Considerations Before Getting Started

Growing environment

Sometimes the decision between natural and synthetic grass is dictated by your property. If your yard is heavily shaded, lacks a reliable water source, or is simply too small, then you can pretty much rule out natural grass unless you’re willing to remove trees and make other necessary adjustments. Climate is another important consideration, keeping a natural grass putting green looking and playing well can be tricky in northern areas with short growing seasons, or in places prone to long stretches of drought or hot and humid weather.

Terrain and access

Slopes can complicate design and construction for both natural and synthetic greens. Grading the yard, adding retaining walls and providing space around the green to accommodate maintenance can significantly increase the price tag. If it’s difficult to create much flat space, a synthetic green is the way to go. Construction access is another important consideration for both synthetic and natural greens. A lot of equipment, soil or base material, and other supplies need to be brought to the green site. Josh Lewis is a partner at Gradoville and Hertzing Management Group, a California-based company focused on project management in the golf industry. He’s also a former golf course superintendent. Along with his other responsibilities, Lewis oversees the company’s residential putting green projects. According to him, it is not uncommon for a crane to be required to lift putting green materials into a backyard. For some larger projects, his company has actually built the putting green complex prior to construction of the client’s home. This way the putting green construction doesn’t hinder the home building (or vice versa depending on your priorities in life) and the green will also be established and ready when the client moves in.

What do you hope to accomplish?

Before deciding on natural grass or a synthetic surface, it’s important to think long and hard about whether your backyard green is something fun that you’ll use once in a while or whether you really want to work on your game. The experts we spoke with generally recommend a synthetic surface if the main goal is adding a unique feature to your yard and doing some occasional putting, although advancements in materials allow today’s synthetic greens to provide a very good putting experience. For the die-hard golfer who is looking to improve their game, ready to make a big financial and time commitment, and who has the space and the right environment to pull it off, a natural surface may give them the best experience. Just be honest with yourself about why you want a backyard putting green and if you’ll actually use it that often.
 

Real Grass Is a Real Commitment

When discussing natural grass greens, the experts we talked to emphasized the importance of quality construction. “You are going to have to spend money,” said Lewis. “You're either going to spend it proactively on really solid infrastructure and proper construction methods, or you're going to spend it reactively on the back end making up for cutting corners on the construction side.” Natural grass greens typically require subsurface drainage, an irrigation system, manufactured rootzone material and special types of grass – to name just a few key construction elements. For most backyard greens, an experienced builder can typically guide a homeowner through the design process. However, if you’re thinking about a short game area, multiple greens or something even more elaborate, bringing in a golf course architect is a good idea.

What’s the right size for a natural grass green and how much does it cost?

A recent USGA study found the average size of a green on a U.S. golf course is about 5,500 square feet. While backyard greens are usually smaller, there are limits with natural grass where a green becomes too small to effectively maintain. Prices will vary based on region and construction method, but Lewis says expect to pay between $18 to $20 per square foot with a reputable contractor for a properly constructed bentgrass green. Keep in mind this only includes putting green materials, not irrigation and other associated costs. If there are additional logistics challenges, unique features or other special circumstances the price will rise accordingly.

“This last complex we finished cost $2.5 million and was almost three acres in total with a big fairway and huge green – it even has its own pro shop,” said Bob Ranum, a retired superintendent who got into building and maintaining backyard putting greens at the behest of several members at the course he took care of on the east end of Long Island for 30 years. Since retiring, he has turned over the backyard greens business to his son and it has continued booming.
 

Key elements of building a natural grass green

Soil and Drainage: In rare instances there may be suitable native soil on your property for growing and maintaining a green, but Lewis and Ranum highly recommend using the USGA recommendations for putting green construction for their backyard projects. In almost all settings, the native soil simply won’t deliver even a modest-quality putting green, so you can expect to purchase special sand-based rootzone material. You will also need a drainage system under that rootzone material to move water out of the soil. Without proper drainage, your green is doomed to failure.

