Have you ever met a golfer who did not have gizmos, gadgets, and other little widgets stuffed in his bag or hidden away in the garage designed somehow to improve their game? Players love these things for some reason and often buy them even when common sense tells them the thing won't work or do as it says it will do. Yet of all the things a player might buy to improve his game, a golf mat is usually far down the list.

In the old days, the only place to find a pad was on the practice range. To some degree, that is still true for most people. But before you race out to buy another addition to your garage consider why you should even consider owning one. A golf mat can be the most valuable and useful items that any player can have on hand. It is vital that you practice on something that feels and acts like real grass. Understanding the reasoning behind purchasing something of high-quality and with a guarantee to protect the consumer from common wear just amounts to good common sense.

You should keep in mind that the last thing we want when we are practicing our swing mechanics is to be learning the wrong swing. That can happen if you are standing on a pad that is made of inferior material, something that most driving ranges have on hand. It seems counterproductive to be using the driving range to improve your game when you are doing just the opposite. What you need is to be standing on something that matches what grass would feel like to train your body the proper movements to hit that long drive.

Another issue is you can no longer use driving range cushions that allow pre-set rubber tees. With today's new drivers, it is imperative that you be able to set your own tee to the right height in order to make the best shot. The height of the tee is different for each person, making it wholly impractical to use a standardized setting for the tee. The golf mat should allow for various sizes and allow for this vital height variation to be adjusted at the golfer's discretion.

As for the question of durability, let's face it, if you hit something enough with a golf club time and time again, it needs to be tough and durable. It should be strong enough to stand up to foot traffic as well as the occasional poor drive. Something backed by a guarantee shows a company's commitment to their product.

When selecting a golf mat fitting all of these qualifications, you should look at J.R. Mats, Inc.'s unique Country Club Elite T-turf™ system found at their website http://www.realfeelgolfmats.com. This exciting new product comes in various sizes to fit just about anyone's needs and they are a snap to store away. They are currently offering some great bonus gifts as well that you might want to check out and read up on this amazing new product.