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What We Tried
The SIGPRO Softy, a golf hitting mat bought solely by way of The Indoor Golf Store.
Your SIGPRO Softy Tester
Tony Covey. MyGolfSpy Editorial Director and a man making an attempt to take advantage of out of a golf simulator in a limited-height atmosphere.
The Requisite Background
Earlier than we get into the small print, I wish to offer you some fast background.
Simply over a yr in the past, my spouse and I moved into a brand new home. The venture began along with her need for a brand new kitchen. On the time, constructing was a greater possibility than renovating so we determined that within the new place, she’d get her dream kitchen and I’d get an area for a golf simulator.
As is the case with many issues, once we obtained deep into issues, compromises needed to be made. And so, yada, yada, yada, my spouse obtained her kitchen and I obtained a basement with an 8’6” ceiling..
Considered one of us obtained hosed on that deal.
Anyway, this would be the first in a collection of evaluations of indoor/golf simulator components. Whereas they need to be relevant to anybody seeking to create an area to hit balls of their home, they arrive from the attitude of a man who has much less house—or at the very least much less peak—than is right.
In regards to the SIGPRO Softy Golf Hitting Mat
Because the title implies, one level of emphasis of The Indoor Golf Store’s SIGPRO Softy hitting mat is softness. Whereas a superb little bit of that comes from the Softy hitting insert, it’s value stating that the hitting platform is constructed from a dense foam with a turf overlay that gives some measure of softness.
It’s a bit completely different from the hitting mats I’ve encountered previously nevertheless it supplies what’s, for my part, a steady hitting platform with a little bit little bit of give. I’m going to inform you it’s good although I’d be remiss to not level out that at the very least one reviewer discovered it too delicate.
For context, I’m just a bit over 200 kilos (If I don’t get again to my Tonal, I’ll be greater than a little bit over 200 earlier than Thanksgiving) and I don’t discover myself sinking. It’s only a slight give.
As I stated, I prefer it nevertheless it is probably not for everybody.
My narrowly relevant criticism of the SIGPRO Softy golf mat design is that it’s thicker than most. It’s not misplaced on me that the thickness is a key side of the design however, for some, the two 3/8” thickness could also be a problem.
For context, the Softy hitting mat is roughly ¾” thicker than The Indoor Golf Store’s Fairway Sequence mat. If peak isn’t a problem in your house, then it’s no large deal. In case you’re in a limited-height atmosphere like I’m in my basement, a thinner mat goes to mean you can hit longer golf equipment.
You probably have loads of peak (like I do in my storage), it’s not a problem.
The SIGPRO Softy Insert
The important thing to the Softy design is the Softy hitting strip. The blokes at The Indoor Golf Store describe it as a delicate foam insert with a full inch of turf. On the underside, you’ll discover three compression slots. The concept is that the Softy insert helps dissipate air, resulting in smoother, vibration-free motion by way of the turf.
What I’d say is that the insert has a springiness that gives a little bit of give at impression.
If the Softy insert isn’t your factor, The Indoor Golf Store has two different insert choices. The 3D Hitting Strip ($149) is designed with sturdiness in thoughts whereas the Preferred Hitting Strip ($99) seeks to imitate the efficiency of pure grass whereas nonetheless decreasing joint pressure.
Simple on the Joints?
The Softy insert is meant to be the best in your joints and, whereas I don’t have sufficient proof to both help or dispute the declare, I’ll say it must be one thing you contemplate when shopping for a hitting mat. There may be some anecdotal proof to counsel that as indoor golf/simulator use has elevated so, too, have joint accidents like tennis and golf elbow.
And whereas that’s been good for enterprise over at Fiix Elbow, my non-medically certified recommendation is to do no matter you may to attenuate your threat.
Efficiency
Full disclosure: I haven’t completed a full evaluation to see how intently my SIGPRO Softy numbers match my out of doors numbers. Historical past has taught me that I’m a few full membership shorter indoors with the irons and that’s with nearly each mat I’ve hit off.
