I’ve been testing all of the most popular hitting mats and strips for golf simulators so that I can choose the one I like most to complete my own garage golf simulator.
The SIGPRO Softy is definitely one that is often suggested in forums and facebook groups.
It’s made and sold by The Indoor Golf Shop which specializes in golf simulator products. They developed it to be the perfect balance between a real feel and softness for injury prevention.
After testing it out in my own golf simulator I can say that it easily became one of my favorite (if not THE favorite) hitting mat I’ve tried but it has one major flaw that’s a deal killer for me.
I’ll do my best in this SIGPRO Softy golf mat review to describe the mat so you can decide if you want to give it a try yourself.
Table of Contents
SIGPRO Softy Video Review
- 4’x10′ , 4’x7′, or Hitting Strip Only
- Feels like soft fairway
- Chipping feels great
SIGPRO Softy Quality
Out of the box the SIGPRO Softy seems pretty basic. I purchased the 4’x7’ mat that includes the hitting insert. You can also purchase a 4’x10’ mat for center hitting or just the hitting strip by itself.
The 4’x7’ golf mat is basically 3 pieces: 2 make up the stance mat and fit together with puzzle-piece edges and the SIGPRO Softy hitting strip itself.
This made for a 5 second assembly that fit perfectly snug, unlike assembling the TrueStrike golf mat which was complete overkill compared to this.
The stance mat is made up of a firm foam underneath with artificial turf on top. Even though it’s firm it still has a slight squish when you walk on it, which may help a little bit with fatigue.
Four large pieces of velcro were included in the box which I assume are to velcro the mat down to the floor. I opted to skip the velcro and I haven’t noticed the mat moving at all.
Of course the hitting strip is what matters most. It’s well constructed and consists of three layers.
The top layer is of course an artificial turf that is about an inch thick. This is what allows you to use a real tee and also contributes to the “real feel”.
The second layer is some very soft, squishy foam which is what allows the whole hitting strip to compress and absorb some of the impact of the club.
The last layer is a very thin piece of hard plastic that has three cutouts in the middle that serve as air holes. When the soft foam is compressed the air holes allow the air to escape from the bottom.
It’s a unique design that has some similarities to the Gungho Holy Grail and Carl’s Place Divot Hitting Strip but with major differences. The SIGPRO Softy has thicker turf while the other two use putting turf on top. The others also use a hard plastic directly underneath the turf to keep its form.
After using it to play a round on GSPro I did notice the beginnings of a wear mark on the top of the hitting strip. It seems it won’t take long for the turf to change color where I repeatedly place the ball.
Feel / Realism
So how does the SIGPRO Softy feel to hit from? I can easily say it feels very realistic while still feeling “cushioned” enough to prevent injuries. Exactly what the Indoor Golf Shop intended.
Anytime a mat has longer turf I am concerned that it will be too “grabby” which can feel like the club head gets slightly stuck for just a split second. This usually sends a shock up the shaft and into my lead arm.
The turf was not grabby at all.
Right before this I was testing the Fiberbuilt Player Preferred mat and I think the feel was very similar, except the SIGPRO Softy has more cushion. The Player Preferred really has none (although it did a great job of absorbing any vibration).
Since I believe it uses the same squishy foam as the Holy Grail hitting strip the cushion feels similar, but the Holy Grail has a very unrealistic (to me) bouncy feel because of the hard plastic on top of the squishy foam. Its as if the entire hitting strip bounces when you hit down on it.
A harder test of a golf mat is not how it feels on a full swing but how it feels on shorter chips and pitches.
The SIGPro Softy hitting strip may be the best I’ve tried for chipping. I was able to open the club face and use the bounce without the club bouncing up like it does on a harder mat.
Overall, I would describe the feeling of the SIGPRO Softy as a fairway that’s slightly softer from some recent rain. Not wet, but just soft. So you can take a nice clean divot and it feels like butter.
Using a real tee worked just fine for me and it did allow me to get the tee height just how I like it, slightly higher.
Fit Within Golf Simulator
One consideration for a hitting mat should be how it fits within your space and will work for your launch monitor.
I think the SIGPRO Softy looks great. It’s very clean with straight edges and I like that there’s no border around the mat.
There is one big problem for me and it is probably the reason I won’t go with the SIGPRO Softy as my permanent hitting mat.
It’s about 2.5” tall.
That means that to have my putting turf line up to the mat exactly I need to have at least a 2” subfloor. Most people use puzzle fit rubber tiles or foam board insulation as a subfloor and then cut in their hitting mat or strip.
This can still be accomplished; it will just take a lot of that material to reach 2” and I already have 1” foam tiles in place.
Why would you want your putting turf between the mat and your impact screen to line up? Well, if you want to putt using a launch monitor like the Mevo Plus, the ball needs to be able to roll smoothly all the way to the screen so the radar can track it.
