The hitting mat is the part of a golf simulator the golfer feels on every shot. A good one forgives a swing that hits down into the ball without jarring the wrists and elbows, still punishes a fat shot the way grass does, holds a tee, stays flat, and lasts. A cheap one hurts the joints over time. Here are the mats GSV has built simulators with, SIGPRO, Fiberbuilt and Carl's Place HotShot, with each maker's sizes, heights, hitting strips and prices, what Jay found hitting each, and how to choose the size and thickness for your room and launch monitor. Jay Lasco, host of Golf Simulator Videos, has hit off each of these on camera in GSV's builds, from a garage net setup to a commercial teaching bay, and GSV's own rooms use a mix of them.
- 1 1/4 to 2 1/2 inHow thick these mats are
- 4 x 5 to 4 x 10 ftThe common sizes
- Replaceable stripsOn most SIGPRO mats and the HotShot
- GSVMAT$20 off SIGPRO mats at Shop Indoor Golf
Golf simulator mats
- Golf hitting mats$20 off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSVMAT.SIGPRO Softy, Super Softy, Softy Lite and Commercial Teeline mats.
- Carl's Place floor tiles, turf and HotShot mats5% off at Carl's Place. GSV emails you the code.
Buying through GSV's links and codes helps support the channel: GSV earns a small commission at no extra cost to you, and you still get every saving available.
The short answer
- Best all-around for a simulator: a SIGPRO Softy or Super Softy, with a soft replaceable strip that takes a real tee.
- Real tees anywhere on the mat: a Fiberbuilt Tee Box.
- Most realistic feel on fat shots: a Carl's Place HotShot with the gel insert, GSV's pick of its three inserts.
- Budget and roll-up, for a garage that parks a car: a SIGPRO Softy LITE.
- Two golfers, left and right-handed: a double-width mat with the tee in the middle, such as a 4 x 9 or 4 x 10.
Golf simulator mats compared
| Mat | Sizes and height, by the maker | Hitting surface |
|---|---|---|
| SIGPRO Softy | 4 x 7 or 4 x 10 ft, 2 1/2 in | Replaceable soft strip, takes a real tee |
| SIGPRO Super Softy | 4 x 6 or 4 x 9 ft on a heavy rubber base | Replaceable 12 x 48 in strip |
| SIGPRO Softy LITE | 4 x 5 or 4 x 10 ft, 1 1/4 in, rolls up | Replaceable strip, no real tee |
| SIGPRO Commercial TeeLine | 4 x 5, 4 x 7 or 4 x 9 ft, 2 3/8 in | TeeLine turf, heavy rubber base |
| Fiberbuilt Studio mats | 7 x 4 to 12 x 4 ft, and 6 ft deep, 2 in | Fiberbuilt Grass or Player Preferred panel |
| Fiberbuilt Tee Box | 4 x 6, 4 x 8 or 4 x 10 ft, 2 in | Performance Turf, real tees anywhere |
| Carl's Place HotShot | 4 x 5, 4 x 9, 5 x 8 or 6 x 10 ft, 1 3/4 in | Gel, foam or standard insert |
Prices
| Mat | Price, October 2026 |
|---|---|
| SIGPRO Softy LITE 4 x 5 / 4 x 10 | $739.99 / $1,049.99 |
| SIGPRO Softy 4 x 7 / 4 x 10 | $999.99 / $1,199.99 |
| SIGPRO Super Softy 4 x 6 / 4 x 9 | $1,159.99 / $1,369.99 |
| SIGPRO Commercial TeeLine 4 x 5 / 4 x 9 | $799.99 / $1,299.99 |
| Fiberbuilt Tee Box 4 x 6 / 4 x 8 / 4 x 10 | $749 / $999 / $1,249 |
| Fiberbuilt Grass Studio mats | $1,249 to $2,750 |
| Carl's Place HotShot | From $499.95 |
SIGPRO is Shop Indoor Golf's own brand and HotShot is Carl's Place's, so these are each brand's own prices, and Fiberbuilt's are from Fiberbuilt. Replacement SIGPRO strips are $119.99 to $249.99.
