I understand that many courses in North America used to have sand greens. I remember one such course myself near my home in Alberta, when I was a kid.

I always thought that if one wanted to create a practice hole on their own property, that creating a sand green or greens might be the most affordable way to go.

Does anyone know how the sand is prepared and maintained for a sand green? Or how such a green is constructed? Does anyone have any experience on sand greens - I'm sure they don't compare to grass - but how bad are they?

There are still a few courses here in Kansas that still have them.  They are largely kept compacted with oil -- yuck!  When you finish playing the hole, you are expected to drag/rake it back into the condition you found it in.

Tony

Thanks so much. Great link.

So I guess it's pretty much impossible to maintain any contour with a sand green...

It is interesting though. I like the thought that there are all kinds of ways to play the game of golf. There was a book called "World Golf" or something like that - which showed golf all over the world at all kinds of economic levels. It was nice to see a picture of the game that wasn't just the first world nations.

When I was ten, I started out playing golf on a 3 hole sand greens golf course.  First hole was 175 yards from a slightly elevated tee and the "fairway" crossed hole #3.  The tee ball had to cross a railroad track.  Once I saw a tee ball come back off the rails and pass directly over the head of the would be golfer.  Without searching for the ball he put his club back in his bag and his bag back in his truck and sped away from the "course."  Apparently he subscribed to the theory that when the golf course starts shooting back it's time to leave.

Hole #2 was 135 yards and crossed the #3 "fairway".

Hole #3 was 125 yards and crossed both #1 and #2.  

As was stated above. oil was used to compact the sand, but for most of the year there was almost no sand on the greens so they were actually just oil soaked dirt.

Not only can you not maintain contours, you can't stop a ball on them.  Everything was the ground game at Hastings WV in 1950.  Come to think of it, there was hardly any grass on the course.  It might be fair to describe the layout as dirt course with sand greens.    

Joe Hatley,

There are still a few courses here in Kansas that still have them.  They are largely kept compacted with oil -- yuck!  When you finish playing the hole, you are expected to drag/rake it back into the condition you found it in.

My dad told me that when he used to play in and around Pinehurst and in the south that this is exactly what they had to do.  That the greens were oil based, and covered with sand, and you had to restore their condition when you were finished with the hole.

It's hard to imagine what your shoes would have looked like after a round, but I believe they had equipment to de-oil and de-sand your shoes in the clubhouse or pro shop.

I wish there were a few more of them around actually - I like the idea of having low-overhead, low key places for people to go hack it around and just have fun with the game without all of the money pressure.

I think more people would give it a try - and at the same time, we might have a few less beginners beating themselves up and frustrating everyone else on the more refined courses.