Grass: Consult with an expert to decide on the right grass for your situation. The climate, amount of shade, desired playing conditions and many other factors will go into making the right choice for your property. In terms of how to plant that grass, it is highly recommended to seed or sprig new greens. Sod is not as simple to establish as people think, and there can be complications caused by the attached layer of soil from the sod farm.

Irrigation: A successful natural grass green requires a dedicated irrigation system. You cannot use normal lawn sprinklers or your garden hose to keep up with the water requirements. It is absolutely critical to match the placement and flow of the sprinklers to each home’s unique water source and pressure. Delivering the right amount of water can actually be more difficult the smaller a putting green is. This is one reason that even an experienced superintendent and project manager like Josh Lewis will call in an irrigation designer for some backyard greens. It’s just too important to get wrong.

Maintaining a backyard green is a full-time job

Whether you have the knowledge, equipment and experience to maintain it yourself, or prefer paying someone to do it for you, taking care of a backyard green is a big job. This cannot be overstated, and is why both Lewis and Ranum operate maintenance companies that provide long-term care for nearly all the backyard putting greens they build. If the main goal is to replicate golf course conditions, you will need a superintendent-quality maintenance program. Homeowners that want to give putting green maintenance a try almost always give up due to the enormous time commitment and specialized equipment and products needed.
 

An interesting aspect of having someone maintaining a green for you is they will be in your backyard a lot. Someone will be there mowing in the morning almost every day, there will be emergency pesticide applications and many other visits that are necessary to protect your investment. Not everybody wants to have a putting green maintenance operation milling around in their yard, but that’s usually what you sign up for with a natural grass green.

Notes about maintaining a natural grass green

Mowing: The green needs to be mowed daily during the growing season with a specialized walk-behind mower set to cut the grass somewhere around 1/8 of an inch. The biggest challenge isn’t usually getting a mower – any dealer will be glad to sell you one for upward of $10,000 – it’s maintaining it that gets really tough. They require frequent sharpening, precise adjustments and other service, and very few homeowners have the tools or knowledge needed.

Watering: Water is the lifeblood of your turfgrass and precise irrigation is critical, including hand watering “hot spots” in summer. To keep your green healthy and playing well, you’ll need to constantly adjust your watering schedule based on the weather and time of year. You’ll also need to keep an eye on the sprinklers because irrigation systems love to leak, break or go out of adjustment. And yes, you or someone you hire will be dragging a hose around the green hand watering it on hot afternoons, just like you see on a golf course.

Product Applications: Fertilizer and chemical applications are needed regularly to keep grass healthy and give you a quality putting surface. Many of these products require licensing and training to purchase and/or apply. They must be applied to the green at very specific rates and often with a specialized sprayer. Without these treatments, death by disease is very likely for your green.

Synthetic Grass, Real Results

Synthetic putting greens are the most popular option for backyards. Once they are installed the maintenance requirements are minimal compared to natural grass. Many of the logistical, construction and design aspects are similar to a natural grass green, but there are some notable differences. Adam Byrd is a synthetic turf specialist with East Coast Synthetic Turf, a company that installs over 100 synthetic putting greens in people’s yards every year. Byrd is also a former college golfer and PGA professional and believes when properly designed and installed, synthetic greens can provide an excellent putting surface to work on your game. He took us through some of the main considerations.

Design

“One of our big selling points is flexibility in design,” said Byrd. “Because you don’t have to worry about how a mower is going to be able to navigate the surface or how the sprinklers are going to provide good coverage, you can get much more creative.” You can also make the green as small, skinny or amoeba-shaped as you would like, and even contour it to fit around things like your house, pool or trees. One downside, however, is the inability to change hole locations like you can on a natural grass green. If you are looking for variety, you will have to plan for a larger green and install your desired hole locations during construction.
 

Construction methods and materials

Base: After clearing and leveling the area, a gravel base of 2 to 4 inches is installed. On top of that, a layer 6 to 8 inches deep of compacted aggregate is used to form the base of synthetic greens. Byrd prefers to use compacted granite screenings for the base and then finer screenings on top to shape the putting surface contours. Most synthetic greens rely on surface drainage rather than pipes under the green. Therefore, they usually have a slight turtle-backed shape to help shed water and prevent algae formation.

