Build a Putting Green Blog

How to Build an Indoor Putting Green Part 3

Let me finish up this series on How to Build an Indoor Putting Green by using the panel system by taking a look at some of the benefits of using panels over using raw materials to build from scratch.

First, the panels are not only sturdy and forgiving, but they just look much better. With an indoor green made of 2 x 4s and plywood...you get the look that you just paid for. Plus, you are limited in the design to a certain degree.

The raw material build may be inexpensive, but it mostly looks the best in a corner or across the wall and tends to have a squared look no matter where you place it.

With panels, they can be cut and made to fit in a design that fits your room or your style for the installation. This is important if you want a putting green that adds value to your home and a room that you are happy to use for entertaining.

While the picture of the Tourlinks panel system above is for an outdoor putting green installation, I am showing the picture because it gives you a great look at the contours of the panels and how they can be shaped. A jigsaw can easily cut the panels to fit your desired design.

The same panels used outdoors...can be used indoors.

How to Build an Indoor Putting Green Part 2

In Part 1 of my post on how to build an indoor putting green,I talked about how you might use a panel system to build a high quality indoor practice green. Below is an image of the panel system from a company called Tourlinks.

Notice how these panels easily interlock like a puzzle...they do tighten with a screwdriver. As I mentioned in Part 1 of this post, I really like this panel system because it is sturdy, portable and works indoors or outdoors.

If you are wanting a high end product to create a classy look and feel to your man cave or dream indoor practice room, then this system will do the job.

While Tourlinks sells prepackaged size indoor greens, you can also add individual panels to create the exact size you need. Look, if you won't be happy until you have tackled a DIY project and bought materials to build an indoor green, then by all means do that. But if you want  a system that is highly effective, looks good in any room and is easy to assemble and move if need be...then check out these panels.

In Part 3 of this series, we will take a look at how the panel system is affected by where you choose to locate it within your home.

How to Build an Indoor Putting Green Part 1

I get asked a lot by the readers of Residential Putting Green Magazine about how to build an indoor putting green. There are a few ways to approach building an indoor green, but you really need to decide what you are wanting out of the experience before you can really make the right call.

Is this putting green part of your dream man cave? Will there need to be enough room for couches and TV's and a bar, etc.? If so, then space is probably a requirement and you may be limited in the overall size of the green.

Is this green part of a dream indoor golf practice facility for you and your buddies to putt for quarters and have fun? Then you may need a larger green with some extras...like a teebox for some short chipping. This would require some space, but not as much as you may think.

Both of these types of installations are very rewarding and will be a lot of fun.

So, what is the best way to build an indoor putting green to fit either scenario?

I believe that it is always better to go with sturdier products. Ones that not only look good, but that have feel and last. That's why I like the Tourlinks product for these types of installations.

With Tourlinks panels, you can easily assemble a top notch indoor putting green in your home and it will feel like an outdoor green...partly because the same panels used indoorscan be used outdoors as well.

They look good and you won't be looking at that kind of inexpensive plywood look that you would have if you bought some lumber and did it yourself.

Could you build one cheaper by going to a home improvement store and buying the materials to build it yourself...absolutely. But this post isn't about how to build an indoor putting green cheaply...it is about how to build a dream indoor green.To do that, I recommend the Tourlinks panels.

In my next post, I will get into some specifics of how to use the panel system to build your dream indoor putting green.

The Perfect Time to Plan Your Outdoor Putting Geen

Here we are 2 weeks until the Masters and now Spring is here! This is the time of year that golf clubs are advertised heavily and all golfers can't wait to start getting back out on the course more with their buddies at the club.

It is also the prime time to begin planning that outdoor putting green you have been wanting. You don't want to wait until the summer sun in beating down to begin installing your own backyard green...now is a better time while the temperature is cooler and the ground not as hard.

Start looking at companies that sell synthetic turf now and get them to send you samples of their different turfs so you can compare and contrast as you research and decide what turf you will go with.

This Build Your Own Putting Green Guide is a great place to get some idea of what you need to consider.

Now is the perfect time...

Why Compacting Is So Important When Building a Golf Green

This is not a part of the process to take lightly…quite the opposite. This will probably be the least favorite and the trickiest part of building your own putting green.

First off…how many of us work with a plate compactor every day? Not many I bet…and it isn’t the easiest piece of equipment to use. Compacting the sub-base correctly is very important to how your green will not only roll, but also look.

It’s not figuring out how much sub-base to use. Instead, it is making sure that the top surface is completely stable and smooth. Remember, once you lay the turf over the sub-base…then you are going to in-fill it. I used 1,300 pounds of in-fill on my putting green.

You can’t just go back after you do that…you couldn’t lift that if you wanted to.

So take your time during this step…you will be anticipating the end of the project by the time you get to this step and want to move through it as quickly as possible…fight that urge…you will be very happy you did when you finally have it completed.

An Inside Tip to Help You Build an Outdoor Putting Green Successfully.

Ok, so you have decided to make your own putting green in the backyard, but there is that one nagging voice in your head that keeps asking you what happens if you mess up! The last thing you want to do is mess up the project and have all the expense of starting over...

Here's a tip for quality control.

Call 2 or 3 putting green installation professionals (reputable pros) and get an estimate for how much they would charge to come out after you have compacted the crushed stone...BEFORE you lay the turf down.

This will give you peace of mind that a pro has taken a look at your work and believes you will have no problems after the synthetic turf is laid over the compacted crushed stone.

This really should be a minor charge from the pro...but it can be worth every penny if you feel you need it. As I mentioned in an earlier post, you don't want to have to take the turf back up after you have in-filled it...it may weigh over 1,000 lbs!

