Best Golf Hitting Mats for Indoor Simulators

Choosing the right golf hitting mat can make or break your indoor golf simulator. The wrong mat can hurt your joints, wreck your clubs, or make every shot feel like you’re hitting off a parking lot. The right mat feels closer to real turf, protects your body, and holds up to thousands of swings.

In this guide, we compare some of the most popular golf hitting mats for simulators including TrueStrike, Fiberbuilt, Carl’s HotShot™, Country Club Elite, EZ Tee, and GoSports, using the same testing criteria: realism, practicality, and comfort.

We test our mats in real simulator bays, under real swings, all day long. The Carl's Place team uses these in testing bays and in our showroom with customers. These indoor golf mat reviews are based on hands-on use, not just spec sheets.

How Carl's Place Chooses the Best Golf Mats

We use a simple five-star scale and three core criteria:

• Realism - How closely the mat emulates real turf. Does it punish fat shots? Can you use real tees? Does impact and ball flight look “right” on your launch monitor?
• Practicality - Price vs. performance, ease of assembly, footprint, weight, and how easy it is to move, rotate, or replace worn sections.
• Comfort - How it treats your wrists, elbows, and back over a full practice session. Can you hit balls for a long time without feeling beat up?

We test mats in real simulator environments, and our team uses these daily in demo bays with customers, which gives us a good feel for how each mat behaves in the real world—not just on paper.

Comparing the Best Golf Hitting Mats on the Market

Below you’ll find our hands-on notes for some of the most talked-about golf hitting mats for indoor simulators:

• TrueStrike
• Fiberbuilt Player Preferred
• Carl's HotShot™
• Country Club Elite
• EZ Tee
• GoSports

Want to see the mats in action? This video walks through the differences in feel and performance:

TRUESTRIKE HITTING MAT

Realism: ★★★⯪☆ (3.75)

TrueStrike is known for its gel hitting section, designed to feel closer to a real fairway divot than a hard range mat. Nothing is going to be perfectly identical to fresh grass, but the gel section is one of the closer attempts we’ve seen.

The gel insert feels looser and more forgiving than the surrounding range-style sections, which have a tighter “cut.” That contrast helps separate your strike area from the stance area.

You can’t push a real tee directly into the gel or stance sections, but the range sections do have holes for rubber tee receivers. Those holes sit a bit away from the gel insert, so you may find they sit just outside your preferred strike zone depending on your launch monitor’s hitting area.

For real tees at the correct position, many golfers pair TrueStrike with Carl’s HotShot Indoor Golf Tees, which sit on top of the surface.

One limitation: the mat has a lip that makes putting across the edge less ideal-balls tend to bounce rather than roll smoothly off onto the floor or turf.

Practicality: ★★★☆☆ (3.0)

TrueStrike’s modular design is a big plus. You can choose different configurations (single-sided, center strike, academy, etc.) and expand or reconfigure with additional range sections.

That modularity also pays off when a section wears out: instead of replacing the entire mat, you can swap just the gel section or a range mat section.

The downside is that all those interlocking “teeth” and trim pieces can be a bit finicky to assemble or get perfectly flat. Once it’s down, it generally stays put, but this is not the lightest or most portable option—and the price sits toward the higher end of the range.

Comfort: ★★★★☆ (4.0)

From a comfort standpoint, TrueStrike is one of the kinder mats on your joints. Even when you intentionally hit behind the ball or take “divots,” the gel insert absorbs a lot of the shock. Wrists and elbows hold up much better than on firmer mats.

If you tend to practice a lot or struggle with joint pain, TrueStrike’s combination of gel and softer range sections makes long sessions much more manageable.

Back to top

FIBERBUILT PLAYER PREFERRED HITTING MAT

Realism: ★★★⯪☆ (3.75)

The Fiberbuilt Player Preferred series has a relatively thin turf layer over a rubber base with built-in air pockets. The hitting area itself does a good job of punishing chunked shots and reflecting them realistically in your launch monitor data.

Like TrueStrike, this mat does not accept a real tee anywhere on the hitting surface, but it includes holes for rubber tee receivers in the corner of the hitting area. The spacing of those holes means it can be tricky to use multiple tee positions at once if your launch monitor has a smaller, more specific hitting zone.

One benefit over some modular mats: there’s no pronounced lip when putting, so putts roll off the edge more naturally.

Practicality: ★★☆☆☆ (2.0)

Fiberbuilt Player Preferred sits at the premium end of the price spectrum, which makes sense given its heavy-duty build. The foundation pieces are thick, dense rubber; great for stability, not so great when you’re trying to move or assemble it alone.

Assembly isn’t complicated from a “how does this fit together?” standpoint, but the sheer weight of the pieces makes it more labor-intensive than lighter options. Once it’s down, it stays in place well. Just plan as if you won’t be moving it often.

Comfort: ★★★⯪☆ (3.75)

Comfort is where Player Preferred earns its price. The stance area is soft underfoot, and the “vibration absorption layer” in the hitting zone helps reduce shock on joints.

In our bays, we’ve been able to swing on this mat for extended sessions with no major wrist or elbow complaints. It’s not quite as pillowy as the very softest options, but it hits a nice balance between realistic feedback and comfort.

Back to top

CARL'S HOTSHOT™ HITTING MAT

We’re obviously biased toward Carl’s HotShot™ Hitting Mat, so instead of pretending to review ourselves with star ratings, we lean on customer reviews and day-in, day-out use in our bays.

The standout feature is the precut hitting strip channel. When that central hitting area eventually wears, you replace just the strip, not the entire stance mat. You can drop in the same insert or upgrade to one of Carl's Hitting Strips without rebuilding your whole floor layout.

