DIY Golf Green

[Tom the Golf Nut]

Tom the Golf Nut here for another DIY adventure.

I decided to document my attempt to put in a real grass golf green. I’m doing this as a challenge for myself. Can I really get a grass golf green to take and be able to chip and putt as close to real course conditions as possible. Part of the challenge is to do things as inexpensive as possible. Just because that was how I was brought up and it really gets me thinking on how I can accomplish something to show others that you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to accomplish what you want with a little research and hard work. I hope you enjoy the journey. 

First was to scope out the different sides of the property to find just the right spot. Away from normal yard traffic and hopefully a place that the dog doesn’t get into and dig a hole.  I also want to be hitting away from the house just in case a visitor gets a little carried away. By choosing this location I can chip to the green from three different angles. This will also let the yard heal some if I don’t use a mat. I tested the soil for drainage to see how much aeration I would need to do and to see if I had to add inches of sand. I had to move a fence post for an unrelated project and dig a new hole. So, the soil to sand content was fantastic. Luckily, I live in the sand belt of NC so drainage wasn’t a problem. I think this will be the spot. It has a decent amount of sunlight as well.  I did a border using pinecones and kept on moving them around until I got the result I was looking for. 

 

The next thing I did was layout the shape and inspect from different angles in the yard to confirm my decision. You can see by the amount of 8’ fence sections that this is actually a decent size.  Then I took out the zero turn mower and brought the existing grass area down to 1”. Now I can see the low spots. I also de-thatched the area raking it by hand in several directions.

 

Next step was all research.

1)      What type of fertilizer?

2)      What manual reel mower to purchase?

3)      What type of seed or turf?

4)      Where to get top dressing sand and leveling sand.

5)      Will the grass I use conflict with the rest of the property’s grass?

 

                I decided on a Bio Advanced 5 in1 fertilizer which kills existing weeds, prevents new weeds, kills crabgrass, and prevents new crabgrass and also greens up the grass. Normally $62.00 for 10,000 sq/ft on sale for $32.00. I want to fertilize other areas as well. The green will be 1000 sq feet.

                 

For the mower I decided on an FDW reel mower for several reasons. It was available shipped from Walmart. It had a full roller in the back. It had the lowest standard mowing height of everything I looked at. Its low setting is .48 inches where most others started at 1” to 1-1/2”. And finally, there is room to add extra holes to lower the cutting deck even further. It also had a grass catcher. $69.97

The harder part was the grass itself. After discussions with golf course superintendents, golf pros and hours of internet research I was steered away from Creeping Bent grass varieties.  I’m going with Bermuda. Now it got worse. Most Bermuda strains for putting surfaces are sod only. At between 50 and 65 cents per square foot and adding in shipping I was getting upward of $750.00 plus laying all the sod. But I continued on in my search and came across a variety called Yukon Bermuda. This is intended for home putting greens and comes in seed form. It can be mowed down to 1/8-inch, traffic tolerant and 

had all the benefits of somewhat lower maintenance. Yukon Bermuda grass seed. 2 lbs for $39.99 will cover 1000 sq feet. This will also grow and choke out any other grasses. I didn't have to get down to dirt this way. 

I also found out that the rest of the property has centipede grass which does not like a lot of nitrogen. But Bermuda does. So, I have to be careful and only fertilize with the Bio Advanced on the green area. So much for wanting to fertilize other areas with this compound. But I’ll have plenty for the next few seasons. You only need 2 pounds per 1000 sq feet twice a year.

The leveling sand and top-dressing material were becoming an issue as well. No local deliveries and buying sandbags at over $5.68 per 50 lb bag was not going to cut it. For 1000 square feet I was looking at around 40 bags give or take. Plus, I want to fix other areas in the yard as well. I decided to ask my Country Club where they get theirs and the said they brought it up from South Carolina. Then he asked why and I told him about my project. He said they had three dump truck deliveries of sand and leveling fill that they never used and has been sitting there for two years. Someone donated it. It wasn’t what they normally use so it was just sitting there. Chip (great name for a golf pro by the way.) told me to help yourself to all you want. Thank you, Scotch Meadows Country Club.      Sand, Free.

