Can somebody please explain to me how

[1860VS]

How it can be that, as some contend, you get more spin off of grass than off of a mat? To me it defies logic, as well as personal observation. I like bare lies because there is never anything to interfere with the club/ball contact. Especially with shallower attack angles like a fairway wood. Just like off a mat. A tightly mown fairway lie will essentially be the same as off a mat, barring the ball picking up moisture upon its upon its arrival on the fairway, which would obviously lessen spin. When you get into taller grass, spin is obviously going to be mitigated outdoors.

Researching how this though came to be, I found one example, by one person who said they got more spin off of the ground. No explanation, no repeated testing. Just one statement. And to me this seemingly "common knowledge" defies logic or explanation of how it could possibly be true..... What is the mechanism that supposedly produces more spin outdoors?

 

[Hawk]

How it can be that, as some contend, you get more spin off of grass than off of a mat? To me it defies logic, as well as personal observation. I like bare lies because there is never anything to interfere with the club/ball contact. Especially with shallower attack angles like a fairway wood. Just like off a mat. A tightly mown fairway lie will essentially be the same as off a mat, barring the ball picking up moisture upon its upon its arrival on the fairway, which would obviously lessen spin. When you get into taller grass, spin is obviously going to be mitigated outdoors.

Researching how this though came to be, I found one example, by one person who said they got more spin off of the ground. No explanation, no repeated testing. Just one statement. And to me this seemingly "common knowledge" defies logic or explanation of how it could possibly be true..... What is the mechanism that supposedly produces more spin outdoors?

I'm not sure I can be too scientific about this, but it is something I've definitely observed. I always assumed it was due to the ball sitting up more, resulting in a higher contact point, higher launch, and lower spin. Same thing I see with a teed up ball.

 

[4hourrule]

I definitely have a steeper angle of attack in Grass over a Matt. The Grass is more forgiving.

 

[MWard]

I definitely have a steeper angle of attack in Grass over a Matt. The Grass is more forgiving.

Depends on the shot you want to pull off. Flopping off a mat is a piece of cake in comparison to grass.

 

[4hourrule]

Depends on the shot you want to pull off. Flopping off a mat is a piece of cake in comparison to grass.

Unless you hit behind the Ball, Worm Burner

 

[DataDude]

Trackman has studied all this stuff as they feel it is important for folks to know what they’re getting when they get fit. Here is there test results. Higher launch lower spin off a mat and lower launch higher spin off the ground. That tells me that one is catching the ball higher on the face off a mat.

Mats VS Grass – What’s the Difference?

Ryan Johnson & Greg Mathewson INTRODUCTION More and more customers today are being custom fit for golf clubs. With the use of TrackMan and custom fitting tools we have the ability to get custom…

blog.trackmangolf.com

 

[MWard]

Unless you hit behind the Ball, Worm Burner

Feel like you’re burying the sole into the mat

 

[DataDude]

I definitely have a steeper angle of attack in Grass over a Matt. The Grass is more forgiving.

Hitting off a Matt is totally different.

 

[4hourrule]

Hitting off a Matt is totally different.

View attachment 9251852

That's hitting off "Matt".

 

[1860VS]

Trackman has studied all this stuff as they feel it is important for folks to know what they’re getting when they get fit. Here is there test results. Higher launch lower spin off a mat and lower launch higher spin off the ground. That tells me that one is catching the ball higher on the face off a mat.

Mats VS Grass – What’s the Difference?

Ryan Johnson & Greg Mathewson INTRODUCTION More and more customers today are being custom fit for golf clubs. With the use of TrackMan and custom fitting tools we have the ability to get custom…

blog.trackmangolf.com

One player. One test. That would never pass muster in the research world. And for the reasons I started above, I believe it is not neccessarily true for any consistently good ball striker.

 

[Daddio]

The people conducting that Trackman test mentioned the potential limitations of basing results off one golfer numerous times in their write-up. Hopefully more testing has been done. Personally, I also get noticably higher launch and lower spin off mats vs grass too but that's me and I'd never classify myself as a 'good ball striker'.

 

[RayG]

If you're off a mat, you can't be a digger without destroying your elbows or wrist... or the club. As mentioned you WILL tend to approach at a bit more of a shallow angle and hit a bit higher on the face. The way some of the Pros attack the ball, they would break every wedge on a mat in minutes, if not on the first go.

I've essentially always been a 'sweeper' and relied on a stop, check, and little rollout. I have never been a spinner anyway, so mats or grass make less of a difference for me than most others, I would guess.