Why we chose Synthetic Turf over Real Grass for our PUTTING GREEN

This week we go over all the reasons why we chose synthetic turf over real grass for our putting green. There were multiple factors but it ultimately came down to maintenance, cost, and equipment. Our DIY putting green has been a major addition to our dream golf homestead and we also give a full cost breakdown of the build.
Turf Purchased:
turffactorydir...
DIY Putting Green Build
• DIY Putting Green Build

[@blueterrace]

Me and my son did something similar but we live in town with a small backyard. We poured 26’ x 17’ wide concrete pad , 3 cup holes . Then covered it green indoor outdoor carpet. It really has helped my putting. Especially on fast greens . Plus it was fun.

[@UnderParAcres]

That’s awesome! It’s so much fun! We have putting contests just about every night now!!

[@1slippy]

I was thinking of doing this same way with concrete

[@wb7887]

Yup. This makes complete sense. I saw your first video and that was my first question but it wasn’t until you mentioned maintenance.. then it allllllllll made sense. Looks great.

[@UnderParAcres]

It’s really nice to use it every evening and not have to spend any time maintaining it!

[@richf_tropical_garden_projects]

looking amazing! would love a full scale course like this! i can only practice short chips and putts on my backyard course at the moment.

[@UnderParAcres]

Your backyard is looking solid!!

[@richf_tropical_garden_projects]

@@UnderParAcres thank you I'd trade it for a bigger course haha! Dunno what I would do if I had the land you had haha! Prob an 36 hole mega mini golf course and pitch and putt 🤔😂🤷‍♂️💪 defo tuned in for the masters!

[@emungai]

Team grass here. I bet you'll get more views with the real stuff. But still enjoying the content.

[@UnderParAcres]

🤣🤣 I’m going to build a grass green at some point for sure! My plan is to slowly start accumulating better equipment to be able to cut fairways and greens! Thanks for following!!

[@matthewcraig7925]

How’s it handle chips with divots? Best diy green on KZbin imo 👍🏻

[@UnderParAcres]

Thank you!! Handles well. It won’t hold chips from too far out but doesn’t make any marks on the green if I land a wedge on it.

[@tjones8994]

Your green looks awesome! I am planning to do something similar in my back yard and thats how i found your channel! Where did you purchase the 30/50 silica sand? Im having a hard time locating it. Thanks!

[@UnderParAcres]

Thanks! I got my infill from a company called XGrass. Website below. They knew exactly what type of sand I needed based on the turf as well as how much I needed. Good luck! www.xgrass.com/synthetic-turf-infill.html

[@alexdalziel6099]

Apologies in advance if you’ve ‘covered’ this question before but have you looked into buying or making covers for the holes that aren’t in play as a way to change the pin location?

[@UnderParAcres]

I have thought about it, but since we primarily use this for putting it’s not really needed. If I ever build a bigger green I’ll likely make extra hole locations and get a few of those covers.

[@1slippy]

Curious why you went with shallow cups? Also do you have any tee boxes set up so you can play this as a par 3? Will the turf handle divots from 100yrd shots?

[@UnderParAcres]

I went with 4 inch cups, but definitely wish I had gone with 6 inch! The turf doesn't make divots on long shots, but it's like landing on concrete. I've got a tee box set up for sure! If you go to our playlists, you can see all the tee boxes we built.

[@stevethorne4978]

Hi great information! What turf did you go with? I see the company has a few to choose from. Thanks

[@UnderParAcres]

I went with the Birdie Putt Elite and have been very pleased with it!

[@edwinveal8248]

Looking good! i have a question or two. did you say for your base you used 3/4 clear crush or just 3/4 road base? and once you was done did you just used play sand or crusher fines ?

[@UnderParAcres]

To be honest, I’m not sure the exact base, I just know it was a crush and run mix. For the sand, I used a very light coating of paver sand first to and compacted it with the plate compactor, the. I did an even finer layer of playground sand and used a roller to compact it so it would be smooth.

[@edwinveal8248]

@@UnderParAcres thank you !

[@iangrogan5261]

Not sure what your plan is for fairway mowing but I think you could either find a set of pull behind gang reel mowers for a good price, or buy some Fiskars stay sharp reel mowers and diy your own gang reel set to pull behind your gator.

