how to make golf greens greener?

1. Choose a location. Your green should be built on a spot that has sandy soil, plenty of sun and good drainage.
2. Excavate the area of your golf green to a depth of 20 inches (51 cm). ...
3. Design the green. It should have a variety of slopes to challenge you, but ultimately slope away from the center.
4. Install the drainage system in 8-inch (20 cm) trenches to ensure that water will drain away from the center.
5. Put in an irrigation system if necessary. Keep in mind that adequate, even irrigation is the key to keeping turf healthy.
6. Cover the area with a 4-inch (10 cm) layer of pea gravel. ...
Add 2 inches (5 cm) of sand on top of the gravel and compact it.
Top the sand with about 14 inches (35 cm) of topsoil that consists of 60 percent sand and no more than 20 percent clay.
Seed or sod your green. Sodding often results in an uneven green, so seed instead if you have the time and patience to care for the grass until it ...
Mark the edges of your green by sodding the perimeter with rougher grass. ...
Buy your cups, pins and flags from a supplier of golf course equipment. ...

Full Answer

How to make your own golf green?

The next step on how to make your own golf green is to evaluate the condition of the soil. While most soils can be ideal for grass’s roots, the ideal composition should be sandy loam. If the soil features a high clay concentration, the turf would suffer significantly, and wouldn’t grow well to putt.

Why is it important to maintain your golf greens?

Aside from divot repairs and pitch mark repairs, all golf greens become worn when played on and need to be regularly renovated in order to bring the surface back to a suitable quality. This helps to create a dense, smooth and fine sward which makes provides a superior playing surface.

Can I have a golf green in my backyard?

Having your own green in the backyard would make it easier to practice golf in your free time. However, keep in mind that a real one might require constant attention, extensive labor, and a lot of money. From choosing a location and creating a design to purchasing proper materials and tools, there are many steps involved in this process.

How to mow a golf green?

Choosing a pattern- Golf greens are mowed front to back, side to side, left to right and right to left. The left to right and right to left cuts are angle cuts. Envision a square in which you start at the bottom right corner and move to the top left corner. That is known as a right to left and cut and vice versa for a left to right handed cut.

How can I improve my golf green?

The addition of sand, both firms and smooths the green surface allowing for consistent roll and speed. Every spring we apply pre-emergent herbicides in combination with fertilizer to ensure high quality weed-free roughs and green surrounds.

How do I make my grass look like a golf green?

There are four main factors that go into giving your lawn that lush, golf-course look.Mow your lawn properly. Often, people take shortcuts when it comes to mowing their lawn. ... Apply the right fertilizer (at the right times). ... Use the right amount of water (and consider irrigation). ... Stop the weeds dead in their tracks.

How do you make a golf green at home?

Choose a Location and Design. ... Outline the Green and Remove Sod. ... Dig and Prevent Weeds. ... Put the Cups in Place. ... Make the Base for Your DIY Putting Green. ... Pre-Shrink if Needed and Join Sections. ... Install and Cut the Synthetic Turf. ... Secure the Turf.More items...

How can I make my golf greens softer?

To make greens softer The specific things to do are to make the grass grow more, which can be done by increasing the nitrogen (N) fertilizer rate, and adding more water. I think 20% increments of increase are reasonable as a starting point, and one can evaluate the turfgrass response and make further adjustments.

What fertilizer do golf courses use?

What is Golf Course Fertilizer?Nitrogen. The N (nitrogen) of these three nutrients promotes healthy leaf and stem growth. ... Phosphorus. The P (phosphorus) of these three mainly helps grow the stem and the grass. ... Potassium.

How do golf courses stay so green?

Deep roots help the grass stay strong, lush and green. Golf course turf receives adequate nutrients from regular fertilizing. Fertilizers typically contain a balance of potassium and nitrogen, which helps the grass stay strong, even when it's subjected to extreme temperature and heavy traffic.

What is putting green material?

Putting green turf is a low pile artificial grass that allows golf balls to roll true. It is made from durable, synthetic fiber materials like nylon, polyethylene, or polypropylene. It's different from standard turf because it has a lower pile, meaning it's not as thick as the artificial grass on your lawn.

How do you make a golf green sand?

5:1612:12Backyard Putting Green Maintenance - Aerate Sand Reel Mow - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIt can go down in the nutrients will go a little bit deeper. So but i can hit a golf ball acrossMoreIt can go down in the nutrients will go a little bit deeper. So but i can hit a golf ball across this we just double spiked this whole green. And if i just give it a medium tap.

What grass is on putting green?

Grasses are specifically selected for use on putting greens. Bermudagrass, creeping bentgrass and Poa annua are the most commonly managed turfgrasses on putting greens in the United States. A putting green can have more than 10,000 individual plants per square foot.

