Let’s start with taking an up close and personal look at both
surfaces.
Sand-Filled
Polypropylene Putting Greens: Polypropylene is just a fancy word for a type of plastic. Plastic
in this form does not have memory in the fibers. Not having memory in it makes
the turf want to lay down (in one direction like a 1970’s shag carpet) which
creates an unplayable surface. To correct this, you have to brush ‘infill’ the
turf with sand.
The sand gets packed from the bottom up and in
doing so ‘straightens’ the fibers, removing the laying down and getting rid of
most of the grain/nap. Depending on the length of the fibers (pile height) you
will need anywhere from 3 pounds up to 10 pounds of infill sand per square
foot. But, this amount of sand will have a tendency to pack, blow around, or
wash out of the green. To avoid this from happening, use a more angular infill
product like coal or copper slag (IE: Black Beauty Medium Grit 30/50). This
infill product will not move as easily as plain sand reducing the amount of
maintenance required.
Expect to pay between $2.30 up to $4.50 per square
foot for the polypropylene (turf only).
If installed correctly, these greens will roll at
8 – 10 on the stimpmeter and have a 5 year pro-rated fade warrantee.
Benefits: Less expensive than other surfaces. The
amount of sand on these greens allows the green to receive shots from any
distance. The sand gives you a ‘beach-like’ affect where the sand absorbs the
energy of the golf ball and thus makes the ball stop rolling. The
thicker the sand, the greater distance you can hit on to the green from and
still have the ball not bounce off.
Drawbacks: Harder
to install sand-filled greens may need some after care which might turn some
golfers away. Some customers have complained that the golf ball osculate
(wiggle side to side) on this surface when putting. This is from not getting
the polypropylene fiber to stand up perfectly straight. For fiber
lengths greater than ¾”, the density of the fibers is less, which compromises
the playability of the putting surface.
Omni-Directional
(non-filled) Polypropylene Putting Greens: This is a
newer product to the synthetic putting green market. One manufacturer has discovered a way
to make a polypropylene surface that the fibers stand up without the need of
supporting infill. Each
leaf on the grass is now a 5000 Denier which is 20 times thicker and larger
than the typical polypropylene yarn. The polypropylene fibers are tufted
into a very high density (face weight) which allows the fibers to be very close to each other
and you finish up with a product that does not require infill material and has
a faster, smoother surface similar to a nylon green. Since
polypropylene fibers are less expensive than nylon, this style green has the
playability of nylon, but at a lower price point.
Expect to pay between $3.00 up to $3.75 per square foot for the
polypropylene (turf only).
If installed correctly, these greens will roll at
9 – 11 on the stimpmeter and have a 5 year pro-rated fade warrantee.
Benefits: It is very easy to install this type of surface. This
green has an Omni-Directional ball roll (which was unheard of on polypropylene
greens until now). The surface has better foot traction than traditional
polypropylene and will last longer in high use areas. The new
“Spring Set” yarn always looks new & fresh. Sand infill can be added to add
ballast to hold the green down in high wind conditions or to conform to
undulations in the base. This surface will hold shots from over 100 yards out with only 2.5
lbs per sqft of 70 mesh (Extra Fine or “00”) sand. (Note: Infill must be
vibrated in, not swept like traditional polypropylene greens.)
Drawbacks: Has a
shorter lifespan than a nylon green when installed in a sunny location.
Nylon
Putting Greens: Nylon is
also a type of plastic but unlike polypropylene, memory can be burned into
nylon fibers. With this ability the manufacturers make the nylon where it
stands up on its own. Add to this the fact that nylon can be tufted into a very
high density (face weight) which allows the fibers to be close to each other
and you finish up with a product that does not need infill material and a
faster, smoother surface. How this is achieved is by subjecting the very top of the fibers
to a 230 degree heat source for a split second which curls the ends of the
fibers creating the “memory” in the fibers. This
memory is what creates the Omni-directional surface that make nylon greens such
a desirable playing surface.