SIGPRO Softy and Super Softy
The Softy has a soft foam strip under 1 in of TeeLine turf, set in a foam-backed mat, and Shop Indoor Golf calls it the softest and most forgiving strip it makes. The strip takes a real tee and swaps out when it wears, without replacing the mat. The Super Softy puts a longer strip, 12 x 48 in, in a heavy rubber tile base with a stance on each side.
- Softy, in GSV's SIG10 build (2023): light yet sturdy, snaps together in seconds, and Jay could hit down on it and feel like he was taking a divot, not worrying about his wrists, so he could commit to the shot.
- Super Softy, in a commercial teaching bay (2024): very sturdy, it stays put, forgives a high handicapper who chunks it, and still penalizes a good golfer who hits a little behind the ball. PGA professional Darren Husse, on camera at his academy: don't skimp on turf, because so many wrist and elbow injuries come from saving money on it.
Fiberbuilt golf mats
Fiberbuilt builds most of its mats on a modular rubber base, with three hitting surfaces: Player Preferred, for the most feedback and the closest feel to fairway grass; Fiberbuilt Grass, for golfers who practice a lot and want to avoid the turf shock of inferior mats; and Performance Turf, which takes real tees, on the Tee Box. The Studio mats pair a Fiberbuilt Grass or Player Preferred hitting panel with a Performance Turf stance, and Fiberbuilt guarantees the Fiberbuilt Grass panel for 300,000 shots.
Jay's 2022 Tee Box review: real tees go in anywhere, it forgives a swing that hits down into the ball, and it grabs the club on a chunk, so distances stay realistic. He found the same with a Fiberbuilt in a Foresight Sim in a Box build that year.
Fiberbuilt's warranty: one year on the stance and turf mats, five years on the rubber bases. Fiberbuilt also makes a small 2 x 1 ft Flight Deck practice mat, which Shop Indoor Golf sells; it is not a simulator stance mat.
Carl's Place HotShot
HotShot mats are 1 3/4 in thick, with the hitting area offset on the 4 x 5 and 5 x 8 and centered on the 4 x 9 and 6 x 10. The 30 x 12 in insert comes in three kinds, by Carl's Place: the standard turf insert, which takes a real tee; foam, the most forgiving on the joints; and gel, the most realistic, which punishes a chunk like grass does and is a little harder on the joints.
- 2023, with the standard insert: a heavy rubber base that does not move and a deep pile that takes real tees. One honest problem: Jay could not get his to sit flat, and the SkyTrak's red dot shifted every time he put it down, though it played fine.
- 2025, with the gel insert: denser on top and heavy enough to stay planted, a little forgiveness, and it penalizes a shot hit behind the ball. Jay recommends the gel.
The Carl's Place code is emailed, not posted, from the Carl's Place discount code page.
Budget and roll-up: SIGPRO Softy LITE
The Softy LITE is thinner, 1 1/4 in, rolls up for storage, and keeps a replaceable strip, the lower-cost way into SIGPRO's mats. Jay used the 4 x 5 in a 2024 budget build with a Garmin R10 and a SIGPRO net: forgiving underfoot, it does not move around, and it comes off the floor so a car can pull in. Shop Indoor Golf says its strip cannot take a real tee; use rubber or 3D printed tees.
How to choose a golf simulator mat
- Joints against feedback: a softer strip is kinder to wrists and elbows; a firmer one tells you more about a fat shot. The best mats do both.
- Tees: real tees in the Fiberbuilt Tee Box anywhere, in the SIGPRO Softy and TeeLine, and in the HotShot standard insert; rubber or 3D printed tees on the Softy LITE.
- One golfer or two: a single-sided mat puts the tee off center for one hand. For left and right-handed golfers, a double-width mat with the tee in the middle, such as a 4 x 9 or 4 x 10, or two tees on one wide mat.
- The launch monitor: a unit beside the ball, such as a SkyTrak or Square Golf, is easier with a wider mat it can sit on, Jay notes. Units behind the ball or on the ceiling do not care. Uneekor's trouble mats need a mat at least 1 1/2 in deep.
- Thickness and the ceiling: the mat lifts the golfer, so a 2 1/2 in mat takes 2 1/2 in off the ceiling. See the low ceiling guide.
- Replaceable strip: the strip is what wears; swapping it costs far less than a new mat.