 

Now off to Lowes to pick up empty sand bags. $17.00 for 25 bags.

I took the reel mower and brought the green area down to ½” and I’m ready to fertilize and then add leveling sand. 

                Filling up the sand bags and getting them home was not much fun but I had some help.

 

I got about 14 bags in the trunk before the tire started disappearing in the wheel well of the car. We will see how far 14 bags gets me. I can always get more. Since it is really not that uneven, I might be able to get away with it.

 

Spreading the sand and leveling was a chore as well, but I devised a DIY leveling rake out of a length of wire closet shelf and an old pole sander I had in the garage. This plus some large push brooms and a 6 foot level got the job done.  Tools existing or built from stuff in the shed. $ 0

 

14 bags didn’t cut it. Back out to get more. I’ll probably do another 14 but looks like I will only need 5 or 6. Better safe than sorry. I added in the fertilizer after the first load of leveling sand. That should help it get down into the soil. Then the next load of sand was spread on top. I left some undulations because my last two synthetic greens at previous houses were mostly flat. Frankly it got boring. This will add more challenge. Well I was wrong again I actually used 13 of the 14 sand bags. 

 

Amazing, I picked an area that was pretty flat, decent sun and I still put down 1,400 pounds of sand.  I used the home-made leveling tool for most of it then used a stiff broom to work it in and brush off any pebbles. Then a little water to get things down into the area well. Everything I’m reading said I need to wait until the soil temperature is around 65 degrees before seeding. The green is ready for seed. Now it’s just a matter of time before I can seed. Once seeded I will lightly rake it in.

For me this is the worst part of the project. I am impatient I want to get it done now. Heck I’m expecting the grass to grow, and the seed wasn’t delivered yet. LOL.

So, while we are waiting let's add up the expenses so far.

                Fertilizer, $32.00

                Sandbags, $17.00

                Leveling sand, $0

                Tools, existing or homemade, $0

                Yukon Bermuda seed, $39.99

                Manual reel mower $69.97

                Labor $0

                  Total to date $158.96

Compared to the cost of the synthetic ones I installed myself at other houses I lived in which ran over $2,000 in material, this was a no brainer. I shouldn’t jump to conclusions because we don’t know how this will turn out. Other than this obviously costing less to try, I know that the green will not compact like sand filled synthetic did. They got so hard that a ball would bounce off it like a rubber ball on a pool table.  What’s the worst thing that could happen?  I just have a different color lawn in that section. But it will be pretty!

While I’m waiting, I am now going to find a way to build my own hole cutting device. You have to change the hole locations right! That was another disadvantage of synthetic greens. Once the hole is in its done. I'll let you know what I come up with.  I also will modify the reel mower to get it down to 1/4 inch and possibly 1/8". 

I will add in the seeding once the soil temperature reaches 65 degrees but then it's up to Mother Nature to get this green growing. 

 

[null]

Awesome project. I always say I’ll do this when my boys get older. Part of is it because I really love lawn care so it would check the box on two of my favorite hobbies

[Triple_Putt]

Awesome project. Can’t wait to see it shape up, you’re off to a great start! Jealous as my entire property is one long hill I could never even think about doing something like this 

[Kansas King]

Great job! Looking forward to updates on this!

[GolfSpy MPR]

First step here: after choosing where I want the green, clear off all of the accumulated snow.

I'm a bit jealous, but also eager to follow your progress here.

[Tom the Golf Nut]

2 hours ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

First step here: after choosing where I want the green, clear off all of the accumulated snow.

It’s not snow. It’s insulation for your potential golf green location. 

[Dweed]

Nice, double nice actually. Will be fun to follow the process. Don't forget to get the soil checked for acid content. With that pine so close it may impact the Bermuda a bit. If MPR could ship down some of that snow from the UP that would help compress and level...but may also keep the soil cooler for a while. Never mind. Good luck and have fun.

[sirchunksalot]

Looking good so far, Tom! Looks like Ace is taking an interest in the area. I can't imagine you getting each of those loads of sand in your car, but then again, it does have a sizeable trunk. I love how well it looks to be starting out and I can't wait to see how the progress goes. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

8 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

Looking good so far, Tom! Looks like Ace is taking an interest in the area. I can't imagine you getting each of those loads of sand in your car, but then again, it does have a sizeable trunk. I love how well it looks to be starting out and I can't wait to see how the progress goes. 

