How to Design the Perfect Backyard Putting Green for Your Home in Monterey
For golfers in Monterey, having your own putting green right outside your back door provides the ultimate convenience for practicing your short game anytime. But how do you customize a backyard putting green that truly enhances your skills?
There are several key factors to consider that will determine how realistic and useful your personal putting green will be for improving your strokes. By carefully planning out these elements, you can create the ideal putting green for your available space that replicates the feel of real greens.
Determine the Right Amount of Space
The first step is to measure your backyard to find the largest flat, unobstructed area possible. A minimum of 200 square feet is recommended, but more space allows you to add interesting contours and multiple holes. Consider how the space will be oriented – north-to-south putts are ideal as you’ll never be putting directly into the sun.
Also account for a few feet of clearance on all sides to allow room to walk around the perimeter without obstructing putts. Determine what shape will maximize use of your space, whether rectangular, square or more creative free-form shapes. Knowing the dimensions of your available space will inform all other aspects of your design.
Add Slopes and Undulations
One of the keys to making your putting green play like a real green is plenty of subtle movement in the turf. Unless you’re blessed with a perfectly flat yard, you’ll need to grade and shape the area to create those coveted slopes and undulations.
A 2-3% grade from back to front is ideal, which over a 25 foot putt equals about a 5 inch drop. Also consider side-to-side breaks of 1-2% grade over shorter distances. The turf should be gently rolling rather than dramatically hilly. Professional installation experts can shape the subsurface and base layers to achieve this gradual contouring.
Design Multiple Hole Locations
Varying the pin placements is crucial to improving your reading skills on the greens, not just dialing in straight putts. At minimum, allow for four potential hole locations, ideally six to eight if space permits. Holes should be positioned at different distances and along various points and ridges in the turf to provide a mix of straight, breaking, and uphill/downhill putts.
Cutouts for the cups can be permanently installed, or cup cutters used to create temporary holes during practice. Marking the possible pin placements with colored spray paint makes it easy to rotate between them during practice sessions.
Select the Best Artificial Turf
Choosing the right turf is critical for mimicking the speed and feel of real bentgrass or Bermuda greens. Look for synthetic putting green turfs with a tight, low pile that allow the ball to smoothly roll rather than hop. The turf should have some grain to indicate breaks and vary direction just as natural turf does.
The best options use curly, thin grass blades woven on a perforated backing to provide thatch-like texture. Opt for turf made from polyethylene or nylon fibers for durability and to retain shape. Heavier 40-50 ounce face weight is ideal for stability. A turf specifically designed for putting greens will provide the speed, consistency and playability you need.
Book a FREE Design Consultation
Need help with your putting green design? Our experienced team can help analyze the issues with your current plans, whether it’s lack of contour, unrealistic turf or poor drainage. We can then recommend solutions to transform it into your dream practice space.
Our synthetic grass experts can handle any putting green project, large or small. For questions or to schedule a free design consultation for your project, contact Monterey Artificial Grass at 408-723-4954 today!