Surface: The actual synthetic turf material is made of nylon or polypropylene, and according to Byrd, these materials have come a long way in recent years. There are sand-filled nylon options that provide realistic putting and a little more receptivity for short-game shots, but they require adding sand regularly and working it in amongst the nylon fibers. There are also new interlocking tile systems that can be installed under the surface to help receive wedge shots and provide a more realistic ball reaction. Typical green speeds of a standard nylon surface would be 11 feet or less on the Stimpmeter, whereas a sand-filled nylon green can reach close to 13 feet, according to Byrd.

Durability: As with natural grass greens, the long-term performance of a synthetic green is directly related to the quality of the build. From peeling seams to entire putting greens getting washed into a swimming pool, Byrd has seen it all. Backyard putting greens, whether synthetic or natural, may be the ultimate proof that you get what you pay for. It’s tempting to skimp on a UV coating, heavy-duty glue, or higher-quality synthetic surface material, but if you want to sharpen your putting game and have true ball roll, you can’t take shortcuts in the construction process.

Today’s synthetic putting greens should have a lifespan of 10 years or more if they are well built and well maintained. Algae, UV damage and other environmental factors will hasten the degradation of synthetic materials, so homeowners still need to perform some routine maintenance and keep the green clear of debris.

Cost: The upfront cost per square foot for a synthetic green is slightly more than natural grass because of the cost of specialized outdoor nylon and other materials. Prices vary by region but expect to pay in the neighborhood of $25 per square foot of green and surround. For premium materials and customized greens, it’s not uncommon to pay over $30 per square foot. However, you can build a synthetic green that is much smaller than the minimum required for a functional natural grass green, so you may be able to reduce total project cost in that way. The development of interlocking base plates and other advancements have made DIY backyard putting greens easier for homeowners to order and install on their own as well, which can be a significant cost savings.

Synthetic greens are far less expensive to maintain than a natural grass green. You don’t need any specialized equipment, there are no chemical applications to make, there’s no irrigation system to repair and many other savings when compared to maintaining a natural grass green. You basically just need to keep the surface free of debris and potentially work some sand into the green from time to time for certain models. Maintenance of seams and edges should be minimal if the green is properly constructed. The surface will eventually show signs of wear, but it should be about 10 years before you have to worry about replacement unless the green is receiving a lot of use.

A Quick Word on Bunkers

If you’re like me and find yourself in a lot of bunkers during a round of golf, you might want a real sand bunker in your ideal backyard putting green complex. However, the experts we spoke with caution against including real bunkers unless you really have your heart set on it. A bunker will add cost to the build, needs constant maintenance, sand splash on the green can be a problem, and all manner of wildlife will be eager to dig it up and use it for a litter box. You also need to start worrying about broken windows and other issues that come with catching bunker shots a little thin. Having installed thousands of backyard greens, Byrd said bunkers usually don’t get used that much and often become an eyesore. Additionally, some of the new white synthetic bunker surfaces look good and provide a somewhat realistic simulation of the texture and resistance of sand.
 

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of nuances to successfully building and maintaining a backyard putting green. Even golf course superintendents who try their hand at a backyard green fail, including yours truly. My journey began with some leftover bentgrass from a putting green renovation. After my green died and several attempts to revive it failed, my dream ended with the area going back to lawn, plus a bonus sandpit for the kids to play in. In my case, like so many others, I didn’t invest in building it correctly and couldn’t commit the amount of time needed to maintain it properly.

Backyard greens can be a great addition to a home, but before you tee off, make sure you are fully prepared to commit the time and money it takes to have a truly enjoyable final product. Be realistic about whether synthetic or natural grass makes the most sense for your property, your lifestyle and your budget. If you’re not sure how to proceed, ask a local golf course superintendent what they think. If you’re prepared to invest in doing the job right, a backyard green can be a lot of fun. If the cost and time is more than you have in mind, there’s always the putting green at your local course.