Update to my backyard green/bunker/teebox

[505]

UPS got delayed by the storm so the cups didn't come yesterday. Then the water pipes froze down at John Deere so they closed early Thursday, and in anticipation of being shut down today told the UPS man not to deliver anything since they wouldn't be there. Then they ended up getting it all fixed last night and were open normal hours today instead. lol. Figures. I hate this storm.

 

The guy said he tracked them and they were on the truck for today... so looks like it'll be Monday before I FINALLY have them.

 

No biggie I guess... temps have been below freezing til today so the snow is just starting to melt. Looking like good temps for the weekend so we should be ready to start rocking again Monday.

 

[Talon_Bomber]

Yeah, this weather sucks, but on a positive note, I did get out of work pretty much the entire week. I have some headcovers stuck out in the ether due to this storm, UPS now says Monday, probably the same truck your cups will be on.

Gonna try and play Los Altos tomorrow, I hope the sun makes it warmer then the forecasters are predicting. Have a great weekend!

[kcmh]

I'd hate to see what you would do with a large backyard.

[505]

[quote name='Talon_Bomber' timestamp='1296868875' post='2952308']
Yeah, this weather sucks, but on a positive note, I did get out of work pretty much the entire week. I have some headcovers stuck out in the ether due to this storm, UPS now says Monday, probably the same truck your cups will be on.

Gonna try and play Los Altos tomorrow, I hope the sun makes it warmer then the forecasters are predicting. Have a great weekend!
[/quote]

Yup lots of people saying their stuff is stuck somewhere out there. Dress warm dude it's gonna be COLD out there. Take a couple extra irons on all your approaches and hit half swings... definitely don't want to be over the backs at Altos and I'm sure the greens will behave like tennis courts for full shots. lol.

Hopefully this week we have some cups in the ground and you've got some free time to come check this thing out. Have fun over there man.

[505]

[quote name='kcmh' timestamp='1296917520' post='2953294']
I'd hate to see what you would do with a large backyard.
[/quote]

Oh I wouldn't. Haha.

[Talon_Bomber]

[quote name='505' timestamp='1296919507' post='2953354']
[quote name='Talon_Bomber' timestamp='1296868875' post='2952308']
Yeah, this weather sucks, but on a positive note, I did get out of work pretty much the entire week. I have some headcovers stuck out in the ether due to this storm, UPS now says Monday, probably the same truck your cups will be on.

Gonna try and play Los Altos tomorrow, I hope the sun makes it warmer then the forecasters are predicting. Have a great weekend!
[/quote]

Yup lots of people saying their stuff is stuck somewhere out there. Dress warm dude it's gonna be COLD out there. Take a couple extra irons on all your approaches and hit half swings... definitely don't want to be over the backs at Altos and I'm sure the greens will behave like tennis courts for full shots. lol.

Hopefully this week we have some cups in the ground and you've got some free time to come check this thing out. Have fun over there man.
[/quote]



No joke, it takes a lot of will power to hit a 6 when you would normally hit an 8. Hopefully the sun will keep it warmer than ol' Steve Stucker says it will be.

[505]

The cups arrived this evening and we can finally get back to work tomorrow. Woohoo! Just in time for the next storm to hit. lol.

 

They are super nice and the inner sleeve will make it so I never have to pull the entire cup to repaint. Instead you just pull the sleeve and slap in a new one for about 2 bucks whenever they start to look a little dingy. Great thinking there by Par Aide, perfect for a home green.

 

 

The "target rings" from Eagle One will top them off, and allow me to install the cups at the USGA regulation height of 1" below the putting surface without having the turf lean inward. This is something that I have never seen anyone else do for a synthetic green. Most people either install the cups at about 1/4" depth to hide the turf backing and keep the turf upright, or with taller turf they just let it lean inward (which causes the sand to fall into the cup, making a big bowl around the hole). My way is better.

 

 

 

With the cup only 1/4" below the surface, you don't end up with a very realistic hole because the ball can bounce off of the hard surface. Think of the last time you hit a putt a little firm dead in the heart and the ball bounced UP. It will usually either pop up and go in the hole, or hop over, or off to one side. Rarely does it come straight back at you with much speed on it, which is exactly what happens when you have the cup installed that high.

 

With the thin flexible plastic in the target rings backed by the upright turf fibers, it will create a much more realistic effect on putts that are struck a little firm.