If you have a launch monitor from Foresight or Skytrak that sits next to the hitting strip this isn’t necessary as they only track the impact area.
Since I review different launch monitors I want my space to work for all types.
Another consideration for your launch monitor is the hitting area. The SIGPRO Softy hitting strip is only 12”x28”.
The hitting zone for my Foresight GCQuad is about 14”x14” so I am not able to use the entire hitting zone. The Foresight GC3 hitting zone is about 7”x10” so you’re not giving anything up there.
Just something to keep in mind. I really enjoyed using the entire hitting zone of the GCQuad with the larger Fiberbuilt Player Preferred mat.
Overall, the SIGPRO Softy Hitting Mat might be the best feeling mat I’ve used so far. I just need to decide if I want the extra hassle of building up a 2” subfloor and if I’m ok with not using the entire hitting zone of the GCQuad.
- 4’x10′ , 4’x7′, or Hitting Strip Only
- Feels like soft fairway
- Chipping feels great
SIGPRO Softy Hitting Mat Alternatives
Fiberbuilt Player Preferred
I mentioned it several times in this review because I think the feeling is very similar. I would say the Player Preferred is less “cushioned” but provides a very realistic feel as well. If the SIGPRO Softy feels like a soft fairway, the Player Preferred mat feels like a firm fairway. Read my Fiberbuilt Player Preferred Mat Review if you’re interested.
- Multiple sizes and configuration
- Real feel
- Clean look
EZ Tee Hybrid
The EZ Tee Hybrid is a turf only but it is one of the most popular options for golf simulators. It’s a longer turf, similar to what’s on the SIGPRO Softy but does not have any other layers to it. It can be purchased in just about any size to be used as an entire hitting mat or just a hitting strip. Personally I found it to be just slightly too “grabby” for my taste but it is a popular option that’s less expensive.
Currently have the Quattro mat with EyeXO. The Quattro does hurt my elbow but also shaves quite a bit of distance off my shots (i.e. 8 iron goes 140-150 with simulator and 160 at course). I am wanting a mat that is easy on the joints but that gives accurate distances. Does the Sig Pro Softy do this? I don’t think the putting is not an issue for me since the EyeXO doesn’t need to see the ball for the length of the putt.
Thanks and nice review.
Hey Paul,
I have never used the Quattro mat so I can’t compare the two. I can say the SIGPRO Softy was one of my favorite mats to hit on (like top 1 or 2) out of all the ones I have tested. The foam on the bottom is that super squishy, light foam so I really don’t think anyone is going to develop any injuries with it. As far as distance, I’ve never really compared distance on any of the mats but I also haven’t noticed a difference like yours with any of them. Buying a mat is so hard because it’s almost all feel and you can’t try them out.
I’m going with the fiberuilt player preferred mainly because of the mat height and 2×4 hitting area. The SIGPRO Softy was my next favorite but it’s 2.5″ high and the hitting strip is much smaller (but standard for most mats). I thought the feel/realism of the SIGPRO Softy was awesome though.
If you have any other questions I’ll do my best to answer!
Thanks
Hi Bobby,
Thanks for getting back. Using the EyeXO, I don’t have a problem with the drop-off for putting, although I do like when it is smooth. However my 70 year old elbow keeps yelling at me. Which of the two matts (FB Preferred or SigPro) do you think is best for injury protection?
For sure the SIGPRO Softy would be safer for injury protection.
Bobby,
Thanks for the great reviews! Couple q’s:
On the Sigpro Softy, I’ve that the stance mat comes in two pieces, so depending on the shot, you have to stand on the crack where the pieces fit together, which isn’t as stable. Did you have any problems doing full swings while standing on the crack?
For the FB preferred, some reviewers said that the hitting strip developed a dent after only a couple months of one user, non-intense use. How has the durability been for you?
Hey Dave,
You are correct that the seam on the SIGPro Softy stance mat is right where you would stand for most of your irons. I barely notice it at all. The stance mat fits together like puzzle pieces so they are very secure and I don’t feel any movement between them at all. Aside from seeing the crack when I take my stance I hardly notice it.
I only used the Fiberbuilt Player Preferred for 3-4 weeks max (just because I tested so many mats at the same time) so I did not have enough time to see how it would hold up over time. It does sound odd to me that a dent would form because the hitting area is 2’x4’ so there’s plenty of room to hit from different spots. Its also is a pretty solid, one-piece construction. Maybe they were seeing more of a depression in the turf. Not sure.
I would add that the SIGPRO Softy showed a wear spot on the turf pretty quickly. After it initially showed up it hasn’t gotten much worse. It’s just that the turf is about 1” thick and it’s a smaller hitting strip so you’re going to wear down the ends of the turf no matter what.
Hope that was helpful!
Thanks,
Bobby