News:

Welcome to the Golf Club Atlas Discussion Group!

Each user is approved by the Golf Club Atlas editorial staff. For any new inquiries, please contact us.

Pages: [1]   Go Down

Ryan Admussen

Building a putting green in your backyard
« on: October 20, 2009, 09:57:39 PM »
As winter sets in, I've been thinking about some spring projects and was wondering if putting a real putting green in my backyard is doable or if a synthetic one would be a more logical choice, I realize a real green would be a lot more upkeep but was curious how much time you would have to put in to maintain it?and a rough cost? I live in Calgary so it would be in use from april to october or so.
Logged

David_Tepper

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #1 on: October 20, 2009, 10:00:01 PM »
Ryan -

This question has come up a number of times over the past few years.

The consensus is it would be a HUGE mistake to attempt to build & maintain a grass putting green in your backyard. Go synthetic if you are going to do it at all.

DT   
Logged

Alan FitzGerald CGCS MG

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2009, 10:11:05 PM »
Quote from: DSchmidt on October 20, 2009, 10:00:40 PM
You are about to get bombarded with guys speaking from experience saying:

DON'T DO IT!  DON'T DO IT!  DON'T DO IT!

what he said ;)

unless you have a wide open field to put it in back yard greens usually end up in 'pretty' areas and/or squeezed into one that is not the best environment for turf growth, where even professionals would run into issues. the biggest issue with real turf is the maintenance, especially as time rolls on. initially you will keep up on the upkeep but as time rolls on due to the amount of work involved you WILL lose interest and it will become a mess........ don't forget the costs of a greensmower, fertilizer, pesticides etc...........

synthetic is the way to go, put it in, forget about taking care of it and spend all that time you would have wasted maintaining it practicing your putting ;)
Logged
Golf construction & maintenance are like creating a masterpiece; Da Vinci didn't paint the Mona Lisa's eyes first..... You start with the backdrop, layer on the detail and fine tune the finished product into a masterpiece

Tom_Doak

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #3 on: October 20, 2009, 11:23:15 PM »
Don't do it, unless your yard is adjancent to a golf course and the superintendent is a good friend.
Logged

Bradley Anderson

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #4 on: October 21, 2009, 06:44:38 AM »
Guys with putting greens in their back yards can be a distraction to a golf course superintendent. They need you to buy them chemical, sharpen their mowers, come and look at their grass, calibrate their sprayers, etc etc etc. It is really hard to fit all of that in your schedule when you are trying to give the best conditions for the course.
Logged

Ian Larson

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #5 on: October 21, 2009, 01:04:04 PM »
Ryan,

I think everyone here is assuming you may not to want to spend money that you may actually have and DO want to spend on a real putting green. If you have the money, willing to invest in a real one by all means do it. If you are considering it but have the idea in your head that you may be able to work out a deal with the local golf course for some extra product or free services dont even consider it. I have never seen a golf course superintendent take on this himself when he has assistants to delegate it to that could use any extra cash they can get. You could probably get an assistant or crew worker by a near by course to mow every other day and change cups for a few Ben Franklins a month.

I just finished my 9th putting green design/build in Calabasas, Ca not to long ago. Here in Southern California everyone wants a real putting green in their backyard. Ive been averaging 2 a year for the last 4 years. Word of mouth and everyone keeping up with the Jones' is amazing! Ive gotten into such big projects that I had to get licensed and start my own LLC so I was legal. I even have 2 more planned for the winter and spring.

I set it up where I design and build it. Use the maintenance crews from like Riviera or LACC to do it. And then I choose someone from the crew to maintain it. They mow, roll, topdress, spray etc.. The amount that I set up for the client to pay monthly covers the guys labor and product needed, that way they never need to worry about getting charity from the local golf course. I also include a backlapper in the final cost of the green so we can keep the mowers cutting good all the time and then if we need to grind reels the local Toro and John Deere dealerships will do a mower for next to nothing if we drop it off.

