Artificial putting green. Anybody build one?

[UTpowder]

This summer I've been working in the yard every morning for an hour or two before work. I'ts been very enjoyable for me and I actually look forward to it each morning. The problem is I've ran out of things to do.

I had the idea of putting in an artificial putting green. Thinking maybe something about 12' x 15'. The turf I'm thinking of using comes in 15 foot widths cut to any length I want. So probably no bigger so I don't have to seam two pieces together and that size fits great in the yard.

My idea so far is to have the landscape curbing guy come and lay out an kidney, or at least somewhat oval shape using a 4 inch square mold. My plan was then to get some kind of Trex type bendable board and secure that to the inside edge of the curbing. This would give me something to stretch the turf to and secure it in place with staples (???). I did look at Home Depot for a bendable piece of Trex and didn't see anything that would work and the guy working there had no clue on other options.

For the inside I would use some kind of stabilizing grid over the top of a weed barrier and fill it full of very fine gravel. The turf would go over the top of that.

We have fairly good drainage and a relatively flat spot that I could level out nice.

Any better ideas on how to do this? What am I missing. I like the cement edging or something similar to create a identifiable edge so I can train the dog to not do his business on it.

It seems like there are companies that would be glad to do this for me but from what I've seen its about $3500 for what I want. I think I can do it for under a grand and let me have a project to keep working on in the mornings.

[Fritz]

Build a real green? How much for an old greens mower?

[SumJongGuy]

Last century I made some DIY disc golf goals out of chicken wire, pipes, and trash cans and had a little 5 hole course around the little piece of property we own.

[::: :::]

i'd maybe give it a hard edge like concrete pavers or stone flags, maybe 12" wide, in plane with the putting surface & lawn so you can run the wheels of the lawn mower over the narrow zone

i'd be less worried about containing putted balls off the edge

[hawkgt]

real greens are a pain in the ass, buddies dad built one when growing up. mowing multiple times a week, over seeding, fertilizer, etc... goes on and on. lasted two years for him and then put in the fake grass after.

you're on track, layers of material for drainage. Cement in the hole cup, use carpet stretcher.

my dad built one when I was very young. He just poured concrete and glued the carpet down on it. It was essentially our driveway and patio.

[UTpowder]

Thought about a real green but came to the same conclusion. It would be a pain in the ass and just take more time then I want spend.

Any ideas on bendable boards to go around the inside of the cement curbing? Home depot guy didn't know of anything and from what I saw on the Trex website they didn't have anything that was bendable enough to make it 180 degree bend in 12 feet. Its got to be wide enough to be able to hold staples to stretch the artificial turf on. I would like to use something like Trex to keep it from rotting. Tried to Google but haven't found much.

[::: :::]

https://www.concreteconstruction.net...lywood-forms_o

I also see crews cutting kerfs in the back side to make the curves, but I’m not the one to explain details on that

[hawkgt]

^^^ try that plastic trim? dont remember the exact material but it bends pretty good.

[billyk]

It’s been a while since I looked into this, but the stuff that looks like a carpet sucks. I think it is a waste of time to practice on one of those.

There was a company that made artificial greens and filled the top surface with sand so it responded much more like a real green. That one didn’t show up in a brief search, but I did happen to find this one that Dave Pelz is associated with:

https://www.synlawn.com/artificial-g...reen-products/

Anyway, not sure if they use the same method, or just a really thick mat, but they put a high priority on replicating the real green experience. Seems like there are several options, as well.

Me, I’ll just practice over at the golf course. Well, if I ever do. Haven’t played yet this year. Doesn’t help that it is 100 degrees out, and I’m busy at work.