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putting green

Build a putting green in the landscape

Published February 4, 2013 | By Jane

The land around your home can be used for many things. For people who enjoy golfing it is possible to build a putting green into your landscape that can be used for fun, practice and entertainment – right in your own back yard.

Installing a professional putting green can be rather expensive and complicated. It would be a good idea to work with one of the landscape firms that specialize in constructing putting greens. If you feel confident you can install the putting green properly yourself, make sure you take the time to set the foundation properly and choose your grass carefully.

For a really smooth coating of grass, drainage must be perfect. The base beneath your putting green should be made of sand or soil mixed with a high sand content. To make sure the drainage works efficiently it is a good idea to raise the putting green slightly above the rest of the area. The putting green lawn should be kept watered evenly and carefully weeded.

To get the kind of lawn needed to surface a smooth putting green you need to use a variety like Tifdwarf or Tifgreen that will grow the find blades that can form a velvety, even carpet. These are special grass varieties developed specifically for this use and are usually planted by sod, sprigs or plugs.

Make sure the contours of the putting green surface are calculated by someone who understands how the ball will respond on its roll into the hole.

If you are not all that fussy about the professional smoothness of your putting green, you can create a more informal putting green that is still fun to use for informal sport or hobby with a lot less fuss.

Locate your putting green where it is in full sun and set up a limited, low-volume sprinkler system to keep the area well watered without waste or run-off. Another alternative is to use artificial lawn for your putting green.

An artificial lawn still requires a carefully laid substrate in order to keep the proper shape, but the putting green will be much easier to build and to maintain. The fake lawn can look remarkably like real grass. These synthetics are not cheap, but they are durable and you will only need a limited quantity for a putting green. You will occasionally need to wash it, but you will not need to water it regularly.

You can have a putting green right in your own yard. It can be one useful way to create a useful lawn replacement. You can even construct one that allows you to be water-wise. So consider the fun you can have by building a putting green in your own landscape!

Tips on building a backyard putting green

Published January 2, 2013 | By Jane

Just think of how much fun you, your family and friends can have if you build your own putting green in your backyard. You don’t really need a lot of space but there are some things you might want to keep in mind if you want to build your own putting green. Here are some tips.

Locate your putting green where the surface can be reasonably level and you can build in excellent drainage. Full sun is advisable if you want to grow healthy grass.

Focus on constructing a well-built base so your putting green will stay smooth, retain its shape and avoid drainage problems.

The most frequent difficulties that can develop with putting greens is shifting of the surface planes, poor grass growth or built up dirt and odor in synthetic grass – all due to drainage problems.

Make sure you choose the right kind of grass if you want to grow a living lawn on your putting green. The grass you use should be a fine, low-growing variety that grows well in your local area. Do not try using regular lawn grass.

Using an artificial or synthetic lawn can work well for a putting green and will reduce maintenance. Although synthetic lawns can be a bit pricey this is one use that may be ideal since the size needed is limited and the ease of maintenance should more than justify the expense.

And depending on how much space you have on your property, you might consider adding a sand trap or a chipping practice area to hone your golf at home. These can all be designed to add beauty to your garden as well as to provide a fun backyard sport for friends and family. You might even want to create a whole golf or sport theme for your landscape.