(Note: You may still need about 1-2 pounds of infill
material for this surface. This is only to add weight to the turf as ballast or
to force the backing to follow the slopes and undulations of your putting green
base.)
Expect to pay from $4.50 to $7.00 per square foot
for the nylon putting surface (turf only).
This material has a roll out speed (when you open
the roll of turf) of 9 -12 on the stimpmeter and has an 8 year pro-rated fade
warrantee.
Benefits: The nylon
putting surface needs very little aftercare and you will only need a leaf
blower to keep the green clean.(At TJB-INC, we use a vacuum cleaner to clean
our nylon display green.) Nylon greens have a smooth Omni-directional roll of the ball and
controlling the speed of the green in the long run is easier to maintain.
Drawbacks: Without infill,
this material does not hold a ball very well from more than 30 feet out unless
the green is large enough in size to contain ball roll-out.
Special
Concerns with Synthetic Putting Greens: To keep a clean, playable surface
year after year, TJB-INC has some advice for you. A hand or backpack
blower will assist in clearing off any debris that might have settled on to
your green surface each week. I know this sounds funny, but on nylon greens, we
use a bag less vacuum cleaner to clean the surface. We found that this method
will do a better job of cleaning up stuck debris, but does not remove the
in-fill material. If you have any nearby small needled evergreens (spruce, fir,
hemlock, etc) or deciduous trees that have catkins (seed pods) in the spring,
this cleaning method seems to work better than a blower. A vacuum does a better
job of un-sticking evergreen needles & spring catkins. It might look a
little strange and your neighbors will think you’re a little eccentric, but it
really works!
The
putting green surface and infill (if used) are inorganic and will not support
weeds. It is very important
to remove all organic debris as soon as it lands on the putting green surface
(this includes pollen in the spring especially from White Pine trees). If organic compounds are allowed to
build up, they will decompose and create compost. Then, any seed that lands on the
surface of your putting green now has the ability to root into the
compost. TJB-INC has found
that regular vacuuming does a great job of removing organic compounds from the
fibers. If weeds do grow
from the surface of your putting green, you can use a product like Round-Up vegetation
control to kill them. Remember
to remove the dying plant tissue so it doesn’t decay and turn to compost or you
will have bigger weeds with deeper roots the next time around.
TJB-INC
suggests covering your green with a plastic tarp during times of high pollen,
needle, seed-pod, or leaf drop. It
will help keep your maintenance down to a minimum and allow you to enjoy your
putting green.
For bird
& animal droppings, remove the larger clumps. A little warm water will
dilute the remaining mess. Use a paper towel to blot up the mess. A shop-vac would be the best to remove
all traces of any organic matter. To
help prevent this, trim back or remove any branches that overhang your putting
green that a bird can perch on and release a dump.
If moss,
mold, or algae have started to develop on the surface, you are in for a long
battle. First, algae and moss grow on surfaces, not from surfaces. If
conditions warrant, they will grow anywhere like patios, siding, roofs,
driveways, lawns, and yes … putting greens (real & synthetic).
It does not matter if the surface
was a polypropylene, nylon, or a hybrid. If conditions are right, moss, mold,
and algae will grow. Try to allow as much sunlight to reach the green as
possible. Wind flow is very important as well. Trim trees & shrubs to allow
natural wind currents to dry out the surface area of the green. Many golf courses
use fans to keep the surface of their natural greens dry to prevent fungus and
mildew.
It is
very important to make sure your irrigation system does not wet the playing
surface of your green on a regular basis. The continued moist conditions will
quickly add moss & algae on your
playing surface even in direct sunlight. If moss & algae have become a
problem, try using a 10% solution of bleach & water or hydrogen peroxide to
kill it.
Note: Try a small area first to see if the green surface will discolor.
Garden
Centers sell a moss & algae remover that people have said they have had
success with. TJB-INC uses
& sells a product called “TerraCyte”
that works the best.