 

Also, when I worked at the course we would paint the inside "lip" above the cup with white paint to increase visibility and speed up play (easier to see the hole from afar so you don't need someone to attend the flag). These target rings do the same thing, and will give my green a nice tourney-style look to the holes.

 

 

 

 

Luckily, the turf is 3/4" tall, and the pad is 1/4" thick, so all I have to do is flush the cups with the crusher-fine and my 1" depth is created automatically. I love ATPG1. They are making this so much easier on me than my original plan was going to be. Haha.

 

For you visual learners, here's a pic that demonstrates the concept:

 

 

 

Hopefully the weather holds out for at least part of the day tomorrow so I can get some cups in. Then I'll start with the seam sealing and sanding. Almost there now.

[505]

Whipped this up real quick using a scrap to show the idea a little better.

 

 

[505]

Used some DVD boxes to raise it up and threw a cup in there. Keep in mind this is just roughed out so it's not perfect. Just trying to show the concept.

 

 

 

[Golfer83]

wow that looks great man. Alot of hard work thats for sure. Is the green artificial grass too?

[505]

[quote name='Golfer83' timestamp='1297140784' post='2959589']
wow that looks great man. Alot of hard work thats for sure. Is the green artificial grass too?
[/quote]

Thank you. Yes all of the grass is artificial... green, fringe, and rough.

[johnny5gti]

i look forward to every update in this thread...AWESOME WORK MAN AWESOME!

[505]

i look forward to every update in this thread...AWESOME WORK MAN AWESOME!

 

Thanks bud. Got another small one for ya already. lol. Can't sleep... pretty excited for tomorrow so I probably won't get more than a few hours tonight.

 

Got the prototype done for the cup plugs. Need to go to the metal shop tomorrow and get some materials... didn't really have any scrap that perfectly fit the bill. Also didn't want to be running the machines this late so I used rigid cardboard tube and some hardwood that I have for car part mockups. Cut the tube by hand and the hardwood with the jigsaw. Was able to try out a couple ideas and got some solid measurements. Turned out pretty good for a 1st draft, and I'm sure that the final plugs will be awesome. Going to use aluminum 6061 1/8" plate and 5052 tube. This way they will be fairly light for pulling/moving but rigid enough if someone steps on them. They will all be installed while we sand and broom so everything turns out super flush. The ball should roll right across them without being influenced.

 

Top view:

 

 

 

After only a foot away and still looking slightly down they start to disappear:

 

 

 

Two feet away and a little lower and it's practically gone:

 

 

 

You'll still be able to barely see the outline of the finished ones when looking straight down at them, which will be nice when it comes time to move the flag. The roll of the ball is already really smooth across it.

 

I also rolled a few putts hard off the back edge of the installed target ring and it behaves VERY realistically... gives a softer bounce that comes out totally random like a real hole. Then I tried the same testing with a cup set to 1/4" and almost every single one bounced back towards me very hard. Another nice thing with these is that the hole stays at the true 4.25" whereas the higher cup method basically drops it down to 4". Really happy with how these little details are turning out. I think they will set mine quite a bit above the average backyard green in the end.

 

Should definitely be able to get a couple in the ground tomorrow, but since this is all new to me it will probably take a little toying with the first one before I get it perfect. Still not exactly sure how I'm going to get the cups perfectly plumb so the flagstick sits up dead straight, but I'll try a couple things out and will make it work.

[Guia]

Weather is clearing in 505, just need a little snow to melt to play. Saturday looking good for Santa Ana.

I like your yard plan.

[505]

[quote name='Guia' timestamp='1297154197' post='2959827']
Weather is clearing in 505, just need a little snow to melt to play. Saturday looking good for Santa Ana.

I like your yard plan.
[/quote]

Thanks. Yeah by the weekend we should be all good and hopefully that'll be the last of the major cold. Supposed to get a couple inches tues night / wed morning but probably won't last long with the warm coming back.

Love Santa Ana and Twin, but I'm getting a pass at South for this year so I probably won't make it out much anywhere else. Got another month or so worth of work for finishing up the green, gardens, and pond... then it's full on golf mode from there on out. If you're ever in the mood for some South definitely hit me up, and of course any local WRX'er is always more than welcome to come use the yard and shoot some pool or throw darts. Would love to meet ya'll. Planning for a yard warming party when it's all done and everyone is invited. Haha.

[505]

Wind was howling way too much and kept flipping up the carpet so I couldn't get anything done out there today. Tomorrow is supposed to be like 34 for the high and it's going to snow overnight again, so next update will be Thursday or Friday.

[505]

Got some cups in this afternoon. They sound fantastic... just like the course. Ran into some frozen ground on a couple and it was getting really cold out there, so I'm done for the day. I did get the rest of the stuff I needed to finish the job though... 600lbs of silica, drop spreader, shop squeegee, seaming fabric, and adhesive. Tomorrow should be really productive if the wind holds off.

 

 

 

 

[jimpsycho]

Moar! You are my hero! Looks great

[Rife4Life]

wow that looks awesome man, keep up the good work.

[flyersfan91]

unreal wish I had this haha

[505]

Brrrrrr... only 27* out there but I'm dying to get some more cups in. Gonna go battle the frozen ground and see if the couple ideas I came up with last night are successful. Got the day off and no errands to run so if all goes well I'll have the seam in the green done and the whole thing sanded before dark.

[505]

Cups are set, and the green is about 3/4 sanded. It swallowed up that 600lbs like it was nothing, so I got 600 more.

4 more 100lb bags will go down tomorrow morning, then I'll cut the holes in the carpet and start on joining the fringe.

[hititbig2112]

Brrrrrr... only 27* out there but I'm dying to get some more cups in. Gonna go battle the frozen ground and see if the couple ideas I came up with last night are successful. Got the day off and no errands to run so if all goes well I'll have the seam in the green done and the whole thing sanded before dark.

 

Ooooh poor baby......... It was -20* here a couple of nights ago. I would be playing golf in shorts if I was in NM right now!!

[505]

Brrrrrr... only 27* out there but I'm dying to get some more cups in. Gonna go battle the frozen ground and see if the couple ideas I came up with last night are successful. Got the day off and no errands to run so if all goes well I'll have the seam in the green done and the whole thing sanded before dark.

 

Ooooh poor baby......... It was -20* here a couple of nights ago. I would be playing golf in shorts if I was in NM right now!!

 

Haha... yeah we actually almost got that low during that spell too. Hit -10 here in the city and even colder up north. 27* aint TOO bad... just sucks when you are trying to dig tiny holes in the ground and aren't moving around much. If I was digging the pond again or trenching I would have been wearing a T-shirt.

 

 

Got a couple pics uploaded from today, but didn't take many since I was too busy working.

 

 

 

Sand is getting there... after the rest is down it'll get broomed around to fill in any empty spots and then sprinkled down with water. It's already starting to feel a lot more stable. Might actually get it DONE tomorrow and be able to kick back and enjoy it for the nice mid 50's temps this weekend.

[505]

This thing is so killer. I keep sneaking out there to hit putts even though it's totally iced over from the water I put down this evening. Haha. The old green almost seems like a novelty item or decoration in comparison to this one. Now that it is so close to being done, the reality of how awesome it is is starting to sink in for me. Can't wait to hear that first putt drop after the holes are cut tomorrow... will probably make it a 1 footer to ensure that the first "official" putt on it hits the bottom of the jar.

I'll shoot some vids of how it rolls and how it reacts to shots if I have time before the end of the day.

[Jeph62]

Is the sand to make it react more realistically?

[505]

[quote name='Jeph62' timestamp='1297461117' post='2969180']
Is the sand to make it react more realistically?
[/quote]

Yeah, that... and to hold it down without a bunch of nails.

[oregongolf]

As usual, this thread delivers...

Forgive my ignorance, but how do you hide or cover the seams?

[505]

Got 6 holes fully done... of the 3 left, 1 of them was still kinda frozen so I made it into one of those "do the drill" holes until it thaws tomorrow. The other 2 will get done after the green is seamed together... couldn't do that today because the carpet backing was still pretty wet and I didn't want to chance it with the adhesive. For now everything is just staked, but I'm not cutting the holes on that smaller piece until there is ZERO chance that it will move at all during the seaming.

 

So basically 6 and a half down, 2 and a half to go. The 6 that are fully done still need a tiny bit of touch up to get them dead perfect. Need another small box of fresh blades for that.

 

It rolls awesome and reacts perfectly to every shot in the yard. Super pleased with the turf and happy that I took the time for the little details. Still some work to do but it's close enough that it feels pretty much done. Rolled a lot of putts today.

 

Since I know you all love pics, here ya go...

 

 

First hole done:

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 holes done:

 

 

 

 

 

End of the day:

 

 

 

 

 

[DavePelz4]

You are my hero! Clearly you have a gift for design through delivery...have you had any thoughts about doing this as a business?