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Introduction | The Importance Of A Quality Hitting Strip
The quality of your hitting surface (or hitting strip) is probably more important than you might think. A poor hitting area can lead to inconsistent feedback, unrealistic ball flights, but most importantly, it can lead to elbow or wrist pain.
When we wrote our premier article for building a golf simulator, we tried to focus on areas where you can spend up and areas where we can elect to save money. If you plan to use your golf simulator a lot, or intend to become a better golfer, the hitting strip is an extremely important piece of the puzzle. One such option to consider is the SIGPRO Softy golf hitting strip. I’ve personally been using the SIGPRO Softy for about 3 years and have plenty to say about it. In this review, we’ll take a closer look at what makes the SIGPRO Softy stand out, how it performs, and whether it’s worth the investment for your simulator setup.
What Is the SIGPRO Softy Hitting Strip?
The SIGPRO Softy is built as a premium golf simulator hitting strip. This is opposed to other options that can be an entire hitting mat. A strip allows you the ability to swap out just the hitting strip after loads of use as opposed to swapping an entire hitting mat. The SIGPRO Softy is built specifically to feel like a real grass fairway and is designed to punish your bad shots and reward your good ones.
The SIGPRO Softy is on the premium end in price, but I honestly think it’s worth it. I’ve had mine for 3 years and I play a TON of sim golf and I’m only on my second hitting strip. If I had to wager a guess, I would say these strips last a good 15,000-20,000 golf shots before they become a bit too concave in the middle. It’s hard to tell from the picture (below), but the strip on top was my first one and the strip that’s inserted is my current one. The fact that it’s hard to tell how worn it is, is a testament to the durability of these hitting strips.
SIGPRO Softy Golf Mat
To go farther with that idea, I think it really pairs nicely with the 4×7′ indoor golf mat or the 4’x10′ dual sided mat from Shop Indoor Golf. These are the best golf mats for your golf simulator and are extremely durable if you’re considering buying the Softy hitting strip. In fact, they’ve held up well against my three kids and the Minnesota winters. (For context, my simulator is in my garage and gets walked on as people enter through our garage back door). It’s also held its color nicely despite a good haul of snow and mud over the last couple years.
Key Features & Technology
The SIGPRO Softy is designed to protect you and mimic beautiful lush green fairways. This is one of the key features that it claims and this comes as the result of a dense fiber design and a layered base. This design reduces strain on the wrists, elbows and joints allowing you to play as much sim golf as you want.
“A plush layer of 1-inch thick Teeline turf mimics real grass feel while providing 100% accurate feedback on great shots and mishits. A thin layer of responsive ABS polyurethane allows for the flex action to occur at impact and then returns the turf to its original shape.
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Three compression slots on teh bottom of the Softy act as a release valves so as the turf is compressed at impact, the air pressure dissipates giving the golfer a realistic and smooth follow through without the sharp vibrations that other hitting mats produce.” – Credit: The Indoor Golf Shop
I can absolutely attest to this. I have never had problems with the impact from these mats and I’ve never been concerned about getting injured if I make a bad swing. Let’s list some other pros about the SIGPRO Softy hitting strip.
Pros
- Long Life: Excellent for high-volume play (home & commercial builds)
- Realistic: Quality feedback for well struck and mishit shots and truly feels like you’re swinging outdoors
- Money Savings: Cost effective long term due to the ability to swap only the hitting strip out
- Durable: I can’t say enough about the durability of this design. I’m writing this as someone who has a pretty high swing speed and someone who loves to take divots.
- Tees: You can actually use real tees with the SIGPRO Softy. While that’s cool and all, I’d still personally recommend tees from K2 Golf for a golf simulator.
Cons
There are pros and cons to everything in the golf simulator world. For the SIGPRO Softy, it may come down to your budget. I’ve listed plenty of pros up until this point, but what about the cons? Well, simply put, I don’t think there are that many. With that being said, there certainly can be depending on how you view in regards to:
- Cost: Higher upfront cost than other solutions. This is 100% true but I would argue that, in time, it’ll be worth your investment if you intend to play a lot of golf. For the current cost of the SIGPRO Softy, please visit this link as prices can vary.
- Feel: It may feel too soft for players used to firm mats. I would again argue that those firm mats are not providing you with the correct feedback.
- Installation: Requires proper installation for best performance. The hitting mat should be secured firmly in place and I would highly recommend finding a way to level out your hitting strip and hitting mat. That’s why I think it really pairs nicely with the 4×7′ indoor golf mat or the 4’x10′ dual sided mat.
- Sticky: Sticky? What do you mean? This is my one personal addition to the cons list. On short shots, chips, or like a flop shot, this mat can be pretty challenging to “clip it clean.” I don’t think this is that big of a deal but it’s something I wouldn’t feel right not mentioning. I play a lot of sim golf, (please find my Live Rounds – YouTube Playlist if you want to watch the SIGPRO Softy in action, and subscribe!), and it can pose some trouble when you’re presented with a shorter chip that needs a little extra loft on it.
SIGPRO Softy vs Traditional & Other Golf Mats
In this SIGPRO Softy review, we have clearly outlined why it’s one of the best golf simulator hitting mats. In comparison with other hitting strips, or traditional mats, it stands at or certainly near the top. As our channel and Swing Yard blog continue to grow, we will continue to compare this hitting strip alongside others. As of now, it’s a winner but more and more technology is starting to catch up. Close competitors would be the Bullseye 3D Hitting Strip from Bullseye Golf Sims and the Holy Grail Hitting Strip from Gungho Golf.
Final Verdict
I firmly believe that the SIGPRO Softy hitting strip is worth the money. I know the price can be a little steep, but I honestly think you make that back in quality, realism, durability and safety. It stands up to the test of time and I can personally attest how good this mat is.
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Without a doubt though, whether you go with the SIGPRO Softy or another hitting mat, I simply want to encourage you to do your research for your golf simulator purchases and ideas. The famous saying of “buy cheap and you buy twice” is absolutely true in the world of sim golf. I’d encourage you to do it right the first time so that you can fully depend on the quality of your simulator and its components. The SIGPRO Softy will live up to that and is definitely a piece that I’d recommend for anyone looking to build their own DIY golf simulator.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes – to put it bluntly. I always encourage people to do their research and find what works best for them. But, the SIGPRO Softy has so many positives that it’s hard to ignore. Stamp of approval from me.
Yes, it is designed to mimic realistic fairway feels while also providing relief to joints, wrists and elbows. This goes a long way when you’re aiming to play a lot of sim golf.
This is a difficult question to answer as every golfer is very unique in the way they swing the club and strike the ball. However, if I’m forced to quantify it, I’m a scratch golfer that has roughly 170mph ball speed with my driver and I have gotten anywhere from 15,000-20,000 swings with a single hitting strip. I mention that data as an attempt to put value behind the quality of my ball striking and the speed in which I can hit the ball and make divots. Obviously, I’m not making divots with my driver but it’s a relatable quantitative value.
Yes! Absolutely one of its greatest values is that it’s replaceable. It’s as easy as pulling the old one out and setting a new one in. Please make sure to double check the dimensions of the hitting strip and that you’re matching what you’re replacing.
Yes again! The Softy is long lasting and will work well in commercial spaces. With the ability to swap it out easily for a new strip, it’s the perfect fit for a commercial build.
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