Building a Backyard Putting Green

Many acreage owners are installing putting greens on their land. Some do it to have fun with family and friends, while others want to keep up on their short-game competitive advantage.

Leo Melanson is the owner of a putting green company. He says greens need to be in a location that's above ground level with good drainage. The size is up to you.

"A typical golf course green could be anywhere from 3,000 square feet to 12,000 square feet. We typically find most backyard greens are about 1,000 square feet," he says. "It's big enough to get some practice on and get have some variety of shots, but not too big of a project that it's more labor for you to care for the green."

There are two surface choices: natural bent grass or artificial turf. Bent grass has a lot of aesthetic beauty, but when it needs trimming the old push mower in the shed is not going to cut it. Literally. Bent grass should be maintained with a professional mower.

Artificial turf is quick to install and requires no maintenance, but it's a lot more expensive. Melanson says plan on about $1 per square foot for a bent grass green, and several thousand dollars total for artificial turf.

"There are lots of different options with the artificials," Melanson says. "You can buy kits to do it yourself, you can have contractors install them, or can do a combination of the two. As far as a real green goes, there are really two options: you can plant it from seed, which is very inexpensive, or you can buy sod from a grass farm that sells the correct type of turfgrass for your area."

You'll need to cut a hole in the green for the cup and the flag. If you plan to make full shots at the green, you'll want a regulation-sized flag. For just putting around, a smaller flag will do.