Guides · Enclosures, mats and hitting surfaces
How do Fiberbuilt studio mats and the SIGPRO Softy strip compare?
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A Fiberbuilt studio mat includes the stance area and hitting surface, while a SIGPRO Softy strip needs a stance floor around it. Choose between those configurations by the floor space and finished height you can accommodate. Both brands also sell other mat components or complete mats, so this comparison concerns Fiberbuilt studio mats and the standalone Softy insert.
Fiberbuilt: a complete platform
Fiberbuilt makes studio mats in single-, center-, and double-hitting layouts. Listed sizes run from 7 by 4 feet to 12 by 4 feet, and some Grass Series mats are 6 feet deep. The stance area and hitting surface come as a matched system with a modular base. Fiberbuilt studio mat range
They also take up floor. In a garage or a narrow bay, measure the actual assembled footprint before you order: the nominal 9-by-4 Grass Series center-hitting mat finishes at 109 by 49 inches. Grass Series center-hitting specifications
SIGPRO Softy: a strip you build around
The Softy strip is 28 by 12 inches and nominally 2½ inches thick, with a stated ±⅛-inch tolerance. It has a soft foam insert, 1-inch Teeline turf, and a flexible supporting layer, and it takes a real tee. SIGPRO Softy specifications
The strike area is separate from where you stand, so when it wears you can replace the strip and leave the surrounding floor alone.
Getting it flush is the hard part. If you choose the strip after the turf and subfloor are already down, matching the heights gets awkward. Allow for the thickness tolerance when planning the recess.
Finished height
Whatever you stand on comes out of your ceiling height. With plenty of headroom, it hardly matters. In a nine-foot room that's already marginal, another inch or two can decide whether a driver clears the ceiling.
Go by the finished standing height of the whole system. Fiberbuilt lists its 9-by-4 Grass Series center-hitting mat at 2 inches tall and its Player Preferred 8-by-4 single-hitting mat at 1.75 inches. Grass Series dimensions, Player Preferred dimensions
Right- and left-handed players
Fiberbuilt's center- and double-hitting layouts provide stance space for both handednesses. The company describes the Grass Series center-hitting layout as suited to down-the-line radar units such as TrackMan and FlightScope. The monitor's own placement requirements still apply. Center-hitting layout
With a SIGPRO strip, a DIY builder can choose the ball position, but the stance floor still has to be level on both sides. If people swap sides often, build that into the floor. Nobody wants to drag a heavy mat around between shots.
Feel
How a hitting surface feels to you depends on your swing and on the floor underneath. If you can find one to hit off before committing to a large permanent floor, do. Product descriptions alone won't settle that choice.
Price the finished floor
A complete studio mat and one hitting strip aren't the same purchase. Add up the stance area, hitting surface, base, surrounding turf, and whatever it takes to bring everything to one height.
As checked on October 12, 2026, the U.S. listings show $1,499 for Fiberbuilt's Grass Series 9-by-4 center-hitting studio mat and $249.99 for one Softy strip. These are one-time hardware prices in USD, before applicable tax and any shipping charges; the strip price excludes your stance floor and base. Fiberbuilt price, Softy price