I'd already owned another golf mat when I ordered this one, made by a little-known company which will remain nameless as to not violate Amazon community policies. That said, I still thought the best way to approach this review would be a comparison of my experiences with this product versus the one I already had, which I'll refer to as “Mat B” throughout. I've included several photos for clarity, which I will describe in detail below: - The first is the two mats face up, side-by-side. Obviously, the Franklin mat is quite a bit larger overall, due to the fact it sports a 3rd hitting surface (although ”Mat B” is longer). Unfortunately for the Franklin mat, this is where its advantages end. The first thing I noticed was a total lack of reinforcement along the edges, while “Mat B” is surrounded by heavy-duty rubber, similar to what you''d find on certain types of “Welcome” mats. Excluding the Franklin's 3rd surface, the other two surfaces appear to be identical in material. - The second is once again the two mats, this time upside-down. The bottom of the Franklin mat is made of extremely soft foam rubber, while “Mat B” is made of the same rugged rubber as its edging. This is due to it being entirely one-piece. Also, although the Franklin mat is advertised as being “extra thick”, as it turns out “Mat B” is about 1/4” thicker. Notice the marks crossing the portion of the Franklin mat near the white label, and there are similar ones on the sides. This is straight out of the box, brand-new. Those were created by the thin plastic bag it's delivered in. If a plastic bag can have this effect, just imagine the damage a mishit shot could cause, especially if you accidentally make contact with the side of the mat using a driver at full-force. You also need to be on the lookout for any small debris on the ground when you place it down, as the Franklin's soft foam rubber bottom doesn't fare well with that sort of thing either. Lastly, forget about using it on anything but grass, for the same reason. - The third is the white tee that comes with this mat, pictured on the right side. Yes, you only get one. Beside it at left are the two black tees which come with “Mat B”. In addition to getting a pair, they are different heights, allowing you to simulate how deeply you may actually stick an actual tee into the ground on the golf course. The last comparison is pricing. The Franklin mat misses that mark by far as well, costing over twice as much as “Mat B”. Given all of this, there's no way this product is worth anywhere near the asking price. Remember, one of the primary uses of these mats will almost certainly be driving balls at full speed into a practice net. They absolutely need to be made of materials that can stand up to that sort of jolt, over long periods of time. Sometimes, you just can't trust a product because of a famous brand name, and this is one of them.
