Update to my backyard green/bunker/teebox

[505]

(Big 2010-2011 rebuild starts on post #23)

 

The yard is nowhere near done at this point, but I made some good progress this week and wanted to share it with you folks.

 

To make a long story as short as possible... last year, I took a good section of the large garden in my backyard and turned it into a "to be" large bunker. I was never really happy with the placement and it was going to be too much sand for the spot. So the area sat dormant for the winter and I didn't do anything with it.

 

 

 

 

My neighbor recently started working for a landscaping company, and they carry a wide range of turf. There was one particular type that really caught my eye for simulating rough conditions, and it looked great, so I wanted to try and use some of it somehow.

 

 

It even has a thatch layer:

 

 

After expanding a garden in a different area of the yard, I had a nice piece of the existing turf to work with, and that got the gears turning.

 

 

I had an old mat that I cut to the size I wanted, and got some pieces of the VR turf from my neighbor. Made all my cuts, which was rather nerve wracking to be honest, and then leveled out the new hitting area.

 

 

I still need to do some minor leveling work and get all of the seams hidden, but the idea is there. The bunker shape is set and getting that all cut and filled will be the next project.

 

 

 

 

Here is a slideshow of the project up to this point:

 

http://s291.photobuc...nt=08b4acb8.pbw

 

You can also check out the individual images plus some extras here:

 

http://s291.photobuc.....20and bunker/

 

I hit about 80 balls this evening after getting it all leveled out, and the VR turf is absolutely fantastic. You can get a fluffy lie, or a buried lie, and while it might not grab the club exactly like real grass, you can definitely simulate different "real" lies better than every other fake grass that I have seen. I am very happy with the setup so far. I plan to get a replacement for my old mat real soon, looking at a few options but haven't fully decided on which one yet.

 

Looking back on it all is fun, I dug up some pics that I hadn't seen for a long time. It's cool to see how it went from this:

 

 

To this:

 

 

 

 

Any comments or questions are more than welcome. ;)

[TM golf guy]

Looks pretty good. Do you hit into a net off of it?

 

How about a couple shots of the green? Real or artificial?

 

Nice work.

[505]

Looks pretty good. Do you hit into a net off of it?

 

How about a couple shots of the green? Real or artificial?

 

Nice work.

 

Why thank you. Yeah I have an old cheap net for now, but I plan to pick up one of the Izzo bigmouth nets when it is all done. The entire yard is all artificial. Here are a couple more shots of the green:

 

 

 

[mk920]

Wait a minute did you just say the whole yard is artificial??? What??? That looks amazingly good. I thought it was just the putting green and the chipping area. Incredible~~. I'm jealous......

[505]

Haha, thanks. Yes, all of the grass is synthetic. :black eye:

 

It all needs to be washed and powerbroomed at the moment, but I'll tackle that after the bunker is all filled.

[oregongolf]

:black eye:

 

That is sweet.

 

"My backyard needs to be washed"

 

Sure beats mowing...

 

On a serious note, it all looks great. I'm jealous!

[homerthedog]

How long have you had a synthetic yard? Where do you live? I have thought about replacing my yard with synthetic but I wonder how it will weather Utah winters. I also wonder if the synthetic gets too hot for kids to play on during the summer. The yard looks great! Keep us updated once the bunker is in and it is all done. Thanks for sharing.

[505]

How long have you had a synthetic yard? Where do you live? I have thought about replacing my yard with synthetic but I wonder how it will weather Utah winters. I also wonder if the synthetic gets too hot for kids to play on during the summer. The yard looks great! Keep us updated once the bunker is in and it is all done. Thanks for sharing.

 

1. 4 years.

2. New Mexico.

3. Mine is weathering fine so far here, even the areas that see constant all day sun. Snow and freezing shouldn't hurt it at all.

4. The turf does get hot in direct sun in the summer. Shade is fine though.

5. Thanks for the kind words. :)

 

 

As a small update, I got my bunker shape cut out. It is 44" x 72".

 

Next up is digging it down to 13" and then setting up the drainage system... I plan to run the pipe right into the garden there next to it.

 

 

I also got the seams dialed in a little better overall, but everything still needs a wash and some love with a powerbroom.

 

 

 

Gizmo had to sneak in for this one:

 

 

A little more overall shot:

 

 

So the remaining to-do list is as follows:

 

depth/drainage

gravel/fabric/sand

wash/powerbroom

izzo giant jr

better mat

tee markers, ballwasher/trashcan, bunker rake (it's all in the details :))

longer firewire cable for camera, and a sunshade for the laptop

lower end launch monitor

 

Should be sweet if I ever finish it. If only the days were longer and my pockets were deeper. Thanks for looking.

[whatsamatta]

Thats incredible. Great job. :)

[tsur1]

AWESOME!!!

 

I hope to be doing something like this next spring, and man, I hope it looks as good as yours does!

 

Great job

[TimothyWitt]

Simply amazing, a dream come true, membership? WHAT MEMBERSHIP!?!?

[mac94]

Very nice!

[TM golf guy]

The putting green looks better every time I see it. I am really toying with the idea of putting one in at my house. Seems very time consuming though.

 

Please keep us updated!

[jarederco]

This is the coolest thing ever. You should add a pond/moat make the green like TPC #17, THAT's an interesting bunker shot!

