What We Tried
The Fairway Series golf mat (5’x5’) from the Indoor Golf Shop.
Who Tried It
Tony Covey. MyGolfSpy Editorial Director and a guy just trying to make the most out of a limited-height indoor hitting environment.
Key Features
- The reported features of the Fairway Series mat include:
- It’s realistic – like hitting off a fairway
- Injury prevention – turf density made to be hit on every day by everyday golfers
- All-day comfort – See above. Built for all-day, pain-free use.
- It’s durable – strong, reliable, and built to last
A Bit of Background
Last year, I tested the Indoor Golf Shop’s Sigpro Softy – a lightweight three-piece mat with a removable/replaceable/interchangeable (choose your word) hitting strip.
I love the lightweight, modular design (it’s so easy to move it around) but, as you may recall, I’m working in a limited height environment (about 8’7” from slab to joist) and the three-piece Softy is a bit on the tall side. While an inch or two of height doesn’t sound like much, the thinner the mat, the longer the club I can swing without rattling the joists under my kid’s room.
In my height-challenged environment, the difference between the Softy and the Fairway Series is the difference between maxing out with a 6-iron instead of a 7.
Height isn’t the only reason I gravitate towards the Fairway Series over the Softy. Stress on my joints (primarily elbow and shoulder) is another factor that nudges me towards the more traditional mat – though that’s a bit less cut and dried.
Despite the joint-friendly design of the Softy insert, moving between the two mats over an extended period of time, I found the Fairway Series mat was more comfortable. And it turns out there’s a good reason why.
What I learned in talking with the experts at the Indoor Golf Shop is that golfers who tend to be neutral to shallow into the ball will generally find the Softy to be the more joint-friendly option.
If you’re steeper into the ball with your irons and wedges as I tend to be, the Softy may have a tendency to grab a bit while the Fairway series provides a bit more bounce, giving you more of a glancing impact with the mat.
I’m working on the steepness thing (the ball goes farther when I manage to shallow out a bit) but, for now, the Fairway Series is the better option – especially when I get in one of my moods and hit a couple of hundred balls in a session.
I’ve had no issues using tees (although you might want to use a containment system like the tee claw). Spiked shoes aren’t an issue either, though I tend to wear my spikeless adidas CODECHOAS when I swing indoors.
While the Fairway Series mat will be my go-to for the foreseeable future, there are a couple of things I don’t love.
It’s Heavy
At 41 pounds, the weight of the Indoor Golf Shop’s fairway series is in line with similar mats but I confess the three-piece Softy spoiled me a bit. Unless you plan on moving the mat around (or trying to, anyway), it’s the smallest of considerations. I would imagine that once you get it where you want it, it won’t be an issue at all.
It’s Small
Well, not really, but again, being spoiled all the way rotten by the size of the Sigpro Softy (4’x10’), the Fairway Series was always going to feel small by comparison.
In fairness, it’s large enough to accommodate a driver swing, though I do creep close to the edge with my Foresight GC Quad on the mat.
At your house, it’s your simulator and your rules but, if you insist on playing with lefties, you may need to think about the position of the mat in relation to the center of the screen.
If you’re in a screen-less environment, then it doesn’t matter.
I’ll continue to consider additional mat options as they come my way but, for now, the Fairway Series is the leader in the clubhouse.
The Indoor Golf Shop’s Fairway Series mat is selling for $549.
For more information or to order yours, visit shopindoorgolf.com.
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