Here's some pics from my latest one that I did for a pretty famous client. Its about 2500 square feet. USGA green. Tyee Bentgrass. And I installed lights in the low lips of the bunkers that are connected to a photosensor, sun goes down and the faces light up.











Logged

Ian Larson

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #6 on: October 21, 2009, 01:18:30 PM »
Putting Green grown in...
Logged

Ian Larson

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #7 on: October 21, 2009, 01:33:02 PM »
Bunker growing in...
Logged

Ian Larson

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2009, 01:38:08 PM »
Bunker after shaping...
Logged

Ian Larson

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2009, 01:39:49 PM »
Being shaped...
« Last Edit: October 21, 2009, 01:53:34 PM by Ian Larson »
Logged

Ian Larson

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #10 on: October 21, 2009, 01:45:31 PM »
Aerial....
« Last Edit: October 21, 2009, 01:59:59 PM by Ian Larson »
Logged

Gary_Mahanay

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #11 on: October 21, 2009, 02:00:00 PM »
Ian,

Have heard very little about Tyee.   Is it supposed to be a heat tolerant-disease resistant bentgrass?  Any courses out there tried it yet?

Gary
Logged

Ian Larson

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #12 on: October 21, 2009, 02:04:11 PM »
Gary,

Im not sure who has used it but I could look into it. I used it because when I built the new nursery at LACC which was intended to research new bents for the upcoming restoration, Tyee and T-1 were the best from what I saw growing them in.
Logged

Jim_Kennedy

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #13 on: October 21, 2009, 02:39:45 PM »
Ryan,
Work load = Synthetic. Calgary =  indoors.  ;D
Logged
"I never beat a well man in my life" - Harry Vardon

Ian Larson

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #14 on: October 21, 2009, 02:47:23 PM »
...and if you do go synthetic. Have them design something better than the pictures they advertise with. I havent seen a synthetic putting green yet that hasnt looked like the tackiest thing ever. The green surface itself doesnt look TOO artificial but the artificial rough grass they use is down right ugly. It just looks too Myrtle Beach Miniature Golf-y to me to put in a back yard. Most Ive seen take away from a nice house and backyard.
Logged

Bruce Wellmon

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #15 on: October 21, 2009, 02:55:54 PM »
Ian that is sweet. If you ever expand to the east coast, my back yard is available for you to build a demo "showroom."
Logged

Ian Larson

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #16 on: October 21, 2009, 03:08:11 PM »
Thanks Bruce...


Jim, wouldn't Calgary with it's climate and very small season be an advantage to having a real putting green. 6 months (if that) of mowing every other day and a few fertilizations with a few fungicides wouldn't be too bad with it's annual costs. Come fall, just tarp it up and forget about it till spring. It's way better than southern california that's for sure. At least with this putting green they have their full time gardener that I trained to mow and water. 
Logged

Jim_Kennedy

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #17 on: October 21, 2009, 03:30:13 PM »
Ian,

If I was living in Calgary, or any other area with a limited season, I'd want my putting green indoors so I could use the thing when I couldn't be out playing.

The one you did in the photo looks terrific and the people are probably happy with it.

 
Logged
"I never beat a well man in my life" - Harry Vardon

Ian Larson

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #18 on: October 21, 2009, 03:41:56 PM »
Yeah great point. I forgot about all of the other months snow locked and craving golf!
Logged

Mark Smolens

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #19 on: October 21, 2009, 03:44:39 PM »
If Ryan can afford Ian's real grass putting green, my guess is that he has enough $$ to spend a significant portion of his winter months away from the snows of Calgary. . .
Logged

Ian Larson

Re: Building a putting green in your backyard
« Reply #20 on: October 21, 2009, 06:45:58 PM »
Quote from: Mark Smolens on October 21, 2009, 03:44:39 PM
If Ryan can afford Ian's real grass putting green, my guess is that he has enough $$ to spend a significant portion of his winter months away from the snows of Calgary. . .

An even better point!
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
Tags: