for this purpose, as they not only provide shock absorption but also keep the hitting mat from sliding around. There are also other solutions like beach towels, rugs and carpet strips, and foam flooring used in gyms that can also be beneficial.