If recreation enchancment is your goal, so long as you perceive the variations between what you see indoors and what you get open air, you ought to be tremendous.
The Softy insert doesn’t have any premade holes for an adjustable-height tee however you should utilize a normal tee. As you’d count on, it’ll go flying so that you’ll most likely wish to use one thing like TeeClaw or BirTee.
Hitting Each Membership within the Bag
For me, the extra essential (and missed consideration) when shopping for a hitting mat is how nicely it responds to each membership within the bag. With some mats, we’ve discovered you merely can’t reliably hit a few of the golf equipment in your bag off them.
For instance, I can’t hit a fairway wooden off the mats at my dwelling course to avoid wasting my life. And simply so that you don’t suppose that’s a unique-to-me form of drawback, a number of years in the past we needed to substitute all of the mats in our facility after discovering that almost all of our testers struggled to hit clear pictures—once more, with fairway woods.
For what it’s value, I’ve hit each membership within the bag off the SIGPRO Softy and nothing has jumped out as uncommon.
And I suppose that’s the ripple with shopping for one thing like a golf mat.
A great little bit of the stuff we purchase for golf is, to some extent, “attempt before you purchase.” You may demo nearly each membership, you may see and contact a superb little bit of the opposite stuff at your native professional store or large field retailer, however nearly no person shares a full choice of mats or supplies a possibility to check choices to see what feels/works finest for you.
In consequence, whenever you’re on the lookout for a golf hitting mat, you’re largely on the mercy of on-line reviewers to steer you in the suitable route and so right here we’re, I suppose.
Choices and Pricing
The SIGPRO Softy is on the market in 4’x10’ and 4’x7’ sizes. It’s a modular design with the bigger mat having three items and the smaller one two. The 4’x10’ supplies sufficient room for each right- and left-handed hitters with loads of house for a side-sitting launch monitor like GC Quad, Launch Pro or SkyTrak+.
Customers of rear-placed launch screens like Mevo+ and Rapsodo MLM2 Pro might want to test their manuals to seek out out if they should elevate the system to match the additional peak of the mat.
What units The Indoor Golf Store’s SIGPRO Softy aside from different giant mats is the load. In case you’ve ever handled full and even mid-sized hitting mats, you recognize they’re heavy and awkward.
The three-piece Softy weighs simply over 30 kilos in complete which, along with making it a lot simpler to maneuver in a basic type of manner, makes it ideally suited to pack-away conditions and different non-permanent installations.
For instance, you probably have a spouse who sometimes needs to park her automotive in your simulator bay, it’s useful in case your mat is straightforward to maneuver and stow.
Regardless of the comparatively mild weight, the SIGPRO Softy hitting mat is comparatively steady. On my concrete flooring, it’s moved a little bit over time however actually not with each swing. It’s simple sufficient to faucet again to the place you need it but when relocating the mat isn’t a priority, it ships with a few adhesive pads which ought to assist lock every little thing down.
The 4’x10’ SIGPRO Softy sells for $1,099 and whereas that’s not a small quantity, it’s fairly a bit lower than equally sized mats from some opponents.
The 4’x7′ SIGPRO Softy, which must be giant sufficient for many use instances, is $899.
The Indoor Golf Store’s Fairway Sequence mat (I’ll put up a assessment of that as nicely) is a little more inexpensive at $549.
The Takeaway
Whereas I’m trying ahead to seeing how the SIGPRO Softy stacks as much as different mats, I can’t see any motive why I wouldn’t be pleased with it over the long run, offered the supporting foam stays steady. I like the best way the Softy insert provides at impression and, with that, it ought to show a bit simpler on the joints, although I’m additionally curious how the design influences the numbers relative to The Indoor Golf Store’s different choices.
In case you’re out there for a golf mat, the SIGPRO Softy is one to think about, particularly in case your hitting space is one thing apart from a everlasting set up.
The SIGPRO Softy golf hitting mat is bought solely by way of The Indoor Golf Store.
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