Ace enjoys destroying pine cones. He came in to sneak off with one. I can’t wait for the soil temperature to get where it needs to be. I have to work on my patience. 

[sirchunksalot]

6 minutes ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

Ace enjoys destroying pine cones. He came in to sneak off with one. I can’t wait for the soil temperature to get where it needs to be. I have to work on my patience. 

It's hard sometimes to wait, especially when there's something you're excited about. Warmer weather is coming...at least that's what they tell me.

I'm glad Ace seems to be enjoying his new home. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

1 minute ago, sirchunksalot said:

It's hard sometimes to wait, especially when there's something you're excited about. Warmer weather is coming...at least that's what they tell me.

I'm glad Ace seems to be enjoying his new home. 

Ace loves it. Free run of everything. The property is fenced in so he can run his butt off and chase squirrels several times a day. Truthfully, he is one of the smartest dogs I ever had.

[EasyPutter]

Always enjoy seeing and reading about your backyard greens and ability to chip on them, awesome way to practice your short game that is the strength of my game. 

This project looks awesome, and like the winter, it seems to last a long time now but roll the calendar forward a few months and all the waiting will be mostly forgotten. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

I just got notification that the seed is out for delivery.

[Tom the Golf Nut]

The seed delivered last Saturday. Today it was 80 and sunny and next week is all up in the 70's. I seeded today and raked it in. Then spent some time watering. And away we go.. Grow baby, grow. 

[Triple_Putt]

Looking forward to seeing it grow in, Tom!

[ChitownM2]

I hope this turns out well.  This would be amazing to do in my yard but I have a feeling that leveling out even a small area would be more work than I'm willing to put in...

[ChitownM2]

Curious as to what the realistic timeline is for the grass to come in?  In my mind I'm picturing this as something that will take the whole season for the grass to come in / spread and fully choke out the old stuff and get you to a putting surface that you can actually use.  Although I bet the old stuff will die off pretty quickly once you mow the new stuff the first time.  Not familiar with the grass you have in your yard, but most types won't tolerate being cut down to 1/4".

[Tom the Golf Nut]

On 3/24/2023 at 11:08 AM, ChitownM2 said:

Curious as to what the realistic timeline is for the grass to come in?  In my mind I'm picturing this as something that will take the whole season for the grass to come in / spread and fully choke out the old stuff and get you to a putting surface that you can actually use.  Although I bet the old stuff will die off pretty quickly once you mow the new stuff the first time.  Not familiar with the grass you have in your yard, but most types won't tolerate being cut down to 1/4".

The manufacturer is claiming 5 to 7 days to sprout. The existing grass was centipede grass. It does not tolerate short cutting so so expect it to die off or get choked out in a month or two. Then I’m going to add a growth regulator. This limits upward growth and increases density. That will kill off anything left.

I did purchase enough seed that I can over seed if necessary. I believe this is a longer term project. It might take all season but you never know.

[Tom the Golf Nut]

While I'm waiting for the grass to grow, I thought I would investigate the reel mower and make any necessary modifications.

The first thing I found was the cutting blade reels were not making contact across the entire surface of the cut bar. Some quick adjustments on one side had me cutting paper across the entire surface.  Problem one solved. 

The second thing I wanted to do was to see if I could add another hole lowering the unit from its lowest position of .48 inches to around .25 inches" 

I had enough room to do this (that is why I selected this model) but then I realized that if I just left the roller out of the hole completely it lowered the unit right down to the skid plate and cutting bar. Which just happened to be a 1/4 inch thick with a rolled-up edge to prevent digging. I'll try this out in a test area to see if I need to do anything or not. But peace of mind will want me to add the hole, so the roller is making contact with something to prevent digging. But we will see how it goes. 

[fixyurdivot]

Cool project Tom!  It's been fun following your "Red Green" like projects.  I particularly like the leveling rake - a classic .

[Tom the Golf Nut]

Mother Nature has been doing her thing.  We have growth!

