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This fun project turned an unused corner of a yard into attractive putting green with built-in garden lighting.
The project
We built this backyard putting green from start to finish in just two days.
The back corner of the backyard was never used. It mostly grew weeds and was overgrown with tree branches. Then we decided to put in a putting green!
We spent a week researching, watching a lot of YouTube videos on how to create a backyard putting green, measuring and planning out the space and the shape of the green and ordering the supplies we needed. Then we did it all over one weekend.
Here's how we did it:
- Started by digging out all the soil and grass to get a level and clean soil surface
- Raked and levelled the ground
- Rented a compacter from Bunnings and compacted the soil
- Installed the corten steel edging for the area. The edging, purchased from a local steel fabricator, will naturally weather with a rusty look
- Wheelbarrowed in 3 tonnes of road base ordered from a local garden supplier. The two of us simultaneously shovelled each wheelbarrow load, raked and spread it. I think this was the most physically painful and tiring job of our whole house reno!
- Used the compactor to compact the road base. This involved four passes of the area and two hours of compacting to achieve a flat surface
- Spread Bastion River Sand from Bunnings over the road base and rolled it with a turf roller
- Cut the putting surface to shape and marked out the cup holes (the putting surface and green fringe came from a golf-green supplier)
- Dug the cup holes and concreted the cups in
- Cut the holes into the putting surface
- Cut the artificial grass fringe surface and tacked down the edges around the perimeter edging and the putting green surface using Tuff Turf Synthetic Turf Anchor Nails from Bunnings
- Top dressed the putting green with silica sand
- Ran the wiring and installed eight Holman 43mm Warm White Spotlights from Bunnings around the edging under the Pittosporum trees.
The unused corner of the garden grew little grass and mostly weeds.
We dug out the soil and grass to level out the area.
We prepped and raked the soil surface ready for compacting.
We hired a Bunnings compactor to compact the soil and provide a flat, solid bed for the road base.
Installed the corten steel edging and filled in with road base.
Compacted the road base – four passes over the whole area, two hours of compacting.
Spread sand across the whole surface to level out any bumps, low spots or divots.
Rolled the sand with a turf roller.
Cut the putting surface to shape and concreted the cups in.
Used a broom to brush silica sand into the turf pile.
Installed wired-in garden lights around the perimeter of the area.
The finished project.
We budgeted $1500. Here's a diagram of the dimensions.
More golf project inspiration
Bunnings Workshop member Fergus shared how to build a simple backyard mini-golf hole using recycled pallets.
Workshop member mfree shared a video guide to building a mini-golf course using plywood.
There are also plenty of great ideas in our Top 10 most popular outdoor projects.
Let us know if you need a hand with your project – we're here to help.