[eRod v1.0]

Tomato plants, very nice! We grow them every year as well. Oh, yard looks nice too! lol

[Mr. 67]

FANTASTIC job! I might have to pick your brain this off season. I want to do a similar project this Spring in my backyard. You got my juices flowing for sure!

[505]

Thanks for all the kind words everyone. Glad my fellow golfers dig it. :)

 

I hope to be doing something like this next spring, and man, I hope it looks as good as yours does!

 

Let me know if you need any help with the planning or whatever.

 

I am really toying with the idea of putting one in at my house. Seems very time consuming though.

 

It isn't as bad as I bet you are thinking. After the initial setup, the maintenance is a piece of cake really.

 

This is the coolest thing ever. You should add a pond/moat make the green like TPC #17, THAT's an interesting bunker shot!

 

Haha. I know it isn't fully around the green, but I do actually have a pond back there. Kind of hard to see with all of the lilies and floaters covering the surface, but you can see it in this shot:

 

 

Tomato plants, very nice! We grow them every year as well. Oh, yard looks nice too! lol

 

So tasty this year. I have one with every meal, haha.

 

FANTASTIC job! I might have to pick your brain this off season. I want to do a similar project this Spring in my backyard. You got my juices flowing for sure!

 

Glad to provide some inspiration. Let me know if you need any other info or advice.

[dlygrisse]

Does Gizmo potty on the fake grass, and if so does it get stinky? Serious question, BTW cute dog. Shitzu??

[505]

Does Gizmo potty on the fake grass, and if so does it get stinky? Serious question, BTW cute dog. Shitzu??

 

Gizmo only gets to visit about once a month when my Mother comes to visit, so the pee has never really added up and started to smell. Yes she is a full Shih-tzu breed.

 

I imagine if I had my own dog that it might become a problem, but washing it down once in a while with the jet-hose would probably take care of it. There are specialized turfs out there that are supposed to be better when it comes to this issue, as well as stand up to the traffic/digging... worth looking into especially if you have larger and/or multiple dogs.

[Marrrk]

i love everything about this. one question. why is the putting green so small? looks like you had quite a bit more room to work with on the near side of the tree. i assume that wasn't your decision?

[505]

i love everything about this. one question. why is the putting green so small? looks like you had quite a bit more room to work with on the near side of the tree. i assume that wasn't your decision?

 

Yeah I originally wanted to do a full circle around the tree, but it has a lot of shallow roots on that side and it would have been a bad idea to have putting surface there. I compromised and went with the long skinny one.

[ShortStack]

This is great man!!!I'm 16 and very short(5'1") so i don't have half the distance as my friends so I love working on my short game!!I'm so jealous and would love to have a setup like this!!!

[505]

Back from the dead.

 

Next year is going to be huge for the yard. Green is getting upgraded to new turf and being expanded to ~550sqft. New fringe. New teeboxes. Larger bunker. Pond is being redone with a 20 year liner, twin pump/filtration system, bottom drain with midwater returns, and a new waterfall design. Also adding a deck next to the pond that will double as the pump/filter pit cover.

 

I have a very rough draft drawing that shows the concepts... details are still getting hashed out.

 

 

I will be documenting the whole process here as it comes together. I have decided on my turf company and am placing my order for green and fringe carpet next week. Planning on amassing all of the supplies over the winter and breaking ground in february/march.

 

[stockers72]

Now, that looks like the ultimate practice area!
I wonder if I can persuade my wife that our backyard is missing all that!
Looking forward to seeing the project unfold!

[bashworth23]

what does the green roll at?

[golf_fanatik]

What is the average cost (per square feet) for the different types of turf installed?

[505]

[quote name='stockers72' timestamp='1288571598' post='2768219']
Now, that looks like the ultimate practice area!
I wonder if I can persuade my wife that our backyard is missing all that!
Looking forward to seeing the project unfold!
[/quote]



One of the few times I am glad that my girlfriend and I aren't married yet... the house is still MINE. Haha.

[quote name='bashworth23' timestamp='1288632807' post='2768996']
what does the green roll at?
[/quote]

My current one is rolling at 11, and I plan on dialing in the new one at about the same. The new carpet is adjustable from 9 to 12.

[quote name='golf_fanatik' timestamp='1288633152' post='2769006']
What is the average cost (per square feet) for the different types of turf installed?
[/quote]

Installed you will be looking at about 10 bucks / sqft for poly, 15 to 20 bucks for nylon. The new stuff I am going with is bent poly, and it is about 3.50 / sqft delivered. I already have the base crusher-fine, and the silica sand for top dressing.

DIY definitely saves a ton if you have the time/patience/skills.

[bashworth23]

is there any natural break to it or do you have to put that in?

[505]

[quote name='bashworth23' timestamp='1288658153' post='2769607']
is there any natural break to it or do you have to put that in?
[/quote]

The break is created in the base layer under the carpet... I will be sloping it slightly away from the house for about half of it, and then leaving the other half flat.

[oregongolf]

The new plans are impressive. This was one of my favorite threads when you posted it.. please keep us updated (again). The progress pictures were great last time... it really helps for those of us who are thinking of doing something like this, but keep chickening out. I'm slowly building up to it