With the winter golf season now well and truly in full swing, many golf clubs will already have mandated the use of winter golf mats when playing from the fairway. With this in mind, I thought it would be useful to create a short blog post highlighting some of the very best winter golf mats that Amazon has to offer. I’ve compiled this list based on my experience owning and using some of the mats, recommendations from other golfers, and from my own careful research of reviews.
Of course, there’s no requirement to purchase a golf mat from Amazon but I selected them as the marketplace due to the wide variety of mats they have available and the fact that some of the mats I own or have used can be purchased from there. If you do make any purchases using the affiliate links in this post, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases but at no extra cost to you.
Important considerations prior to purchase
To help you pick the right winter golf mat for your needs, you should give careful consideration to the following before buying:
- Size
- Weight
- Security (to the ground when playing a shot)
- Durability
- Cost
These are the 5 main factors that I have taken into account when compiling this list which ranks the mats in order of my preference from least (5) to most (1).
5. divotEND Golf Preferred Lie Winter Rules Smart Mat
The divotEND preferred lie winter rules smart mat retails on Amazon at £12.95 (+£1.75 for postage) and is quite unique in terms of a golf mat. Unlike many other golf mats that use synthetic grass, this mat is made from polymer materials and has been carefully designed to be small and lightweight, yet at the same time flexible and hard-wearing.
I previously owned one of these mats, using it for around two seasons ad generally getting on well with it. I liked how small and compact it was as I could carry it in my back pocket/carry bag between shots. It was also hard wearing and despite being used for many shots (often from the frozen ground), it never cracked. What I didn’t like so much about this mat was that it felt a bit too springy, so if you caught the mat before the ball (and many of us amateur golfers do), the ball sometimes ended up just jumping in the air and not going very far. I also didn’t enjoy playing fairway wood shots off of this mat for this exact reason.
The divotEND mat is a good mat if you’re looking for something really small, cheap and durable but you need to be a solid ball striker to get the best out of it otherwise you can be left looking a bit silly after some shots.
4. Powerhouse golf winter fairway mat
Similarly to the above divotEND golf mat, the Powerhouse golf winter fairway mat is designed to be small, lightweight, easy to carry and hard-wearing, and is cheap at only £11.99 (inc. free delivery). This mat uses a special blend of plastics to create hundreds of small bristles which can withstand mishits and temperatures as low as -20 degrees celsius. Unlike the divotEND mat which is arced, this mat lies completely flat on the ground and is secured by small plastic grippers located on all four corners. There are also two holes (front and back) which can be used to further secure this mat with tees, which I found was often necessary.
I have also owned one of these mats in the past and found that I liked it a little more than the above divotEND mat. For me, it gave a better feeling when striking the ball (and on mishits) and didn’t pop the ball up in the same way as the divotEND mat did. What I did find a little frustrating with this mat was that it could sometimes be difficult to keep the ball stationary when trying to position it on a slight slope.
However, despite a couple of negative points, I think the fact that it is reversible for tee shots and that it comes in other colours makes it a solid option for anyway wanting an easy-to-carry and use winter golf mat.
3. Champkey premium turf golf mat
The Champkey premium tuft golf mat is available in 4 sizes starting at £19.99 on Amazon. Unlike the first two fairway mats in this list, I haven’t owned or tested this golf mat but I’ll still give you my thoughts on it anyway. I like the fact it has a solid rubber base which will likely help to make it more stable (through its weight) and will also give a nicer feeling when hitting any golf balls fat (just like at the driving range). It comes with a small rubber tee holder and 9 plastic tees of differing heights, so will be useful for tee shots when the ground is frozen. I also like the fact that it uses astroturf which in my experience feels much nicer to hit off of than the above two plastic-type mats.
With the smallest version of this mat weighing 1.25KG and being 8″ x 17″ inches, it is larger and heavier than the above two mats, so careful thought will need to be given to carrying his mat during your round. I’ve also noticed from looking at the reviews on Amazon that there are concerns from a very small number of the 2,354 reviewers that the mat isn’t perhaps quite as durable as they’d have hoped (e.g. tearing after 200 shots). Of course, as I haven’t tested I cannot comment on this but it’s worth looking into if you are thinking of getting one of these mats.
Overall, though, I know from experience that rubber-based mats (see #1 below) are a joy to hit off of during the winter season and if you’re happy to carry/keep it in your golf bag, this might be a good option for you.
2. Spurk golf winter golf mat
At £24.99, the Spurk golf winter golf mat is the second most expensive mat on this list but, despite its slightly higher price tag, it seems to be a massive hit with golfers on social media. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen this mat recommended when golfers have been seeking recommendations on Instagram or Facebook. At 300mm x 110mm, it’s small, lightweight and benefits from a solid base underneath the astroturf top cover. What I really like about this mat and what I believe makes it so popular is the unique claw system on its base which helps to keep it secured to the ground, and the fact that there is a hole to allow you to insert a golf tee. Given its size, it would also be easy to carry/keep in the golf bag between shots.
With regards to potential downsides with this design, I’m not sure how durable the spikes on the base would be and I can see potential issues if trying to use this during particularly frosty conditions as it’s unlikely this could be pegged into slightly frozen fairways. Despite this, I can definitely see the appeal of this mat given its size, weight and the fact it can be properly secured during normal conditions. It also scores really well in terms of Amazon reviews, with 62% leaving it 5 stars.
1. Callaway Golf FT Launch Zone Hitting Mat
And finally, number 1 on my list of 5 of the best winter golf mats Amazon has to offer is the Callaway Golf FT Launch Zone mat – available in two sizes starting at £29.95. I bought this golf mat in November 2016, and, after 6 years of use, it’s still going strong – looking pretty much the same as it did the day I bought it.
Like the Champkey golf mat above (3), this mat benefits from a solid but flexible rubber base and astroturf top layer, giving you the closest feeling to hitting off of real turf you’ll get from any fairway mat on the market. Not only is it incredibly hard-wearing but it copes with fat shots tremendously well – perhaps too well (you feel like you’re a grade-A ball striker during the winter only to be found out once mats are no longer in use!).
There are no securing spikes or pegs like some of the other mats on this list, but its weight (1.36KG) does a great job of keeping the mat in place as you can see in the below video (me hitting a 4 iron approach shot at Ladybank Golf Club, Scotland).
If you need to tee your ball up then that’s no problem thanks to the handy little rubber tee insert designed to accommodate most, if not all types of tees.
At 8″x15″ and weighing 1.36KG, this mat is slightly bigger and heavier than the other mats listed in this article, and probably better suits those who use a trolley more so than those who carry their clubs. However, I routinely carry my clubs during the winter and have no problem putting this mat into my pencil bag to carry it between shots. If you’d rather hang from your cart or bag then you can fix a carabiner clip or tie a thin rope through the small hole at the top of the mat.
Not only is it without a doubt the best vest winter golf mat I’ve ever owned, but it’s also possibly the best golf product I’ve ever purchased. Trust me when I say this – if you buy this golf mat you’ll not be disappointed and you will be the envy of your golf group. It will help you play your best golf, shoot lower scores and make playing golf during the winter much more enjoyable.
So there you have it, 5 fantastic options for those of you looking to buy a new winter golf mat. Free free to let me know in the comments area below if you own or have owned any of the above winter golf mats, what you think about them and if there are any mats I’ve missed that you think should be on my list.
If you enjoyed this article then why not continue the winter golf theme by reading my recently published 5 ways to help look after your golf course this winter article or taking a look at my 15 must-have winter golf essentials?
Thanks again for reading.
Andy