I did gently rake out all those browns things that fell off the pine trees after the photo. We had some winds Saturday and covered the neighborhood with those. Looks like this will be a long-term project. I don't know how long it take to get dense. I followed the manufacturer's directions for the amount of seed to use for the size of the area. I'll just have to wait and see how it grows. 

[CFreddie]

I’m in awe of this work - following this thread for more ideas to (hopefully) do this in the future!

[DStar]

Great project, Tom. Looking forward to seeing how it progresses

I've eyed up an area in my garden to do something similar when the kids don't use their swings anymore as the wife suggested I could go back to lawn - might just be a really short cut lawn  

[Bogey_Maika]

This is great Tom, Can't wait to see how this turns out!

To protect the seed from animals/tree droppings and help germination, you can use a germination blanket. It helps by creating a greenhouse effect and protecting it from outside weather/animals/etc. Most sports fields use this method. I've used thin weed barrier before after but I'm sure you can find more info online. Just a thought.

[Dweed]

Any updates Tom?

[Tom the Golf Nut]

52 minutes ago, Dweed said:

Any updates Tom?

I’ll take a picture tomorrow. It’s starting to fill in but there are still some spots that are not. I’m just letting it do it’s thing for now. It’s getting watered daily with the in-ground sprinklers (that I didn’t even know were there) once I turned the system on.

I figured out why they gave me all the sand I wanted. It was river sand and it compacts a bit. I have to airate that area and then get some topsoil on it and order more seed. But really it isn’t looking that bad. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

This is what it looks like so far.

There still is a lot of filling in that needs to happen. But at least it’s doing something. This is cut at .4 inches. If I bring it down to 1/4 it will really show how much filling in needs to happen. You actually putt on the tips of the grass as you can see the blades are laying over making it look fuller than what it is. When I started the project there was a very good amount of sun. But now that everything is full with leaves there is more shade than sun. All greens need full sun or as much as possible. Time will tell if this is worth it or not. But unfortunately this is the best location for a green. Worst case is I have a chip to location. Probably the best scenario is I go artificial again. I just really didn’t want to get into that again. Plus with tall pines around the sap dripping onto artificial turf could be a problem.

[JohnSmalls]

On 5/20/2023 at 8:23 PM, Tom the Golf Nut said:

This is what it looks like so far.

There still is a lot of filling in that needs to happen. But at least it’s doing something. This is cut at .4 inches. If I bring it down to 1/4 it will really show how much filling in needs to happen. You actually putt on the tips of the grass as you can see the blades are laying over making it look fuller than what it is. When I started the project there was a very good amount of sun. But now that everything is full with leaves there is more shade than sun. All greens need full sun or as much as possible. Time will tell if this is worth it or not. But unfortunately this is the best location for a green. Worst case is I have a chip to location. Probably the best scenario is I go artificial again. I just really didn’t want to get into that again. Plus with tall pines around the sap dripping onto artificial turf could be a problem.

Tom, how's the reel mower and the height adjustment you talked about in an earlier post working?

[Tom the Golf Nut]

1 hour ago, JohnSmalls said:

Tom, how's the reel mower and the height adjustment you talked about in an earlier post working?

Actually, the reel mower is working just fine. I didn't have to add an extra hole. I just pull the pins let the rollers go past the last hole and it rides on the guard. I was going to still add the hole, but the grass is the problem. Turns out I had too much shade in the only really good area for the green. The original centipede grass took over everything I did. The grass looks great but it's the wrong grass and it can't be putted on even if it is cut low. There is also a pecan tree nearby. The squirrels keep dropping the shells on the green area. So, you have to hand pick the pieces or it jams up the reel mower. I'm just going to sink a cup in the area and use it for chipping practice. Then just mow it to an inch with my zero turn. 

The reel mower is still used for inside the pool area though. My big mower won't fit through the gate. 

Decision time will be next spring. I found a local sod company that has putting green turf. I will have to dig up everything level and sod it. But the shade and nuts still remain an issue. Option 2 is synthetic again. Kind of over that. Option 3 just go to the golf course that I'm a member at. 

I did seed with regular bermuda seed in a different area on the other side of the house that had bare spots and lots of shade as well and it is taking off and taking over the centipede grass. Maybe I just had some bad Yukon Bermuda seed or started planting to early?