Does anybody know anything about growing a green?

[Clugnut]

OK, boys. The wife and I have decided that it would be a good idea to put a green in the backyard. We have a larger back yard that we rarely use, and if we utilize it for a green, I could practice whenever at home. I also would want a strip of turf to hit Cayman or Birdie balls off of.

So, does anyone know how to go about installing a green? It doesn't need to be special, but nice would be good. Think I could do it myself with some sand and a skidloader?

 

[BStone]

Yes, it is a very involved process and is going to be quite expensive. The first thing you would need to do is clear the area you are going to put the green on. This means strip the ground of all grass and rocks, then lay down a layer of sand for drainage and then top dress that with soil. You then need to choose the type of grass that will thrive in the climate that you live in. Soil ph levels would then need to be checked to see if the grass can survive in the soil that you lay down, adjusting if needed to reach a good ph level. Then the grass seed or sod can be laid down, need to ensure that it takes root/grows. Once you get the grass to grow, you are looking at maintenance and care for that, regular lawn mowers are not going to be able to cut the grass to the height that you want, the wheels will also push the grass down so that it doesn't get cut. All told, you are going to need to invest anywhere between 5-8 thousand dollars to get it started and for equipment, then the costs of maintenance year round. Or you can go with a synthetic green which may cost more at first but has far less maintenance.

 

[DaveE]

I thought about doing this last year but decided against it. I think there is a good chance that you would spend less initially and down the road with synthetic. Here's the company I was looking at.

New Welcome to SYNLawn Golf Synthetic Putting Greens

 

[Clugnut]

Darn, I might be in over my head/budget. If I'd stop hoing clubs, I could afford it.

 

[JEFF4i]

Aye, it isn't easy at all, especially maint.

Getting one of those fake, but real feeling, greens would probably be your best bet.

Good in the winter, really no upkeep, and still pretty close to the real thing.

 

[clemsonhacker]

just borrow the greens cutter from the local course...

 

[Bama Duffer]

I looked into it and decided against natural grass due to maintenance/laziness issues.

I did have a synthetic green installed, though, with three holes. It's not particularly large and the breaks are small, but it gives me something to work with at home.

Biggest issue so far is that I have a couple of pine trees near it, so I have to blow the needles off regularly. Did I mention I'm lazy?