So, make sure the crushed stone is compacted properly and the breaks are correct...and it may be worth a little extra in your budget to have a pro take a look.

Backyard Putting Green Tip

Your back is about to really thank me for this tip! Plus, if your buddies are going to be helping you build your own putting green, then they will be thanking you when you do this...so you owe me. Hey, I'll settle for you dropping me a comment to this post and a picture of how great your new backyard green turned out.

Here it is and it's so simple.

Hire a landscape contractor or landscaper to dig the area and remove the dirt before you and your buddies do the rest of the project. See...that is the back-breaking part of the whole DIY putting green project...the digging out of the area where your green is going to be.

Depending on the size of your golf green, this may be as little as $300...make sure to get 2 or 3 estimates as prices vary, but the time and labor this will save you outweighs that small amount by many times! Plus, it still proves cost-effective if you look at the overall DIY project as opposed to hiring a putting green professional.

For example, If you have a green that is 12 x 20 and you have to dig out 240 square feet of area, say 6 to 8 inches deep, that is a big job for a DIY project...and time consuming.

I practice what I preach , so to speak, because I followed my own advice and hired a landscape contractor to dig my backyard putting green area out before I finished the project myself...best money I ever spent.

Take a serious look at doing this with your backyard DIY putting green project...and make sure to let me know how it all turned out. I may even use your green as a case study online in Residential Putting Green Magazine!

Why Replacing Your Golf Green Can Be a Real Pain.

I always go out of my way to let people know that building your own golf green is a doable project, but that it isn't for everyone. Mainly, the reason this is an important point is due to the fact that the process is labor intensive and requires some pretty substantial physical work.

Another reason, and one not to be taken lightly, is that if you mess something up (build a poor foundation which causes unnatural breaks in the turf, for example), you can't just simply pick the turf up or roll it back.

Let's take a look at my personal backyard putting green for an example...

My golf green is a 12 x 20, so 240 square feet. This is a pretty good size...I have 4 holes and can practice anything up to 18 foot putts easily and can practice chipping inside 15 or 20 yards.

The turf I used was a polypropylene and was in-filled with thirteen 100 lb. bags of a fine sand called coal slag. They use the stuff for sandblasting, so I had to actually have it delivered from one of the only two sandblasting supply shops in our area. The good news is that it isn't very expensive.

The point is that my putting green turf has 1,300 lbs of sand on it...so it weighs 1,300 lbs! Can you lift or roll back turf that weighs 1,300 lbs? I can't either. You would have to get a small bobcat to do that job...time and money...that can be avoided by building a proper putting green foundation in the first place.

That is why building a golf green is something you want to research and make sure you really are up for the project before you jump in with both feet.

None of this is meant to deter you from a DIY putting green project. Rather, I just want you to have all the important points in your head as you decide between building a golf green yourself or hiring a putting green installation professional.

If you have a question or comment...please click on the comment link below.

What size should your putting green be?

You mean size matters? Yep, even with your backyard putting green!

Seriously, size is a real consideration when you are planning to build your own
putting green.

The size golf green you want to build in your backyard and what your backyard will
actually allow can be a little disappointing if you are not realistic. If you have spent any time
looking at the web sites of putting green companies, then you have seen some very spectacular installations.
You can see plenty of great photos at the Residential Putting Green Magazine site.

Don't get visions of sugar plums dancing in your head until you have really taken the time to take a serious survey of your backyard and you can be honest about what size will work well for your putting green installation.

If you are prepared to spend big money to have contracting crews come in and reshape your lawn, then you can likely have about any size green that you can dream up, assuming your backyard is big enough. But for many DIY putting green projects, budget is an issue...so be realistic about what you need and can be happy with.

Spend some time in your backyard and think about what types of putting green shapes will fit without breaking your budget.

You can also check out a panel system that would save a great deal of the labor of the project. TourLinks makes a panel system. You can learn more about TourLinks and their panel system by reading a "before and after" look at a panel system being installed. 

Synthetic Turf for Building Your Own Putting Green.

When you are approaching a project to build your own putting green, you will see that all the companies in the market are not into selling you the turf. Here are 5 companies that will:

• Synthetic Turf International. They sell nylon turf and polypropylene turf.
• All Pro Putting Greens. They have polypropylene turf.
• SYNLawn Golf. Both.
• Mirage Putting Greens International. Both.
• ProGreen International. They have nylon turf.

The majority of the above companies sell both types of synthetic turf, which is great from a total experience perspective. A good rule of thumb is that nylon turf is strictly for putting and some very short distance chipping, while polyproylene turf will have light to heavy in-fill and will accept your wedge shots on up to mid-iron shots.

It all depends on how large your green will be which, of course, factors in from your budget and size of your backyard.

The companies listed here all have been around a while and most give your prices per square foot on their sites...with lots of turf and pricing options.

I'm not an advocate of blind ordering of synthetic turf. Contrary to what some say, all turf has some difference and you really should order samples of any turf you are interested in buying. Always "touch and feel" the synthetic turf before you order. Don't be shy about calling and asking plenty of questions. Here are a few good ones:

Q.  What is your best turf for putting and chipping?
Q.  What is your best turf for 50 yard shots?
Q.  I only want to putt on the turf. What do you recommend?
Q.  How much maintenance is involved with this type of turf?
Q.  I am building a putting green for the first time. How much support do you offer me if I need help during the process?

These, and any other questions that pop in your mind during the call, will help you zero in on the specific type of turf you need and the company you feel will give you the best value and experience.