By Dr. Kevin W. Frank
MSU Turfgrass Extension Specialist
Sitting in the doctors’ office the other day the small talk conversation turned to golf and what I thought about building a backyard putting green. I usually respond to these inquiries with a thoughtful response such as, ‘it’d sure be fun to have one but are you prepared to take care of it?’
What golfer hasn’t dreamed about having a tour quality putting green outside their back door to hone their short game skills like Phil Mickelson? However, instead of dreaming of honing your short game, you should probably be dreaming about being a golf course superintendent if you’re going to properly maintain a backyard putting green.
Let’s start with the mower. You’re going to need to purchase a reel mower that can mow at approximately 1/8 inch cutting height. Probably around $10,000 for a new unit; and sure you can find a used one cheaper but just like buying a used car, buyers beware as used mowers have certainly been around the green more than once.
I hope you like mowing, to maintain a green like you play at your favorite golf course you’re going to need to mow at a minimum every other day.
If you want it really good, just get up early before work and mow the green every day. Oh, and don’t forget you’re going to need to find someone to sharpen those reels on a regular basis in order to maintain a good cut, and no the local hardware store is not going to help you out on this.
What’s next you might ask? Well you know that sand you see on your favorite greens from time to time? Yep, you’re probably going to want to sand topdress your new putting green every two to three weeks at a minimum to keep it firm and prevent the buildup of thatch that makes greens become spongy and wet.
Don’t forget fertilizer and fungicides. Golf course superintendents apply light rates of fertilizer – think 1/10th of what you apply to your lawn for any application, and oh by the way the easiest way to do this is by applying liquid fertilizer with a small sprayer (no, not the hose end sprayer you use on the roses).
You’re probably also going to need to become familiar with some of our favorite turfgrass diseases such as dollar spot, anthracnose and brown patch as they’ll probably make a visit to your green and will require fungicide applications to prevent your ‘putting green’ from becoming a ‘putting brown.’
On a recent follow-up visit with the doctor he divulged to me that he’s installing a synthetic backyard putting green and was surprised that even a synthetic green would require a little bit of maintenance. Nevertheless, good decision doc.