Pair it with our non-slip base and you get a stable platform that stays put even under aggressive swings.

Between the replaceable strips, the non-slip base, and the comfort feedback, HotShot has become our go-to recommendation for most home golf simulator builds.

Back to top

COUNTRY CLUB ELITE

Realism: ★★★⯪☆ (3.25)

The Country Club Elite hitting mat has a firm, dense feel that some golfers associate with a tightly-mown fairway. It accepts a real tee and also includes holes for rubber tee receivers, which is a big plus if tee height flexibility matters to you.

On fat shots, though, the club tends to skip more than dig. Instead of the turf “grabbing” the club like real grass, the mat lets the head slide into the ball, so mishits may not be punished quite as severely as they would outdoors.

Practicality: ★★⯪☆☆ (2.5)

From a setup standpoint, CCE is about as easy as it gets: take it out of the box, lay it down, and you’re hitting. No assembly required, and the price is reasonable compared to some premium modular systems.

However, the mat is fairly stiff and doesn’t roll or fold well, so storage options are limited to keeping it flat. The smooth foam bottom tends to slide more than some alternatives unless you recess it into surrounding turf or use tape, rug grippers, or another anti-slip solution.

Comfort: ★★☆☆☆ (2.0)

Country Club Elite hitting mats are notably firm from top to bottom, both the turf fibers and the underlying foam. Some golfers like that solid platform, but in our testing, wrists and elbows felt more impact, especially on chunked shots.

If you’re going to practice frequently, we generally recommend something more forgiving unless you know you prefer a very firm mat.

Back to top

EZ TEE MAT

Realism: ★★★⯪☆ (3.25)

The EZ Tee mat does a respectable job punishing fat shots. More than some firmer mats. The turf can grab the club a bit more, which makes misses show up more realistically.

The mat also accepts real tees, but does not have holes for rubber tee receivers.

The artificial grass portion of the mat was made of up longer, stiffer fibers that kind of force your foot one way or another when you step on it, which could maybe cause some issues with the transfer of weight in a golf swing.

Overall, though, we felt it was decently realistic.

Practicality: ★★★☆☆ (3.0)

Another mat where no assembly is required. Just pull it out of the box and place it where you need to - quickly and easily.

The price is also hard to beat for those budget-conscious buyers. Despite being lightweight, it did not shift as much during the swing because of its more textured bottom; the base of the mat is not made out of foam like Carl's HotShot or Country Club Elite mats, but instead is a rougher material that actually kind of grips the turf below. However, if you have it on cement or another surface, it might still slide around.

EZ Tee does offer plenty of size options and some hitting strips.

Comfort: ★★★☆☆ (3.0)

The long fibers help cushion fat shots to some extent, even without a thick foam base. Comfort sits in the middle of the pack, softer than very firm mats like Country Club Elite, but not as plush as mats with thicker padding or gel sections.

For moderate practice sessions, most golfers will find it acceptable. For marathon sessions or if you’re prone to joint issues, you may want something with a more forgiving base.

Back to top

GOSPORTS HITTING MAT

Realism: ★★⯪☆☆ (2.25)

The GoSports Hitting Mat was quite firm from the start. Due to the firmness, you do get that club-skipping-into-the-ball feeling instead of the more realistic grabby feeling. Fat shots do end up punished, but not nearly as much as they should be.

The GoSports Hitting Mat is like a fairway, mid-summer, of a desert course in the middle of a drought. If a course decided not to water its fairways or try to grow new grass, that's the GoSports mat.

When we tried to put a tee in the mat, it stood up but didn't go in deep enough to support the weight of a ball. However, it does have three holes for rubber tee receivers on each side of the mat. The rubber tee receivers are included.

Practicality: ★★☆☆☆ (2.0)

Price is the main attraction here. For very tight budgets or temporary setups, it’s a way to get something under the ball instead of bare floor.

On the plus side, it’s lightweight, folds in half for storage, and is easy to move around. Just be realistic: your hitting mat is a piece of equipment you’ll use on every single swing. Saving money here usually means giving up comfort and realism.

Back to top

How to Choose the Best Golf Mat for Your Simulator

All of these mats can “work” in an indoor golf simulator. The right one for you comes down to a few core decisions:

• How often will you use it? Heavy, year-round use calls for more comfort and durability. Occasional practice can get by with a simpler, more budget-friendly mat.
• Do you struggle with joint pain? If wrists, elbows, or shoulders are sensitive, prioritize softer impact and shock absorption (gel inserts, vibration layers, or divot-style strips).
• Do you need modular or replaceable sections? Mats with replaceable inserts (like Carl’s HotShot or TrueStrike) can save money over time because you only swap the worn piece.
• How important is real-tee use? If you insist on using wooden tees at specific heights, make sure your mat accepts real tees where you actually strike the ball.
• What does your floor look like? On concrete, prioritize anti-slip bases or plan for a non-slip layer under your mat.

Asking the Right Questions About Golf Mats

Bringing It All Together

The “best” golf hitting mat isn’t the same for everyone. TrueStrike and Fiberbuilt Player Preferred lean premium and soft. Country Club Elite and EZ Tee feel more like traditional range mats split between firmer and more forgiving. Carl’s HotShot is built to balance comfort, realism, and practicality for most home simulators, with the added benefit of replaceable hitting strips.

If you’re building out a full simulator, it’s worth taking a few minutes to think about how your mat will feel on swing 200, not just swing 2. Your joints, your launch monitor data, and your scores will all thank you for getting this piece right.