How To DIY An Affordable Putting Green For Showstopping Backyard Entertainment

When the cold weather of winter finally winds down, the season of gathering for lawn games, bonfires, and barbeques slowly emerges. If you're a fan of playing golf or putt putt, you might have wondered what it would take to add a putting green to your home's landscape. Even if you already have stone fire pits and a cornhole setup, adding a place to practice putting could make your backyard even more entertaining for guests, as well as for you and your family. However, since the average cost of such an installation is $4,000, you may have just as quickly abandoned the idea.

Fortunately, the DIY tutorial machine that is TikTok has worked its magic once again. This time, the platform has offered a video from creator @designsbymckay that depicts the user building a DIY putting green for less than $300. Golf aficionados rejoice — with this DIY, the reality of a backyard putting green can be yours without breaking the bank. Besides your putter and golf balls, you'll need paver stones, weed barrier fabric, gravel, paver sand, artificial grass turf, garden stakes, golf hole cups, a utility knife, a mallet, a push broom, and play sand. To create the putting green, you'll basically level out an area of your yard, then add artificial grass and the holes on top.

Before you start building your DIY putting green, you'll need to locate a fairly level area that's a minimum size of around 40 to 50 square feet within your lawn. Once you've found the best spot for your green, it's time to prepare the area. Start by removing all the grass, weeds, and other vegetation. Once you have access to the soil, use a hoe or rake to level the ground as much as possible.

Once the ground is levelled, arrange your paver stones around the perimeter of your putting green. Cover the area with weed barrier fabric, using the stones to anchor the edges. Next, cover the weed fabric with a level layer of gravel or river stones to provide drainage. Over your gravel, spread a layer of paver sand. Walk around on the sand to compact it and then smooth its surface as much as possible.

When the sand appears smooth, it's time to add your artificial grass turf. Use a utility knife to cut away any corners or other excess turf. Then, secure the edges of the turf using garden stakes. Once the turf is secured into place, cut out two or more holes with your utility knife and dig out enough of the underlying matter to push the golf hole cups into the ground. Lastly, sprinkle a thin layer of play sand over the green to prevent slipping. Work the sand into the turf using a push broom. 

The beauty of building your own DIY putting green is the fact that you can purchase all your own supplies at the prices you can afford. Some of the items you'll need — like a push broom, a mallet, a basic hoe or rake, and a utility knife — you probably already own. The rest of the supplies for this DIY can be easily purchased from mainstream retailers like Home Depot and Amazon. For instance, $5 bags of gravel, $6 bags of paver sand, a $5 bag of play sand, and paver stones that cost less than $1 each can all be purchased from Home Depot.

Amazon offers options for weed barrier fabric that costs $10, a pack of 24 garden stakes for $6, 5 by 10 foot artificial grass turf for $60, and a pack of two golf hole cups for $15. Plus, if you'd like to set the mood for hitting up your new putting green at night, you can snag some outdoor LED strip lights for $20 and adhere them to the inside edge of the paver stones. Use the color-changing effect to create the perfect backyard party vibe for any occasion.