Can the Acu-Strike Golf Mat Help You Stripe It?

The Acu-Strike Golf Mat became incredibly popular at the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show when it won the coveted award for Best New Product. Since then, amateur and professional golfers alike have been using the product to further their understanding of what's happening at impact in their golf swings.

The mat shows real time feedback on every swing using basic technology. The suede striking mat changes color upon impact, leaving an imprint that not only shows your impact location, but illustrates your swing path as well. The mat can be used or without golf balls, indoors or outdoors.

After taking a swing using the Acu-Strike, it's easy to see your feedback. Just look down and check how your impact pattern aligns with the guide and the ball. You get instant feedback on:

• Club path (square, inside-out, outside-in)
• Strike location (heel, toe, center face)
• Strike efficiency (fat, thin, pure)
• Face angle (open, closed, square)

Acu-Strike sells indoor and outdoor models of its golf mat to match consumers’ needs. 

The indoor mat has a one inch thick foam underlay that allows the user to lay it down on all hard surfaces including concrete, carpet, or hardwood flooring. The mat measures 19" x 10" and retails for $69.95.

The outdoor mat is more of a heavy duty cloth and has grommets in each corner which allow you to pin it to the ground with golf tees. The mat stays in place incredibly well with minimal adjusting through a typical driving range session. The outdoor mat also measures 19" x 10" and retails for $49.95.

On of the great aspects of the Acu-Strike Mat is that it can be used with or without a golf ball. For the best results, we recommend hitting a golf ball off the mat, but there's no harm in using it at home without a ball.

No matter how you practice with the mat, aim for impact at the dot in the center of the mat. Take your normal swing with an iron and concentrate on sweeping the club across the mat. After your stroke, look to see the direction the mat material has been brushed. Here is how to diagnose the pattern on the mat.

• Thin Shot: Light strip towards the front of the mat.
• Fat Shot: Dark strip that starts behind the white dot and continues to the front of the mat.
• Good Impact: Dark strip starts in the middle of the white dot and continues to the front of the mat.
• Heel Miss: Dark strip anywhere above the white dot.
• Toe Miss: Dark strip anywhere below the white dot.
• Club Path: Compare the path of the dark green strip to your target line to determine if your swing is on-path, inside-out, or outside-in.
• Face angle: Draw an imaginary line from where your the toe of your club begins impat with the mat to where the heel begins impact. Compare that angle to your target line to determine if you club face is square (90-degrees), open, or closed.

Once you're ready to hit your next shot, simply take your club and sweep the mat in the opposite direction to get the material back to its original position.

The Acu-Strike Golf Mat has several pros and cons to evaluate before making it your training aid of choice.

Pros:

• Instant feedback on club path.
• Easy to use at home or at the driving range.
• Easy to transport. The outdoor model takes up very little space in your golf bag.
• Use it with long, mid, and short irons.

Cons:

• Durability could be better. After a lot of use the material doesn't brush back as easily.
• Manufacturer recommends purchasing a multi-pack.
• Can be hard to clean after a session on a wet driving range.

Have you ever hit a bad golf shot and instantly asked yourself "Why?!" Who hasn't? The Acu-Strike Golf Mat gives you an instant, undeniable answer to this question, every time.

The Acu-Strike Golf Mat definitely has more positives than negatives. It's a very simple, yet effective, training aid that can produce valuable results for new golfers and perhaps some surprising results for veteran players. The biggest drawback is that if you really enjoy using this training aid, you'll have to invest in multiple mats to feed your practice. If you like the results, however, you'll find them to be well worth your money.