Setting the mat level with the turf
A mat sitting on top of the turf leaves a step at its edge. Recess it by raising the turf around it to the mat's height. In GSV's 2020 studio Jay used two layers of carpet padding under the turf, with a cutout in the top layer for the mat, so it sat flush. The golf simulator flooring guide has the base height for each mat and the turf and foam to match.
Try the mat in your room
The GSV Sim Builder lays the SIGPRO, HotShot and several Fiberbuilt mats in your room at its real size, single or double-width, with the launch monitor and the tee, and the cost calculator prices the mat with the rest of the build.
GSV codes for golf mats
- GSVMAT: $20 off SIGPRO Softy, Super Softy, Softy LITE and Commercial TeeLine mats at Shop Indoor Golf.
- GSV5OFF: 5% off a first Shop Indoor Golf order, which is more than $20 on any mat over $400. Shop Indoor Golf takes one code per order.
- Carl's Place: the code is emailed from the Carl's Place discount code page.
Every code is on the golf simulator discount codes page.
Golf simulator mats
- Golf hitting mats$20 off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSVMAT.SIGPRO Softy, Super Softy, Softy Lite and Commercial Teeline mats.
- Carl's Place floor tiles, turf and HotShot mats5% off at Carl's Place. GSV emails you the code.
Free consultation with GSV's partner builders
Not sure which mat fits your room and launch monitor? Jay works with official partners: master builders he hand-picked, who get on a call quickly and make sure the mat, the turf and the launch monitor work together before you buy anything. They offer package deals on the whole build, DIY packages, full installation, and more. The consultation is free.
Golf simulator mat questions
What is the best hitting mat for a golf simulator?
One that forgives a swing that hits down into the ball but still punishes a fat shot, takes a tee, stays flat and has a replaceable strip. GSV's builds have used the SIGPRO Softy and Super Softy, Fiberbuilt mats, and the Carl's Place HotShot with the gel insert.
Are Fiberbuilt golf mats worth the money?
For a golfer who practices a lot, they are built to last: the Fiberbuilt Grass hitting panel carries a 300,000-shot guarantee and the rubber bases a five-year warranty, by Fiberbuilt. In Jay's 2022 test the Tee Box took real tees anywhere and grabbed the club on a chunk.
Can you use a real tee on a golf simulator mat?
On many. The Fiberbuilt Tee Box takes real tees anywhere, the SIGPRO Softy and Commercial TeeLine take them, and so does the HotShot standard insert. The SIGPRO Softy LITE does not; use rubber or 3D printed tees.
Which golf mat is best for your joints?
A soft strip that lets the club go down and through. Carl's Place calls its HotShot foam insert the most forgiving on the joints, and Shop Indoor Golf calls the SIGPRO Softy its softest strip. PGA professional Darren Husse warned on GSV not to skimp on turf, because of the wrist and elbow injuries he sees.
How thick should a golf simulator mat be?
The mats here run from 1 1/4 in, the Softy LITE, to 2 1/2 in, the Softy. The mat lifts the golfer, so its height comes off the ceiling, and Uneekor's trouble mats need a mat at least 1 1/2 in deep.
What size hitting mat do you need?
A 4 x 5 to 4 x 7 ft single-sided mat for one golfer, or a 4 x 9 or 4 x 10 double-width mat with the tee in the middle for left and right-handed golfers. With a launch monitor beside the ball, a wider mat it can sit on is easier.
Can you replace the hitting strip?
On most SIGPRO mats and the HotShot, yes: SIGPRO strips are $119.99 to $249.99 and HotShot inserts come in gel, foam and standard turf. The strip wears long before the rest of the mat.
Mats in GSV's builds
Build the rest of your sim
- Enclosure and screen$250 off at Shop Indoor GolfShop
- Carl's Place enclosure5% off, code sent by emailShopGet the code
- Projector5% off at Shop Indoor Golf. First-time buyersShop
- Simulator computerSurfThing: $100 off applied automatically, no codeShop
- TouchscreenGSV code for TouchscreenGuruShop
- Complete package$250 off at Shop Indoor GolfShop
GSV earns a small commission on these links, at no extra cost to you. Shop Indoor Golf takes one code per order.