BYLINE: Lynn Underwood
CREDITLINE: Star Tribune
HEADLINE: Back-yard golf greens are right on
par
The lush green
turf in a back-yard golf green may be artificial,
but the scenic landscaping possibilities are
real.
That's what sold Mary Beth Snyder on the idea.
When her husband, Ron, an avid golfer, proposed
a home golf green, Mary Beth wanted to find
out more. The Snyders worked with Mark Prince,
owner of Golf Landscapes and Switzer's Nursery
to design a 700-square-foot golf green, tee
box (for chipping) and sand trap that also would
enhance their small lot.
Over time, they added perennials, shrubbery,
a patio, boulder wall and pine trees for privacy
around the miniature green for a back-to-nature
effect. Now Ron and children can practice putting
a few steps out the door whenever they want.
And Mary Beth considers the wooded golf green
in their Apple Valley back yard a hidden oasis.
"Every year it gets more beautiful,"
said Mary Beth, who sometimes uses the green
to tap in a few balls. "It looks so real,
and when we have a mild winter, it's nice to
look out back and see green."
In March, Ron and his son even shoveled off
the green so they could practice chipping and
putting.
"We gave up a kids' playground for this,"
said Ron, who regards the golf green as "our
taste of Augusta," referring to Augusta,
Ga., where the Masters Tournament is played.
Back yard golf greens will never duplicate the
front nine on a real course, but they're right
on par when it comes to honing your short game.
Golf pro
Prince of Golf Landscapes also had a growing
family and couldn't play golf as often as he'd
like. If he wanted a practice golf course in
his back yard, he reasoned, other avid golfers
would want one, too.
"This business had everything that was
me -- it was about golf and it used my landscape,
sales and marketing background," Prince
said. His Chanhassen company also has been successful
selling the nontraditional landscape aspect
of a back yard golf green.
Prince researched the different synthetic putting
green systems because he knew natural grass
wasn't practical for the average homeowner because
it required too much maintenance. In the mid
1990s, synthetic turf was introduced as an alternative
to grass putting greens. In 1997, Prince installed
his first project in his back yard -- a 425-square-foot
putting green with five holes and a tee box.
Golf Landscapes evolved into a full-time business.
Last year Prince put in 50 greens, which makes
it 180 surfaces completed since the company's
inception. The jobs range from 200-square-foot
putting greens tucked into small city lots,
to five-hole courses in large suburban yards,
to a 3,300-square-foot course with two sand
traps, nine tee boxes and holes on a Hudson
Wis., property.
Prince's turf of choice is the SofTrak system
by United Turf Industries because of how well
it simulates a natural golf course putting green.
It's among a crop of new synthetic greens available
in an industry that's growing fastest in the
Western and Southern states.
The in-filled synthetic green is a combination
of fiber and sand and looks and performs like
real bent grass greens. Prince said he can shape
and sculpt a green so it has challenging undulations
with uphill and downhill putts and also vary
the green speed.
"See how it holds the ball," he said
as he chipped onto his back yard green. The
ball bounced and rolled much like it would on
grass. Prince demonstrated a "pitch and
run" shot from the fringe and a lob shot.
The turf's synthetic fibers look like a short,
green shag carpet and feel silky soft. Silica
is "groomed" into the turf to give
it grass-like qualities for an authentic bounce
and roll, and a decorative top dressing gives
it a natural green color. The company says the
fibers can't be damaged by sun, rain and snow,
and it dries quickly.
Rich Jacobs, who owns Golf Greens Plus in Lakeville,
uses ProGreen synthetic turf, and he said that
companies keep improving turf technology, and
consumers are more knowledgeable about it.
"Three years ago at the Golf Show people
asked if it really works. This year they were
checking prices for a certain size green they
wanted to put in," he said.
It takes a couple of hours a season to maintain
a green by blowing off leaves and debris. Some
turfs require occasional grooming with a stiff
bristle brush and lawn roller.
Green fees
A little slice of golfer's paradise is a long-term
investment. The average size putting green is
about 500 to 800-square-feet with five to seven
holes at $11 to $13 a square foot, costing from
$6,000 to $9,000. Tee boxes, bunkers and target
nets are extra.
For 300-square-feet or less, it's less than
$4,000. The cost per square foot goes down as
the green size goes up. Companies also offer
do-it-yourself installation kits for a cost
savings.
Landscape style
Back yard golf greens are custom built in a
wide range of shapes and sizes.
Homeowners can blend trees, shrubs, flower beds,
rock, pavers and other landscape elements around
the green area.
"I don't want it to look like we plopped
a rug down in the middle of the yard,"
Prince said. "We strive to make it look
like it's part of the yard and the natural setting."
A well-manicured putting green can add unique
greenery to a yard or become the focal point.
Design examples are contemporary (a round green
bordered by pavers and planters), dressed up
(lots of landscaping and color around it), and
natural (a traditional golf course green surrounded
by grass).
Prince said that a berm can be built around
a chipping green to frame it and provide a nice
backdrop. A back yard pond can double as a water
hazard. Or a green may simply fill in an area
unsuitable for grass.
Clients can work with the golf green installer
or consult with a landscape designer or nursery,
depending on how elaborate of a design they
want.
Todd and Jane Champ have a curved 450-square-foot
golf green that is the centerpiece of their
open Champlin back yard. They can work on chipping
accuracy from an elevated tee box encircled
by boulders and landscape rock.
The Champs have planted bushes along the back
of the green for privacy from a park behind
the house. A stone paver with a picture of a
golfer adds a colorful accent to the red mulch.
This summer they plan to plant a tree and wrap
flower beds around the putting green.
"We're both very into golf and saw it as
an opportunity to help our sons become good
golfers," said Todd, who is out there from
April until November. "It's a way to spend
time with them and have fun in our own back
yard."
And they never need a tee time.
