Rubber mats for teepads

[Billolick]

so whats the current best place to get these? FLY 18? Cow mats? other sources?

thanks for ideas, info and prices

 

[Sadjo]

FLY18 is by far the best for not holding water.

 

[Billolick]

whaddya think - well maintained crushed stone or rubber flypads/mats? Is it worth the extra $?

 

[kevdiv48]

whaddya think - well maintained crushed stone or rubber flypads/mats? Is it worth the extra $?

I think well installed rubber mats are better than crushed stone. As long as the mats are installed on nice, level ground or even supported by a wooden frame and secured on more than just the four corners, they will work very well even in less than optimal conditions.

 

[ohtobediscing]

I just played on some pressed shredded rubber mats at Vander Yacht Park in Ferndale WA. They were well-placed and nice to throw from, but some were shaded from the dim sun and constantly damp, and were developing a film of algae. I flopped like a French soccer star.
A more-textured pad probably would work better in that climate. Don't forget to consider a tee's weathering patterns.

 

[aardvarkious]

Perhaps this is a thread jack. Sorry if it is:

How do you secure rubber pads properly?

And what kind of material do you need under them? We have just bare dirt that we were going to level out with sand and put the mat on top. Will this work?

 

[silverbullet]

making it level would be the most important thing. i love rubber pads but at one of our local courses some of them are not level and hard to throw from :/ Do it right if your going to

 

[hipster]

Newer course in my area installed rubber tee pads within a timber frame over a substantial layer of crushed/flaked rock (quartz?). The generous tee pads are bolted within the frame through the rock into the earth. The pads are snug against sides of the box and leave a couple feet of exposed rock at the bottom and top for drainage I suppose. I like the way these Osage Grove tee pads provide a defined space above the playing surface for teeing a disc. I would install these types of boxed tees with the rubber pads over concrete slabs all day long if given the choice.

 

[Deadshot Jack]

I agree with what's already been said, but want to add that if installed properly, rubber mats should require much less maintenance as they should wear a lot more slowly and consistently.

 

[`cjc]

whaddya think - well maintained crushed stone or rubber flypads/mats? Is it worth the extra $?

.. I prefer crushed stone to rubber mats almost exclusively, except I'd imagine the Southwest US / Texas they'd be the preferred tee pad.

..the dew and rain make them very slick, unlike crushed stone.

..snow and ice, rubber mats are horrrible.

 

[ThrowaEnvy]

Depends on access to crush the stone... if you can't get a big compactor in they fall apart when everyone digs their foot in to throw. We are lobbying for rubber out here, less work to get it to the right places.

 

[`cjc]

..I use a sled tamper to tamp down a solid 4 inch layer of modified stone, then add another 4 inches of crushed stone screenings. Add some lime, tamp again, and the tee pads are tight and ready to use.

..they key is the modified stone layer, being level and tamped. The crushed top layer is there to protect the modified base.

 

[tarel]

used condoms have been recycled washed and melted into super fly pads in the greater lehigh valley.

 

[cjrogus]

May be off topic but my local course used paverstones as the tee pads. They look great and offer adequate drainage with a nice grip. Have had bad experiences with bumpy rubber tees and worse with crushed rock that had been dug in from rotation.

 

[NH DISCDOLF J]

..

..the dew and rain make them very slick, unlike crushed stone.

..snow and ice, rubber mats are horrrible.

I disagree completely. Rubber is fine in the rain and snow. We have plenty of inclimate weather during all 4 seasons here in NH, and the footing is fine on rubber.

 

[BraveThrower43]

I disagree completely. Rubber is fine in the rain and snow. We have plenty of inclimate weather during all 4 seasons here in NH, and the footing is fine on rubber.

Must depend on what type of rubber mat you have because I played on some at Rocky Mount Rec complex that were REALLY slick after a shower rolled through.

 

[dusty5150]

I disagree completely. Rubber is fine in the rain and snow. We have plenty of inclimate weather during all 4 seasons here in NH, and the footing is fine on rubber.

we just installed rubber mats (the livestock pen ones). one side has raised bumps, and one side has grooves running width-wise. the mats were tested in the summer with the raised bumps upwards and were great, but when we installed them they were very slick in the cold/snow. So we've flipped them over and are using the grooved side and, from the feedback of 65 players at our ice bowl this past saturday, including some very sceptical local pros, they perform perfectly! sounds like we're going to leave them groove side up. rubber mats FTW!

 

[BionicRib]

FLY18 is by far the best for not holding water.

Launch pads are the most porous.......Fly 18 is the most durable. Launch pads are harder to get now because they officially "don't sell them" but there are ways to get a hold of them

 

[BionicRib]

Rubber Mats also require maintenance when done right guys (if you are shooting for no maintenance then put concrete in). If you want to get the longest life out of them you need a limestone base within a treated wooded frame. 8 long nails with washers on the perimeters. The maintenance will involve once or twice a year or so. The mats need to be flipped and rotated to even out the wear. (like rotating tires). Also when you flip them you may need to add some more crushed limestone and tamper to level. This will give you the longest life you can get out of them.

Never never never never.........put a rubber pad on a wooden/deck like base. Not only will they not drain properly, but they will wear faster.

 

[NH DISCDOLF J]

I stand corrected. Ice is not good on rubber pads.