If you
have had the misfortune of having a burrowing animal tunnel under your green
surface or major frost heaves, then more in-depth repairs will be necessary. If
you are capable of this work yourself, then roll back the green surface.
Re-grade the heaved, or burrowed areas with an iron grading rake. Compact the
area with a hand or gas-tamp. Pull the green surface back and check the playing
surface. This sounds simple, but can be very involved depending upon the damage
done. It might be best to hire a professional putting green installer to do the
work.
Remember
your synthetic putting green is a form of plastic and will melt if exposed to a
high heat source. These
include some reflections from E-Glass windows, hot mufflers, and especially lit
cigarettes. Yes cigarettes! If some idiot drops a lit cigarette or
hot ashes on to your green, you run the risk of the fibers melting and damaging
the playing surface. This cannot
be repaired. Heat
damage is permanent! Make
your green a no smoking area to prevent this from happening to your playing
surface.
Summary:
We get a
lot of questions about chipping on to the green surfaces, and which surface
material is the best to purchase. We advise customers that size of
the green is more important than the style of putting green surface. When
you play at a golf course, the greens are between 3,000 to 9,000
sqft. There is plenty of room to hold almost any type of shot. If
you install a green in your yard, it will most likely be much smaller in
size. All of our synthetic putting green surfaces will hold a chip
shot, but not if your green is 12' x 12' and you are chipping from 150 yds
out. To hold a chip shot from 60 yds out, you should have at least 600
sqft of putting green surface to handle the ball's roll-out (unless you have a
perfect back-spin on the ball). Smaller greens are great for putting
practice and Bump & Runs. For long shots, it would be more cost
efficient to place a target (broomstick or flag) in your yard and chip to it
since you are mainly working on distance & target training. Use your putting
green to specifically work on your short game.
A Nylon surface
will always give you the most realistic putting green surface
hands down. They are Omni-directional with no grain to affect ball roll.
If chipping is
important, a nylon surface will accept short shots but because of the
limited amount of in-fill used, it will not necessarily hold long shots on to
the green. Size of the green is the most important factor. If you install a
smaller sized green (15' x 15') and chip from 20 yds, you might have too much ball
roll if you do not put a spin on the ball. The farther the chip shot is
going to be, the larger your putting green surface needs to be to contain the
roll out or choose a putting green surface that has more infill which diffuses
the force of the shot and allows the ball to "stick" better to the
green.
Traditional
sand-filled polypropylene greens are great for accepting shots from long
distances but in my opinion, you sacrifice some of the putting surface
roll. Traditional poly surfaces have a grain that needs to be
removed (straightened) by sweeping infill between the fibers that stand
them straight up. If done correctly, it is an ok surface for putting but
excellent for holding chip shots. Traditional Poly greens are less
expensive to purchase but require additional time and labor to install over
nylon surfaces. The latest Omni-Directional polypropylene surface
will install & play just like their nylon counterparts but will not last as
long as a nylon surface in sunlight.
As far as
fringe turf goes, a non-rectangle green will have a lot of wasted fringe
material over a rectangle shape. The best way to plan, is by using pieces
of paper and make it to scale. Lay out your green, and then overlay a
rectangle shaped paper to simulate the fringe turf. You will find that
there is a lot of wasted material when making the green non-rectangle.
But since you are only going to do this once, make it the way you really want
it if budget allows. If you go over budget, then cut back on the
fringe material or use natural grass seed or sod as your
fringe. Just pick a type that can handle lower cutting heights (1" -
1¾") and install some sort of irrigation to keep it moist during the hot
months..
For indoor applications: Select
the 12'
wide OnePutt surfaces
For DIY on a budget: Select
the 12'
or 15' wide Traditional Poly or Omni-Directional 77 Poly
For the best overall
putting surface: Select the 12'
or 15' wide 9/16" Premium Nylon
For Fringe: Pick
one that you like the best!
