Backyard Putting Greens in Tucson
Real contour, real roll, and a base shaped before the surface goes on. A green is a piece of ground shaping, not a mat with cups in it.
- Contour shaped into the base, not faked on top
- Cups set flush and properly drained
- Fringe and collar detailed to the surrounding surface
- Same drainage base standard as our turf work
[ 01 ]The part you cannot see
A flat green is a putting mat
The thing that separates a real backyard green from an expensive rug is break. A putt that rolls straight every time from every position stops being interesting within a week, and the reason it rolls straight is that nobody shaped the ground underneath.
Contour is built into the base. Before any surface goes down, the compacted base is graded into the slopes and falls that will make putts break, with the shaping checked by rolling balls across it rather than by eye. That is slow work and it is the actual craft in this job. Everything after it is turf installation.
The second thing that separates a good green is the surface specification. Putting turf is a different product to lawn turf: shorter, denser, with a specific infill rate that determines green speed. Get the infill wrong and a well shaped green rolls slow and dead, or fast and uncontrollable.
Tucson adds two considerations. Drainage still matters even on a surface that will mostly be dry, because a green that holds water after a monsoon storm will develop soft spots in the base. And sun exposure matters, because a green in full afternoon sun in July is a surface nobody will stand on between two and six.
[ 02 ]Scope
What we build
Practice greens
A compact green with one or two cups, sized to fit a normal back yard alongside the patio and planting. The most common build and the one that fits the widest range of yards.
Multi cup greens with contour
Larger greens with several cups, real elevation change and defined break, so you can practise a genuine range of putts. This is where the base shaping work really shows.
Greens with chipping fringe and bunkers
A green surrounded by a longer fringe turf for chip shots, sometimes with a sand feature. More space and more budget, and considerably more fun.
[ 03 ]In every scope
What is included
Excavation and drainage base
Existing surface removed, subgrade compacted, free draining aggregate base placed and compacted. Everything the turf page says about base applies here, plus the shaping.
Contour shaping
The base graded into the slopes and falls that create break, then rolled and checked with actual balls before the surface goes on. Adjustments happen at this stage because they cannot happen later.
Putting surface, fringe and cups
Putting turf laid, seamed and secured, fringe or collar turf around the perimeter, and cups set flush with drainage below them so they do not fill with water and grit.
Infill, rolling and speed
Infill applied to the rate that gives the green speed you asked for, then rolled and brushed. We will roll putts with you at handover and adjust if it is not what you wanted.
[ 04 ]How it runs
How the build runs
- 01
Site visit
We look at the space available, the sun exposure through the day, and where water currently goes. We also ask what you actually want to practise, because a lag putting green and a short game green are different builds.
- 02
Layout and shaping plan
Green outline marked on the ground, cup positions and intended break agreed, and the shaping planned before anything is quoted.
- 03
Fixed quote
Itemised, with excavation, base, shaping, surface, fringe, cups and infill separated.
- 04
Utilities and access
Blue stake locates before we dig, and irrigation in the area rerouted rather than cut.
- 05
Build
Excavate, base, compact, shape, check, surface, seam, set cups, infill, roll.
- 06
Roll and adjust
We putt on it with you before we leave. If the speed is not what you wanted, infill is adjusted there and then.
[ 05 ]Why us
Why build with us
We shape the base and we check it by rolling. That single step is the difference between a green with genuine break and a green that photographs well and bores you. It is also the step that is invisible in a finished photograph, which is why it is the one most often skipped.
We build the base to the same standard as a paver patio. A green that develops a soft spot after two monsoon seasons has a base problem, and there is no way to correct it without lifting the surface.
And we set the speed with you rather than to a default. Green speed is a preference, it is controlled by infill rate, and it is adjustable at handover. Most installers pick a number and leave.
Want a real number on a green?
Send us the space you have and tell us what you want to practise. We will come out and look at it.
[ 06 ]Questions
Putting green questions
How much does it cost to put in a small putting green?
A green costs more per square foot than a plain turf lawn because of the base shaping, the more expensive putting surface, the cups and the fringe. Small greens carry a higher per square foot cost than large ones because the shaping work does not scale down.
Does mold grow under artificial grass?
On a properly built free draining base, water moves through and away and this is not a practical problem in a dry climate. Where it does happen it is a drainage failure: turf laid over compacted soil or a base that holds water, usually in a shaded corner that never fully dries. On a green it matters more than on a lawn, because a soft spot in the base changes how the ball rolls.
What's better than artificial grass?
For a lawn, that depends on what you want the space to do, and a paver or DG surface with good shade is often the better answer. For a putting green specifically, there is no practical alternative here. Maintaining real bentgrass at putting height in this climate is not a realistic proposition for a back yard, which is why essentially every residential green in Tucson is synthetic.
How much is 1000 square feet of artificial turf?
A thousand square feet of putting surface is a large green and would not be priced like a thousand square feet of lawn turf, because the shaping, the fringe, the cups and the denser putting product all cost more. Ask for the green and any surrounding lawn turf to be quoted as separate line items. ---
Where we build
We build across Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, Vail, Sahuarita, Green Valley, Catalina Foothills, Casas Adobes, Rita Ranch, Dove Mountain, Corona de Tucson and Tanque Verde.
See where we build[ 07 ]Related
What people build with this
[ 08 ]Free on site quote
Get a quote for your green
Tell us roughly how much space you have and what you want to practise. We will come out and look at it.
Thanks, that is with us
We will call you back, usually the same working day, and ask a few questions about the space before we come out. If it is urgent, call(520) 555-0168.