If warming up on a mat I’ll usually put a towel down behind the ball to make sure I’m striking it properly

Don't get too frustrated. A golf course that uses grass turf at the range faces a much higher maintenace expense as those that use mats.
I think we all would prefer to hit off real turf for warm up or practice (except those whose golf is limited to indoor similators) but if you want your couse to use turf, be prepared to pay much higher green fees.
Mats are okay to use for warm up, but your not going to get the same feedback as you would on the course. If you play the game on a regular basis you learn to recognize the difference hitting off mats in what would be a clean shot on course, or a ditch digger.
I will say from personal experience, a skull is still a skull whether it's off a mat or on course.

I’m 100% with you on this. Mats can completely mask bad contact because the club just bounces into the ball. Then you get out on real turf, take an actual divot, and suddenly the strike/location is totally different. I’ve honestly played some of my best rounds barely warming up on mats because I stop trying to “fix” my swing based on fake feedback.

Especially for players that naturally take a divot, mats can train you into getting steep or hanging back without realizing it.

Totally agree. If our range or a club I am visiting is mats only, I will just warm up with some chipping and putting. Mats lead me to bad habits and they can’t be good for the lie of my club.

As a club builder, I will agree prolonged mat sessions can and will require a loft and lie check up from time to time, probably something that should be done annually in my opinion.

This is why I have a loft/lie machine ;) I check them more often than not.

I play the Robert Trent Jones courses in Alabama every weekend. The Oxmoor Valley range is bad to say the least, likely 100 ft drop downhill range and matts only unless its a weekend and it hasnt rained that month lol. I hate the mats!

I remember years ago someone asked Arnold about mats. He said no way, they give you bad feedback.

Mat's are sometimes necessary but unfortunately they just are not as fun to hit off as real grass!

One thing I used to do was place a ball under the front edge of the mat, so the hitting surface sits slightly above ground level. It kills a lot of that bounce and gives you more direct feedback. When I'm really grinding and hitting a ton of balls, the extra give also feels easier on my wrists and joints compared to turf.

You never see the Pros hitting off of mats. All that needs to be said.

But then again the divots that Pros make are so much more uniform than the random 'canyons' that are left by amateurs. Golf course Superintendents hate to see that

It seems that in the US, it’s far more common to get a grass range at a course than here in the UK.