Backyard putting greens give homeowners in Sacramento, CA, unrestricted access to their favorite game, as they can simply step outside for a few hours of putt-putt. However, to truly make the most of your at-home short game practice, a realistic gameplay experience is essential. This article provides a step-by-step guide for designing artificial turf putting greens that mimic the conditions of a professional golf course!
Select the Proper Size
Every landscape is a different size, so your custom putting green will have unique design possibilities. However, even the smallest yards can enjoy a dynamic putting green if they utilize their space strategically.
The minimum recommended dimensions for a professional-grade course are 10 feet wide by 25 feet long. This ensures you can enjoy dynamic gameplay with sufficiently satisfying challenges in ball control and gameplay tactics. However, the versatility of artificial grass allows you to create a custom putting green with lawns of any size. Working with the recommended dimensions as a starting point, adjust them to suit your lawn’s available space and design preferences.
Design a Versatile Layout
You could keep things simple with a straightforward, rectangular putting green and smooth course toward the hole. However, this doesn’t offer as satisfying a gameplay experience as a professional course. Instead, you can mimic the challenge of PGA-quality greens by introducing hills, contours, corners, gradients, and other rough borders.
Designing a versatile backyard putting green layout will challenge your ability to read greens, line up putts, control pace, and strategize. You can also create a course that caters to varied skill levels, with kid-friendly putting mats next to complex adult courses.
Vary the Hole Placement
The significance of this principle is very similar to that of versatile layouts. By varying hole placement, you’ll prevent gameplay from becoming too predictable, which minimizes player satisfaction. When designing a synthetic grass putting green, we recommend placing at least three holes at different distances or near obstacles.
Some strategic hole positions include an inch or two beside rough borders, forcing players to be extra careful with their ball control. This feature varies gameplay by introducing the opportunity to practice chipping out of the rough. You can also place holes near the edge of gradients or hills to challenge ball control and strategizing.
Set a Pro-Level Green Speed
“Green speed” refers to the speed at which your ball rolls across the surface of the green. This impacts the gameplay experience and is crucial for accurately mimicking a professional golf course. We recommend a stimp speed of 10-11 for a realistic putting experience on synthetic turf.
You can adjust the green speed using turf infill, which holds synthetic grass fibers upright and keeps them sturdy, supporting a smooth ball roll. You can also adjust by brushing your backyard putting green turf with or against the grain. Brushing against the grain will make the artificial turf fibers more upright, creating a more resistant surface that slows ball roll.
Leverage Diverse Terrain Elements
Mix up the texture of your terrain to vary the playing experience. For example, you can design one section with a shorter pile height and faster stimp speed and another section with longer fibers that slow ball roll. Diverse synthetic turf products from premium suppliers give installers access to different blade textures and lengths. Leverage this variety to create a one-of-a-kind course that players can enjoy endlessly!
Another strategy is designing with the available terrain in mind. Does your landscape alter its elevation or feature trees, bushes, and gardens? Weave your custom putting green through these terrain features to create a dynamic and beautiful course that seamlessly blends with your property, elevating its curb appeal and mimicking the luxury of a professional course.
Realistic Synthetic Turf for Luxury Putting Greens
The country club isn’t the only place to enjoy your favorite game. If you want to elevate your home or commercial property with a custom putting green, SGW Sacramento can help. We provide streamlined access to the best synthetic grass products on the market! Our specialists can assist with design, offer tailored product recommendations, and even recommend local installers to complete the job flawlessly. Call SGW Sacramento at 916.797.0682 or contact us online to find an SGW warehouse near you!
