How To Build A Chipping Green In Your Backyard – Green planting and chipping in your own back yard…we’ve all dreamed about it. Some even had the courage to do it. But in your dreams, did you open the back door and walk out onto a synthetic surface, or did you have so many Rapid Eye Movements (REM) that you actually planted green grass?
Well, we investigated both cases. So if you’re thinking of (making the biggest decision of your life and) installing a great shortgame in your home, here’s what you’ll need:
How To Build A Chipping Green In Your Backyard
GRASS WHO better than The Australian Golf Club’s superintendent, Phil Beale, to detail the cost and effort involved in installing a real grass tillage green at home? Beale took a break from preparing the course for the Australian Open in November to give us the facts.
The Right Way To Chip
The Size “The average green in Australia is 500 square metres. The average house couldn’t accommodate that, but to be worthwhile you’d need 250 square meters for the surface and 300 square meters in total.”
The Process 1. Construction: “First, you would kill the grass where the grass would go. Then, dig out the 250 square meters of green and put a core (punched holes for ventilation) the area 400 millimeters deep and install a drainage system into that area. The most popular is the herringbone system (one or two vertical drains with diagonal drains running into them). You would then lay 100mm of road bed over the top of the drainage and then 300mm of base zone. Some kind of irrigation system would be needed around the lawn and for the planting surface I would recommend daffodils.
2. Maintenance: “Water as often as you can to get the best roll for your dogs – once every three days in the summer and hardly in the winter. We are feeding the greens every day and a lot of fungicides have to be applied during the summer, otherwise you won’t have any grass on the greens.”
The Cost “It costs us about $100/square to put green. But that’s a golf course buying in bulk and with industry discounts. I would estimate that the average block in town would have to pay close to $150/square foot to install a lawn as a one-time job.”
Why Synthetic Turf Is The Ideal Surface For Your Backyard Putting Green
SYNTHETIC WHEN putting artificial putting surfaces on pasture is more time consuming. As Enduroturf (Australia’s largest independent synthetic grass installer) points out, the only thing you’ll be doing on your putting green is playing – not maintaining it. We spoke to Brad Harris, owner of NSW Enduroturf agent, Renograss.
The Size “We see that most backyard installations are between 25 and 30 square meters. That gives the client enough space for two or three cups. Anything less than 20 square meters is fine for children or a putt-putt green, but not suitable for the serious golfer. You want at least 20 square meters to have the freedom to putt and chip on the surface. That said, there is no minimum or maximum amount we do; we surfaced a backyard that is hundreds of square meters.”
The Process 1. Design and consultation: “The clients decide how they want to use the mounting surface and factor in other uses of the backyard – such as a clothesline and wheelie bins. You also want to provide maximum chip areas to make the best use of the surface.”
2. Construction: “First we remove the existing grass so that all the organisms are gone. Presser dust is then laid down because it is a finer matter; the road surface is too rough and produces too many hard bumps. After that, we chip and put a golf ball to make sure there is a nice roll and then install the synthetic grass. After that, a 38mm edge grass is placed around the green before sand is swept into the grass pile, so the client can adjust the speed of the green.”
Things To Consider During Putting Green Installation
3. Cup installation: “We usually give clients a week to play the lock to find out where they want to place the cups. We can install them in step two, but sometimes clients change their minds and that extra time helps. We can also add more sand to adjust the speed. A 30 square meter green takes two days to install and anything bigger takes a bit longer.”
The cost “Depending on the style of installation, the type of synthetic grass chosen and the amount of base preparation, costs range from $120 to $150/m.cr. That range is because we’ve put different types of surfaces for different sizes – if you’re installing a larger green you have a number of other options to incorporate the direction and grain of the grass. For smaller greens, you don’t want grain as this will limit the types of putts and chips you can hit. We’ve done a front yard golf green fitting for $3,000 and some multi-hole installations up to $11,000. People spend hours working on their swing; lessons, driving range, but then we have to spend only 3-5 minutes on the practice green before a round.
Putting takes practice and if you are going to invest in your game the biggest return will come from practicing putting and chipping.
Speaking of investment, building your own backyard practice area is an investment. If you’re going to make this investment, make sure it’s one that will pay dividends for years to come. You don’t want to invest in something that will only require more investment in a few years.
Artificial Grass Putting Green
The backyard practice greens we build here at East Coast Synthetic Turf are built to last. We use the highest quality materials and go to great lengths to make sure you get exactly what you want. A happy customer is our main concern, always has been and always will be.
Consistent practice is the fastest and most sustainable way to lower scores. Putting is unique in that no particular athletic ability is required to get good, really good. You don’t need to be flexible or strong, you just need to be able to practice your gut stroke consistently.
Achieving these consistent practice sessions will require most people to spend countless hours on the course. Well, most of us don’t have this kind of time and even if we did we’d rather be at home spending time with family. This is where a backyard practice area comes in quite handy.
If you are thinking of building your own green appliance in your home you will want to make sure that you do your research and you will want to be sure that you are getting the features, quality and craftsmanship that all this type of investment requires.
How To Build The Perfect Golf Swing: Pics, Tips, Videos
While a simple practice green of any size will give you the ability to consistently work on your stroke, there are some simple additions that are inexpensive and very valuable in improving your overall short game.
Sliced areas are inexpensive and will secure any practice area. The chipping turf we use at East Coast Synthetic Turf is high quality commercial driving range material. We started using this specialized turf a few months ago and the reviews are outstanding. From green chipping areas to 40, 60 or even 90 yard tee boxes, you’ll be surprised at the valuable practice you’ll get.
Sand traps are a feature that has become very popular recently. Of course you want to make sure you have enough room for traps but they are a beautiful feature that not only impresses your friends but also lowers your bar.
No feature or level of investment is worth it, if the materials you are using do not work properly and do not provide realistic practice. Our TourPutt Ultimate Putting Turf has a 10 year warranty, and offers smooth rolling sticks unmatched in the synthetic turf industry.
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This turf is not only durable but very functional. You can launch shots from 100 yards or hit small chip shots and this turf reacts like the real thing. That’s why Ping, Titleist, Puma Golf, Ryan Moore, Ricky Barnes, Colin Montgomerie and Sports Illustrated have chosen TourPutt Ultimate as the turf of choice.
The hoses roll smoothly in all directions, the turf stays consistent in any weather and does all this without requiring any annual maintenance. Our competitors use turf filled with sand, the sand is packed, loses consistency and needs to be re-treated every year. You can read about the differences between TourPutt Ultimate and Sand Filled Here.
Even with better materials, if the job isn’t done right, you’ll have a bad experience. We have been building greens and putting ONLY greens for almost 10 years. We are not doing lawn cleans on Mondays and will put in green grass on Wednesdays.
We show up on time and don’t leave until the job is done to your liking. This is a simple business model but one that some people are somehow noticing?
Guide To Design And Build Backyard Putting Green
Moreover, we guarantee not only the turf but the base. The foundation is the key to the quality and overall performance of your practice area.