anybody build their own backyard putting green?

[laseranimal]

I'm just interested to hear what people think.

 

strangely enough my wife made the suggestion that it would be kind of neat to have one.

[trek1500]

My brother-in-law is a dentist and he had a backyard putting green made in the form of a molar...

 

The putting cups are located at the end of what the root would be...

 

Oddly enough..he doesn't play golf and hardly uses the thing....

[pafundi]

You should check this one out:

 

http://www.golfrewind.com/general-golf-dis...6k-warning.html

[oregongolf]

It's a ton of work (upkeep & cash) if you're going to put anything other than synthetic in.

 

I don't need to type out a long-winded reply, as I'll direct you here instead:

 

Putting Greens Forum

 

That is probably the ultimate source for any DIY putting greens. I got all my information from there.

[italianstallion]

Yes, I have. Nothing fancy, but certainly gets the job done. This question is asked alot, and I always answer "yes."

 

Heres a link to my little post about it, with pictures. http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?sh...+hill+golf+club

Didn't put a building discription in there, so heres one I've sent to people.

 

Its a very simple process, but it takes some time to do, because its not just getting rid of the grass and putting astroturf over it.

 

First, decide how big you want the area to be. Mine is 12 feet by 17 feet. I bought the turf from the Home Depot where they cut the turf any size length you want, but you're limited to 12 feet wide. I got the entire area of it for $136 after tax.

 

Next, bring the turf home, and lay it out where you want the green to be. Take string, and 4 tees, and put a tee at each corner of the turf and run string from tee to tee, until your area is enclosed by string. This is alot easier than measuring, because you don't have to worry about getting the corners lined up just right, the rug does it for you.

 

After you have the string outlining where your green will be, now it's time to dig! Dig out the entire area, and dig at least a foot down. It took me just one dedicated summer day to dig out my entire green area all by myself, because I was pretty motivated to get it done. Once you have it dug out, make sure you make the floor as even as possible, meaning you don't want huge clumps or mounds of soil to be sticking up. Make sure the depth is fairly even in the entire area.

 

Now, time to bring in the crushed rock. Its a fairly fine grit that's used under patios or home walkways as a base layer. Its purpose is the same here, and it helps to drain the area easier and prevent too much ground movement under the green. Fill the entire area up with this crushed rock until you are about 1/2 to 3/4 inches from the normal soil line. After every few inches, take a roller or some sort of small compacting device to settle the rock. This will prevent too much natural settling with the rain and snow. Once you are done with the crushed rock, get some industrial sand, NOT play-sand, and fill the rest of the area up with it until a little bit below the soil line, about 1/8 inches away. Shape the sand to the contour you would like the green to have, using the compacting device you have, making sure the sand is well compacted. Mine is contoured with the natural shape of the hill the runs from a large apple tree beside the green towards my house, which is good because it doesn't upset the natural drainage. The sand part will require more than you use the first time, because after a season of rain and a winter of cold, your green will settle more, not too much, but enough to where you'll have to add sand here and there to make sure there isn't any irregularities.

 

Once you're happy with the sand step, now you can put the astroturf back on, and it should fit perfect. The 1/8 inch you left from the soil line is filled by the depth of the astroturf, making it flush with the soil line. Figure out how many holes you want, and where you want the hole(s) to be. I just opted for one, so I could practice putts from all over the green without having to worry about other holes in the way of the hole I want to putt at, because the green isn't massive. Take the rug off, and using a box cutter, and a hole as a template, cut a circle through the underside, the side without the astroturf. Put the rug back on the green area, see where the hole falls, and dig out the area where the hole will be. Insert the hole back into the area you dug out for it, fill around the outside of the cup, put the rug back on, and you're ready to play!

 

If you live where the snow falls every winter, I would advise you take the astroturf and cup indoors during the cold months. I've had a cup that I've left out in the ground in the winter shatter when water gets into it, freezes and expands. Also, invest in a metal or zinc cup, not the plastic ones, because they'll last you alot longer. I've been using the same cup and flag for 3 years now.

 

The surface is great to putt on, and the green holds chips anywhere up to what I would say is about 40-50 yards. Its a great alternative to the professionally installed ones with the professionally installed price tag. My green altogether cost me about $170, because my had the crushed rock left over from another project, and the sand is actually backfill from my house foundation that we dug up when we put our garden in. Flag and hole together cost me a little over $20 bucks.

 

If you have any questions, or if I wasn't clear on discription or materials, feel free to PM me. Not many people realize they can put one of these in for half the cost of a new driver!

 

Vince

 

 

 

 

[johnj]

Thanks for sharing your backyard green and info.

[kblakeney35]

vince, how fast would you say your green rolls on the stimp?

[Freddie]

Here was one that I installed in my backyard and another I did for a friend. It's alot of work, sweat and art. Smoothing the sub base and sanding are most important. You can create a green that rolls about as good as the best, really, but I recommend having it done by someone who has done it before. Golf Greens Fore U are recommended. They're national: www.golfgreensforeu.com I think. Little to no maintenance, look great and roll better...

 

 

 

 

 

[italianstallion]

vince, how fast would you say your green rolls on the stimp?

 

Never used a stimp, but compared to my course which runs the greens at 11, I'd say this is the same speed, if not, just a hair faster.

[Dyno]

Freddie and IS are my new best friends

[italianstallion]

I've gotten a couple more questions on what it looks like under the green, so i have illustrated a cross section of mine.

 

 

[MikeJohnson]

Freddie,

What is the cost of something like that?

Mike