Artificial putting greens bought through the leading companies can be extremely costly and for many they are simply out of budget, but I have a solution. Build your own. If you have a few hours spare, which at this time I am sure you do then you can get yourself on the road to improved putting.
A homemade putting green will come in at substantially less and can provide results that are more than adequate. A DIY putting green will cost about 5$ per square meter, and you could even improve the appearance of your back-yard space.
What you will need: A spade, a Stanley knife, hole inserts, flagsticks, artificial grass, heavy grade gravel, shingle, sand and cement.
The process:
Begin by sketching out your design, it can be as elaborate as you want, but obviously the more elaborate the more costly and time consuming it will be. Once you have drawn your desired putting surface, you will need to dig out the design, digging down about 36 inches. Place a mixture of the heavy gravel, soil sand in the base around 16 inches thick, before placing the final gravel on top, compact this so that you have a solid base. If you can get a porous hardening agent add it to some sand and pour it across the top layer of gravel, this will ensure a lovely flat surface that will stand the test of time. (Cut the holes before it hardens though) Once dry cover with a thin, tightly knit weave artificial grass, obviously the tighter and thinner the fibres the better the final outcome. Cut out the holes, if you haven’t already done so and insert the hole liners (you can buy these cheaply from various well-known internet sites) and place in your flagsticks.
If you are going to be using your putting green as an additional entertainment space then I would strongly suggest getting an additional layer of artificial grass and some hole covers to avoid damaging the putting surface that you worked so hard to create.
Once completed you will able to hone your putting skills at home, as and when you choose, also great for entertaining the kids throughout the year!! Although you may consider putting on a completely flat surface boring or lacking in real life undulations, remember one thing; Every putt you have is straight. We are aiming at the apex of the curve when we putt, meaning that every putt is straight, for technical purposes. This will be a great help on the golf course as you will quickly learn to aim correctly and your mechanics will also benefit.
Happy putting!!
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