How do you fertilize a golf green?

1:194:31Webcast: How Fertilization Affects Your Golf Course - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAlthough turf growth is strongly influenced by fertilization over fertilizing especially withMoreAlthough turf growth is strongly influenced by fertilization over fertilizing especially with nitrogen is undesirable because it stimulates the growth of leaves.

How often should golf greens be watered?

every two to three daysIt's better to water “deeply and infrequently,” Cutler says. About a third of an inch every two to three days is a good goal.

What does top dressing do to greens?

Topdressing improves putting greens smoothness, increases firmness and dilutes thatch. Thatch is a layer of dead and living plant material just below the turf surface.

Steps Download Article

Choose a location. Your green should be built on a spot that has sandy soil, plenty of sun and good drainage. The location must also allow for breezes to come through in order to keep the grass healthy.

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What are the key factors affecting green speed?

Figure 1 shows the main aspects that will affect green speed. As you can see, top of the table in importance is the weather, which we have no ability to control.

Environment

We can affect the ability of the greens to dry out by maximising drainage, air movement and light to the surfaces. This is also vital for the general health of your turf.

Firmness is the key

For year-round sustainable pace you need firm, dry surfaces which require good drainage. Very few UK greens have sufficiently high infiltration rates to be able to maintain moisture less than 30% year-round.

Growth rate and density

Less is more when it comes to growth rate and sward density – a dense, green carpet of grass may look attractive to the uneducated eye but it certainly compromises green speed. High growth and density creates more friction or drag on the ball, slowing it down.

Annual meadow-grass (Poa annua)

Most courses are managing an annual meadow-grass (Poa annua) dominated sward with a component of browntop bent in drier greens. Annual meadow-grass has a folded, boat‑shaped leaf which presents more drag on ball roll compared to the flat leaves of bent or the rolled fescue needles.

Mowing and rolling

Last on the list (but often the first to be considered) are mowing and rolling. Regular mowing is required to maintain green speed. If greens remain wet for prolonged periods due to poor drainage and/or sheltered position and shade, then the surfaces will not be suitable for mowing for a large percentage of the autumn to spring period.

Are you making a rod for your own back?

Don’t be tempted to generate speeds above the target. All too often this is the case; greens may be running within the target range and then a further cut or roll is implemented to take values above the target.

Select a Site

No surprise here. If you want a putting green, you’ll need a place to put it. It doesn’t have to be an enormous plot of land — around 1,000 square feet is a manageable size that will still give you plenty of room to roll your rock — but it should be in a place that gets a reasonable amount of sunlight and doesn’t feature any severely steep slopes.

Start Digging

You don’t need to go extremely deep. Around 10 inches will do. You’re basically gouging out what amounts to a shallow bathtub (a cake pan is another way to picture it) that covers the entire footprint of your green. You’ll be filling it in with sand (and a few others things) before you cover it with grass.

Add Some Contour

You’re not trying to replicate the greens at Augusta. But you do want your putting surface to have a little lilt. If the ground doesn’t have any natural contours, you’ll need to add them, and now’s the time.

Install Proper Drainage

Without it, you’ll wind up with a soft and spongy green, prone to disease and no fun to putt on. Four-inch perforated drainage pipe is the industry standard.

Cap it with Sand

And not just any sand. Golf course sand. Sand that drains. Sand that meets United States Golf Association specifications. Any self-respecting home improvement store should be able to provide you with it.

Seed it or Sod It

You could go either way. Sodding is easier in the short run. But in the long term, Werline says, seeding will likely give you better quality turf. What grass varietal you plant will depend largely on where you live; different strains do better in different climates. Consult with a lawn care expert when making a selection.

The Final Touches

Now that you’ve got a green, you’ll want to cut some cups. Buy a hole-puncher (they’re available new and used online, though Werline says it’s worth asking your local golf course to see if they’ll sell you an old one; on golf courses, the standard cup depth is seven inches, but putting greens often have shallower cups).

1. Smoothing things out

Most of the greens at Overton Park were not particularly smooth after sitting out in the elements for a few weeks. There were low spots from rain, bulldozer tracks and windrows over much of the surface. To smooth the dirt as best as possible, we used a box blade pulled behind a tractor.

2. Install drainage

We didn’t put drainage in every green, but we did install it on the 4th, 5th and 6th holes. To install green drainage, we mainly used the herringbone drainage system, which means there are wings that stretch out into different segments of the green. We dug a trench, usually using a trencher, though sometimes with a mini excavator.

