A quality backyard putting green will typically start at about $15-25 per sq. ft. depending on the size of the project and the materials you choose. Read further to see how the price is calculated and where you can save money.
What factors affect the price of putting green installation the most? There are multiple factors that come into play when pricing a backyard putting green project. Size, accessibility, base preparation, materials, and complexity of added features will all affect the cost of your installation. Many people don't think to consider the hidden costs that you aren't seeing on proposals. Overhead, hauling fees, and the need for profitability will also inflate the price of your project.
The larger your putting green is, the lower you'll find the rate per sq. ft. This is because most of the fixed costs remain the same and contractors are able to pass on savings to the client.
Artificial putting green installation cost is higher than the cost of a landscape artificial turf project because there's a lot more labor that goes into base preparation to make sure the area is graded for proper ball roll. Also, there are two additional contours to cut and seam. Plus leftover are almost double compared to the regular artificial grass project. All these items push the price for a putting green project to 1.5-2x the price of regular artificial turf installation.
In the guide below, we'll cover our prices for materials and optional add-ons. The cost of overhead, base preparation, and other fees are already built into these prices for simplicity. For this demonstration, we'll be plugging in numbers from a small backyard putting green installation project that is 500 sq. ft. with a concrete border on two sides. If you are looking to get an idea of pricing for your specific project, request an estimate here in 2 minutes or less!
Artificial grass for putting greens is catered to ball play and is specifically designed to provide optimum performance. This type of turf is more expensive because it was constructed uniquely with sheared-off blades so your ball has the perfect rolling surface.
At InstallArtificial, we offer three different putting green options for your backyard golf green at different prices. We'll plug in our 500 sq. ft. below to give you an idea of pricing for each:
|
Do It Putt (44 oz, Poly, Multi-Purpose) |
$15.56/sq. ft. | $15.56 x 500 sq. ft. | $7,780 |
|
Pro Putt (44 oz, Nylon, Professional) |
$16.56/sq. ft. | $16.56 x 500 sq. ft. | $8,280 |
|
Real Putt (50 oz, Nylon, Most Realistic) |
$18.06/sq. ft. | $18.06 x 500 sq. ft. | $9,030 |
For the purposes of this exercise, we'll use Do It Putt and say that our putting green base cost is $7,780.
Fringe grass is the slightly taller artificial grass that surrounds the putting green and fills the rest of the space. In most cases, this grass can be any artificial turf the client prefers. Below you'll find how we set up pricing for each fringe grass option that we offer. Our Natural Beauty, which is the most popular will be added on for free while the more premium grasses will come with an additional charge. Check it out below!
|
Natural Beauty (1.625 in. Height, Natural Looking) |
$0.00/sq. ft. | $0.00 x 500 sq. ft. | $0 |
|
Playground Heaven (1.5 in. Height, Durable & Easy To Clean) |
$0.39/sq. ft. | $0.39 x 500 sq. ft. | $195 |
|
Baby Touch (2.25 in. Height, Bouncy, Soft & Cool) |
$0.96/sq. ft. | $0.96 x 500 sq. ft. | $480 |
Let's say you chose Playground Heaven, we'll add $195 to our cost.
We can install as many, or as few plastic cups for putting greens as you'd like depending on the size of your space. These are installed directly into the concrete base to ensure they stay put with no movement.
These cups must be level for proper flag placement. For our price guide, we'll install three plastic cups in our putting green.
| Plastic Cup Installation | $220 | $220 x 3 | $660 |
| Pole With Flag | $80 | $80 x 3 | $240 |
Bender boards are an important component of putting green installation because it helps separate turf from other types of landscaping and provides the installation with stability. The brown boards are 20-foot long rolls of polypropylene and they are used to delineate artificial turf from the rest of the yard. A simple bender board will add $12.23 per linear foot. However, in most cases, we recommend upgrading to aluminum bender boards so they don't discolor and fall apart over time. Check out the pricing table below to see how it affects cost.
Remember, our space has a concrete border around two sides so those sides won't need bender boards. However, the two ends that are 25 ft. will need a bender board installed to keep the installation secure.
| Standard Bender Boards | $12.23/Linear ft. | $12.23 x 50 ft. | $611.50 |
| Treated Wood Boards | $15.63/Linear ft. | $15.63 x 50 ft. | $781.50 |
| Aluminum Bender Boards | $24.40/Linear ft. | $24.40 x 50 ft. | $1,220 |
Per recommendation, we'll upgrade to Aluminum Bender Boards at $1,220.
If your putting green is being installed over soil rather than on a rooftop or balcony, we'd recommend opting into the weed preventer add-on. This attacks over 60 types of common weeds and is applied before base preparation.
| Weed Preventer | $0.44/sq. ft. | $0.44 x 500 | $220 |
The cost of a typical sand infill for putting greens is built into our grass material prices. However, we offer an upgrade to antibacterial sand infill in our proposals. This keeps your surface cleaner and cooler. The granules have a plastic-like coating keeping the infill from compacting over time. On top of controlling bacteria on the turf, it's also less abrasive than other options making it more desirable on the surface.
| Antibacterial Sand Infill | $1.24/sq. ft. | $1.24 x 500 | $620 |
The cost of road base, nails, adhesive, and other materials are built into the above prices to keep the proposals as simple and to the point as possible for our clients. It's important to remember that there may be additional costs during your specific project.
So let's see how much our artificial putting green installation costs so far:
| Putting Green Material (Do It Putt) | $7,780 |
| Fringe Grass (Playground Heaven) | $195 |
| Plastic Cup Installation x 3 | $660 |
| Pole With Flag x 3 | $240 |
| Aluminum Bender Boards | $1,220 |
| Weed Preventer | $220 |
| Antibacterial Sand Infill | $620 |
| TOTAL COST | $10,935.00 |
While this is the price for a simple install, there may be other costs during your specific project. When you're building your backyard putting green, you'll see prices fluctuate depending on accessibility, irrigation needs, and added features.
Keep reading below to see additional costs that may arise during installation, or request an estimate here to know exactly how much it'll cost in your space.
| Long Distance Hauling (100+ ft.) | $2.82/sq. ft. |
| Hauling With Elevation (3-7 Steps) | $1.12/sq. ft. |
| Rewiring Irrigation | $160/8 ft. of Rewiring |
| Gopher Mesh Installation | $2.20/sq. ft. |
| Aluminum Cup Installation | $220/Cup |
| Frame Installation (Nail-Free) | $15.63/Linear ft. |
| Adding Sand Bunker or Pond Imitation | $1,680 |
And there you have it! A guide to pricing our backyard putting green projects. Putting greens are some of our favorite projects because they can be customized to fit our client's needs. Let us help you with every step of the design process, request an estimate below to get started. Let's do this!