practice mats

I have a large practice area at home where I have built 4'x5' platforms all around the place set at 60 yds up to 220 yds.The best mat I have found is the V J signe (can' spell) mat as it gives and encourages a down and through shot.My question is there any body that knows how to make or buy a mat that simulates a real fairway?

I use a piece of sythetic grass with 1/2" rubber cushion under it. It acts about the same as hitting a ball off the fairway. Cost me about $15 USD Some stores here in America (WalMart, KMart etc..) sell a 2'X1' rubber mat that has half of it with long (rough) bristles, and the other half is like hitting off a thin fairway lie. It goes for about $29 USD.

I'd stay away from anything like those hard rubber mats you sometimes see at a driving range.

http://www.shegolfs.com/golf_mats.htm (Link is just for ideas)

I was going to purchase one of those mats that VJ peddles, but a couple of my traveling buddies had theirs wear out vey quickly, so I became skepticle of the quality and did not make that purchase.

If you make your own make sure you make it big enough to stand on it at the same height you are hitting off of. You'll save yourself alot of thinned, and/or fat shots later on when you are hitting off the real deal. You can also build yourself a ramp to use under your mat to practice hitting off uneven lies. Also don't skimp on the padding. Your clubs, wrists, and back will be much happier if you use enough padding. GJS

I was researching turf for an artificial green I was going to build.What I found is this:All of these companies that claim to make their own special turf is bull.Dalton ga is the carpet capital of the world(literally)They make 99% of all the athletic turf in the world.So of course I had to go there.I've got a great piece of turf ,I'm just looking for the right cusion under it to give that feel of real grass.(tell me about that walmart rubber mat-where in store would you look)I`d like to brag and say that through my home practice I've gone from struggling to break 90 (2004) to working to break 70 today.I'm a total believer that to be a good golfer you have to do your homework.

For padding you might want to go to a carpet store, and check out what they have available. You might need to glue two pieces together to get the feel you are looking for. Maybe even a home improvement store might have what you are looking for. They most likely will have some remanents lying around for free. The stuff I use came from "Big Lots" and is that stuff that interlocks together, that intended to be used to stand on. I purchased 8 Sq/Ft for $7.00 USD.

Not all "Mart" stores carry the same products. I found mine in the golf section in the sporting goods dept. Most retail golf stores should have the smaller longer fiber mats.

As for your home practice area, don't forget to build yourself a sand bunker. Make sure you also add a cover for it. My wife has a Koi pond next to my practice green which also doubles as a water hazard to chip/pitch over. Use your imagination. GJS