Make The Most Of Your Lawn With An At-Home Putt-Putt Course

At Weed Man, we pride ourselves on delivering golf course quality results through our premium lawn care services, including fertilizer, weed control, surface insect control, and plenty more, so there’s nothing stopping you from playing 9 holes right there in your backyard! Here’s how to make the most of your lush, green lawn with a game of at-home mini-golf that’s fun for the whole family!

Preparing the grass

The grass used in professional golf courses (and professional mini golf courses) can run the gamut from warm-season grasses like Bermudagrass and St. Augustine grass to cool-season grasses like bentgrass and perennial ryegrass. Grass varieties are chosen for durability and resiliency in addition to aesthetics and color. Of course, plenty of mini-golf courses stick with artificial turf for easy maintenance.

For your home course, you certainly don’t need to overhaul the existing grass varieties in your lawn. To help the golf balls roll smoothly, you may opt to mow it a little shorter than normal in the areas where you’ll be playing (but be careful not to remove more than ⅓ of the length of the grass blades in a single mow). You’ll also want to clear out any leaves, twigs, pet waste, and debris. Then you can build your course!

Constructing the Course

There are a number of things to consider when building your backyard mini golf course.

1. How many holes do you want in your course? Aim for multiples of 3, like 3, 6, 9, or even 18!
2. Take inspiration from real golf courses to create the shapes for each hole, like doglegs to the left and right.
3. You’ll need some kind of barrier around the perimeter of each hole to keep the balls in play. You can construct these with planks of wood, bricks, cinder blocks, or any other large objects you have lying around with enough height and strength to keep your golf balls in-bounds.
4. The tricky part is obstacles! Use ramps and barriers to challenge your golfers and divert the paths of their golf balls. Consider how your lawn’s natural changes in elevation can affect your course. Make your players put uphill (or downhill) for an extra challenge!
5. The last thing you really need is some kind of hole or target! This can be as easy as flipping a bucket or cup onto its side or using a store-bought cup designed for mini golf. For the most sophisticated option, you can purchase a tool called a golf hole cutter (or create a similar effect with a cheaper garden tool like a bulb planter).

Repairing Divots

Now you’re ready to play! And with a little care, your lawn will come out unscathed. If one of your golfers is playing a little too hard and accidentally scoops a divot out of your lawn, have no fear! They’re fairly easy to repair. 

As long as the chunk of grass still has soil attached, simply return it to the patch of soil where it came from. Step on it to press it into the earth, giving the roots the best chance to reestablish and heal. If you’re still left with significant bare patches, overseed with a suitable variety of grass seed to thicken and rejuvenate your lawn.

Now’s the time to nourish your greener, healthier lawn. Find a Weed Man near you and get a free quote today!