There’s no better way to enhance your backyard golf experience than having a DIY putting green. This course pairs perfectly with your golf simulators, especially if you plan to play outdoors. In this post, we’ll focus on using an artificial putting green for your backyard instead of the natural grass that you’d find at your favorite golf course.
The experts at Golf.com highlighted seven possibilities that could occur if you neglect golf course maintenance. This practice all comes down to proper preparation before you can play. Otherwise, you might have to wait months before you can enjoy your own backyard. Our experts here at High Golf Handicap honor those insights and present an alternative for enjoying your at-home golfing experience.
In just five steps, you can build a (nearly) maintenance-free synthetic turf in your backyard for all your golfing needs. Take a look.
What You’ll Need
You’ll need a few materials to build a DIY putting green in your backyard:
- Artificial Turf: Do your research beforehand so you know that you have the best materials for your backyard golf course.
- Road Base: This goes under your artificial turf, ensuring that your putting green is level and comfortable for games.
- Shovel: You’ll be doing a lot of shallow digging in your backyard.
- Knife or Cutter: You’ll need a sharp object to cut the turf according to the shape you want, and also to cut holes in it for the cups.
- Rope or Hose: This will serve as your guidelines for your putting green.
- Spray Paint: You’ll use this to mark the area where you’ll place the turf.
Step 1: Choose Your Putting Area
Your backyard has unlimited potential for the perfect putting surface, but you’ll need to pick the best place. Here are a few tips for choosing the ideal area:
- Level Location: Look for the flattest area in your backyard to lay your putting foundation. You can still choose an area with a slight slope, but you’ll still have to put in a bit of work to flatten it out. Find the most level space instead, so you save yourself some time and effort.
- Good Drainage: You want to ensure that your DIY putting green can withstand the winter weather. Be sure to pick a spot in your backyard that can drain easily so you don’t have to deal with puddles damaging the area.
- Away From Walls: A putting green can double as a chipping area if you want it to. In that case, you’d need to maximize your space and choose a position away from your house or your neighbor’s property.
Step 2: Outline Your Putting Area
Once you’ve found the best place for your DIY putting green, it’s time to start drafting! You’ll need rope or an old hose to map out the area. It’s up to you if you want to go the traditional route and create a kidney shape or get creative with your green.
The rope is only to guide you in making the shape. You’ll need to spray the outline with green spray paint to actually give you an idea of what it will look like in the end. Be sure to leave a space for a chipping area nearby if you intend to chip and pitch in the green.
Another extra space you can think about when outlining your green is your bunker. Map out an area near your green where you could place specialty sand for bunker practice. Depending on your backyard space, your bunker could be around one or two feet deep.
Step 3: Prepare Your Putting Area
This part is where you get your hands dirty. You’ll know what you need once you assess the ideal putting green area. If there’s natural grass on-site, you’ll need a sod cutter. If there are rocks, pull out that shovel that’s been gathering dust in your shed.
You’ll save a lot of time if you have no grass to replace. However, you will still need your shovel to dig out your putting green. Around seven inches deep is perfect. Once you have a shallow pit, fill it up with a road base, moisten it with water, and smoothen it with your shovel.
Step 4: Install Your Artificial Turf
With your putting green area fully prepared, you can start adding your synthetic turf. Ideally, you should have already done your research beforehand. After all, artificial turf comes in all shapes and sizes, suited for all types of home golfers.
Once you have the brand that meets your needs, you’ll need to cut it according to the outline you prepared earlier. Simply lay it on top of the spray-painted map and use your preferred cutting tool.
Depending on the artificial turf product you purchased, it should come with unique instructions. You may need to do some extra steps when rolling it out on your putting green. Be sure to adjust accordingly.
Next, secure the cut-out with the pegs that come with your turf product. If they aren’t included, you can easily use large nails instead. Just make sure nothing sticks out, so they don’t mess with your green.
Lastly, cut out the area for your holes as well. Remember to dig out some space for drainage and leave some room between each hole to make your backyard course more enjoyable. Meanwhile, if you dug out a bunker, you can fill it up with sand around this time.
Step 5: Decorate Your DIY Putting Green
This part is where you get creative. You can add other elements to your putting area once you install your green and cups. Try adding rocks or some soil around the green to make it blend with the rest of your backyard.
You can even try adding real grass for the illusion of a real golf course. Another idea is to add a border around your putting green. Use bricks or stones to double as a barrier against weeds. Fringe is another option if you want a more realistic border.
Some Reminders
Now that you have a putting green that you’ve made with your bare hands, you can enjoy it to your heart’s content. However, there are still some factors to keep in mind to make the most of your DIY putting green. Here are a few reminders and things to consider:
Maintain Your DIY Putting Green
Even though artificial turf is significantly much easier to maintain than real grass, it still needs TLC. Follow the maintenance instructions that come with your product to ensure it lasts as long as the manufacturer advertised it to last. Otherwise, you may have to replace it often. Consider investing in a leaf blower to avoid raking it, which will scratch and damage your turf.
Proper synthetic turf maintenance usually requires cleaning at least once a year. Depending on your area’s climate, you might want to conduct regular maintenance every six months. Your product’s durability will also come into play. Review its warranty and make sure you clean it properly to extend its life for as long as you can.
Plan Ahead
A DIY putting green can be an affordable investment as long as you pick the right materials. Take as much time as you need during the planning stage of your putting green. You’ll need to decide beforehand what you want to include in your final backyard golf course.
Standard things to include in your budget are the turf and landscaping materials, and tools you’ll need. If you want to add extra features, be sure to account for them as well. If you plan on having a large area, you may need to get professional help to remove bushes or trees.
When planning, consider measuring your area first so you can limit how much turf you buy, if budget is a concern. If you have limited usable space in your backyard, you’ll want to get only a little green so you don’t waste any. However, any extra is excellent for your chipping area. Try working your way down from the average 6,000 square feet.
Go All Out
DIY putting greens are great investments for practicing your strokes at home. They even offer great opportunities for chipping and bunker practice. Daily practice for a few minutes will surely improve your skill, even if you’re just playing after a long day away from home.
Moreover, it can boost your home’s value. As long as you’ve installed your green expertly and used the best materials, you could impress potential buyers. If you plan to sell your home in the future, your DIY golf course is a great selling point.
All of these benefits make a DIY putting green worth your time, effort, and resources. Consider choosing the best quality materials when planning your home golf course instead of compromising for money’s sake.
You might think getting a professional to handle all the hard work for you is a better idea. While this is an option, consider that doing it yourself is significantly cheaper than having someone else do it for you.
Final Words
Building a DIY putting green is a fun project to take up if you’re serious about practicing your strokes at home. You’ll only need a few materials and lots of research so you can get it done right the first time. If budget is a concern, you can easily adjust your materials and just add onto them later once you have a foundation set up.
Follow our handy guide to build your own putting green from scratch. We outline everything you’ll need, summarize the steps to follow, and offer some reminders to ensure you make the most out of your next project. If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with our passionate golfers at High Golf Handicap today.
