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 The Great Golf Green Expansion ProjectSince building my golf green over 5 years ago, I have always wished that I had done a few things differently. First, I wish that I had put some undulations or elevation changes into the plan. My green is flat and round ... very nice .. but not really interesting or terribly challenging to putters.Second, I wish that it was a little larger than the 1000 Sf. This is a tradeoff .. the larger the green, the more work involved ... but a very small green is no fun and not much good for practicing. I planned on getting a professional power mower this year, so I decided to expand. Before (Spring 2001)This pics were taken in late Spring (April/May). Having built my wife, here dream deck over the Winter, I was left with a large valley (near the dead drees). I suggested that will fill this area in and expand the green, replacing the small garden and dead tree stumps with a visually stunning putting green top tier. In these pictures you can see that everything is still dormant and quite dead after a good winter.    Construction Process Sand delivered and raked into place, compacted and wetted.  Peat Moss Cubes .. to be mixed in  Adding Peat to the delivered sand  Mixing in the Peat by hand  I wish I had a backhoe  Here is the rootzone, peat moss and sand being mixed together  Apply a good starter fertilizer to the soil before seeding  Keep your seedlings wet .. even if you have to pay someone a few bucks (photo taken every few weeks during summer (planted in June))Here are some photos taken from June to September detailing the grow-in stages Pre-construction Photos  Weed Kill applied to destroy all organic matter for a few weeks.  Sand and Peat form the root zone layer. Here is sand only.  The final mixture  06/01/2001 Photo Final Root Zone planted ... and protected from birds  Seedlings !!!! Very EXCITNG !!!  1 Month photo taken 07/01/2001  07/15/2001  07/20/2001  09/15/2001 .. cooler evenings in Sept = lots of growth!  11/01/2001 .. One Full Growing Season ... and we have a new golf green!  11/01/2001 .. One Full Growing Season ... and we have a new golf green!  The turf is coming in slowly .. filling in holes as the bentgrass "creeps". Grow-In Photos (this period takes lots of patience .. you cannot rush things. Let Mother Nature do the work Note the old turf and the new turf growing in  growth is slowest along the slope  The old green is still in working condition  And very smooth  Hot summer temps are tough on new seedlings  The original idea was to build a wall on the side .. since replaced with a new bunker plan  Things are really greening up  Bentgrass spreads side to side ... so no need to overseed thin areas .. just be patient  Some areas will shift .. re-fill with topdressed material  Throw top dressing onto the area to promote lateral growth After (as of September ... about 4 months after planting)   Top Dressing is necessary to promote a smooth surface/grow-in Bunker Construction Bunker Framework  Bunker Backfilled and shaped  Finished Bunker Topped with Carribean White Sand (Home Depot) Backyard Putting Green Construction Manual Copyright © 1998 Leo Melanson Putting-Greens.com LLC |