[@UnderParAcres]

I’ve got lots of long term ideas, but a lot of work to get there. Before I can get a new mower that cuts lower though, I have to get rid of the rocks! The field is covered in small rocks and I have to figure out the best way to solve that problem before I get serious about mowing fairway length. It’s probably going to take a lot of raking, along with a lot of loads of sand/topsoil mix…

[@justforefungolf1416]

How far of pitch/chip shots do you hit onto your green?? I've got about 40-50 yards I could work with in my back yard but am afraid they'd just bounce off.

[@UnderParAcres]

I can hold up to about 30 yards with a perfectly hit spinner. After that I have to hit bump and runs into it.

[@chuckhouck1485]

I'm building a similar size green in my lower yard. I already dug out all the grass and a lot of the roots as best as I can. I live in Florida and my ground is sand so I was wondering, could I just compact it down and just lay the turf on top of that without doing the gravel then sand? I noticed that you did not lay down a weed barrier, would that be optional?

[@UnderParAcres]

I'm not sure if natural sand would work or not you should probably check with a pro about that. I'm guessing you would need to be sure to have solid drainage set up underneath first. Any deterioration of the base over would ruin the green. I did not do a weed barrier because I used about 6-10 inches of crushed gravel sub-base and so far I have not had any issues. If you went just with sand though, the weed barrier would likely be needed.

[@GW._.]

If you had more time on your hands and in a position to buy the necessary equipment would you change to a real green?

[@UnderParAcres]

I definitely plan to build a real green out here one day! I’ll likely do it over where our driving range is located. I’m hoping to start accumulating the equipment needed to mow fairways and greens over the next few years. Building a real green is a big wish list project for me though!

[@Jsalley005]

Really looks amazing. Any plans to expand the green?

[@UnderParAcres]

I built it with the ability to expand. If facing the green, I could build out the right side. Something I will likely do at some point down the road…

[@bwubwu]

How do you mow the supposedly fringe part? do you run the mower on the turf?

[@UnderParAcres]

I can use the reel mower over the edge because the front stipe bar prevents the blade from touching the ground.

[@samwillis1798]

Would you recommend silica sand for a small (4x14) indoor putting green to increase speed or no?

[@UnderParAcres]

I wouldn't go with silica sand, but you could potentially use envirofil. That's the synthetic sand that is green in color. The problem with using real sand is that you are going to track it all through your house. Honestly though, the same is going to happen with envirofil, so I would look at getting a specific indoor synthetic turf that doesn't require infill. I built a previous green with a turf from www.turffactorydirect.com that did not require infill and it rolled very true and very quick! I'd go that route if it's not too late.

[@samwillis1798]

@@UnderParAcres thank you so much!!

[@pjcrumptube]

Which model of putting green from turf factory direct did you use?

[@UnderParAcres]

I used Birdie Putt Elite. Very pleased with it! A year and a half later it still rolls the same as when brand new and requires bare minimal maintenance!

[@ryanreeves5441]

How does the ball do if chip into it or hit into it like a par 3? Does the ball bounce hard or does it land soft like a true green?

[@UnderParAcres]

I can hold pitch shots up to 30 yards with a perfect soft spinner, but anything further than 30 yards it’s like landing on concrete…

[@hickorydragon8114]

What turf did you go with? Oh I see in the description. Birdie putt Elite.

[@UnderParAcres]

Yeah, Birdie Putt Elite. I’ve been very pleased with it so far and am now two years in.

[@lucasthoburn]

bro should be on tour

[@caseskidsteer1]

Not completely true about cost of green mower. I bought my first green mower for 250. I just bought 2 more for 500. I now have three for under 1k. Shop smart...

[@UnderParAcres]

Yeah- I figure I could find something used for cheaper. Question though, do you think it would work to maintain a green at championship level? If I built a real green I would want it rolling in the 10.5 - 11 range on a regular basis. I have zero experience with cutting greens so I definitely plan to learn before taking it on. Thanks!

[@caseskidsteer1]

@Under Par Acres first off not saying your turf is bad. I like it. Only saying they are out there. Yes you can do it if you put the time in. Mine are faster than August at times. Actually not fair. It depends on cut height, moisture, etc. I had zero experience and my greens are better than local golf club. It is addictive...

[@caseskidsteer1]

Also I used my mountain dirt. Screened it. Not stone or drainage uner it. I have very sandy mountain soil. Just was full of rocks. I made a screen for tractor wagon. My buddies helped. My course is on backyard greens. It's called Zagusta

[@caseskidsteer1]

@@UnderParAcres from Central PA