3. Adding sand

Now that everything is smooth and drainage installed, we can begin to add sand to the top. At Overton Park, depending on the green, we added three to five inches of sand. But it’s not as simple as just dropping sand on. It’s a process.

4. Floating the green

We did this process with a small machine called a sand pro. It’s basically a small three-wheeled ATV that has a blade on the bottom for smoothing out the sand. Our shaper would ride it around the green, using feel to raise or lower the sand level when needed.

5. Touching up edges

After the sand pro is finished, there might still be a few spots that don’t have quite enough sand around the edges. We used a skid steer to bring over smaller amounts of sand and used large rakes to bring it down to the base of the fairway.

6. Drawing the final lines

As we were preparing to sprig the greens (more on that below), Rob Collins came out to make sure every detail was perfect. This meant making sure there were no dips or slight mounds where there shouldn’t be. This was also when we finalized the grade on the edge of the greens and tried to get it to perfectly match the surrounding grade.

7. Sprigging

We didn’t do the sprigging ourselves; an outside turf company came in. Basically, they wait for us to paint the orange lines, then have several workers go onto the greens with bags of sprigs, which essentially look like grass clippings and roots. This, like sprinkling new seed or laying new sod, is crucial to growing healthy grass.

History of Putting Greens

Up until the middle 1800s, putting greens were simply grass that was shorter due to sheep grazing there longer. Lawnmowers had not been invented yet. Greens were not specially built nor were they planted with specific grasses.

Many Grass Varieties

At that time, golf courses began to use three or four various types of grass seeds on greens. Grass dealers developed specific mixtures which they protected like they were nuclear secrets. But there were good reasons to use several different grass varieties. The soil of each of the 18 different greens on a course varied widely in their quality. Some could hold water well, and others had much more soil than others. Some drained well while others did not. A variety of grass families ensured that no matter what type of soil was on a green, there would be a reasonable consistency of coverage. Also, grasses tend to grow at different speeds and at different times of the year. Different grasses also provide tremendous variance in resistance to a golf ball. This was especially acute if grass is a little longer, as the variances become more pronounced. This was a challenge because golfers desired to have a putting surface that provided a consistent roll of the ball. That’s when greens keepers began to employ shorter grass lengths. However, shorter grass presented a number of new challenges. Shorter grass was severely affected by heat and humidity. This required more frequent sowing of fresh seeds, more maintenance of soil conditions and considerably more watering..

Large Hydroponic Systems

Today, science has advanced considerably in the construction of greens. A modern green is really a large hydroponic system. Construction starts with digging a hole the size of the green between 12 and 16 inches deep. This hole is lined with a layer of plastic and then covered with gravel. Drainage channels and sand are added. Specialists then contour the surface to ensure rainwater runs off quickly and evenly, leaving no puddles behind. All of this must be built in an area with lots of sunlight and free flow of air. Once in the right grass seed is selected, the green needs lots of water and nutrients. These days, greens keepers also use: -Fungicides that keep diseases from overtaking the grass. -Pesticides to prevent damage from invading insects. -A number of different herbicides to kill weeds. After the green has flourished, maintenance is key. The green must be mowed every day with a special mower. Workers must water and fertilize it constantly, adding the right mix of the above chemicals and aerating it on a regular basis..

Demand For Faster Golf Greens

Over the years, there has been an increasingly louder demand for lightning fast greens. Unfortunately, this puts a lot of pressure on greenskeepers and golf architects. The easiest way to increase speed on a green is to make the individual blades of grass shorter, but not all grasses can handle being cut so close to the earth. For many years, the mowing height for an average golf green was about 0.125 inches, with a Stimpmeter rating around 8 feet. For a variety of reasons, many golfers have asked for fast greens, and club superintendents are stretching the boundaries of good putting greens maintenance and construction in order to meet the demand. Grass heights have lowered to around 0.100 inches which provides a Stimpmeter rating of around 10 feet. Another challenge in maintaining grass growth is that fertility formulas have changed over time. Several superintendents have reduced nitrogen levels to slow the growth rate of the grass..

Types of Grass

Today’s courses use Bermuda grass or bentgrass.

Why use real grass at all?

All of this effort put into golf green turf maintenance and care brings up an interesting question: why use real grass at all? With today’s modern artificial surfaces, wouldn’t it be easier to install artificial turf on golf greens and avoid all of the problems surrounding grass varieties, fungicides, insecticides and other aspects of putting greens maintenance. It’s an interesting proposition, but artificial surfaces are still fairly expensive. They also can have several problems with algae, which means workers still need to spray them. They also heat up rapidly, so a cooling system of some kind would need to be installed to keep the green at reasonable temperatures..

Special Mowers

To keep the grass so short on greens, special mowers are used.