Nicklaus Design expects continued growth in the home putting green market.

In the history of golf, there is no name bigger than Jack Nicklaus. As much as he has done for the game of golf as a player, perhaps he has done even more as a course designer. Mr. Nicklaus has left a vast mark on the world of golf through hundreds of golf courses...all over the map.

So, we had great interest in talking with the Nicklaus Design team about how synthetic putting greens fit into their business and what they see for the home putting green market in the future.

RPGM continues our Q&A series with Jay Rostad with Nicklaus Design.

It is worth noting that while Nicklaus Design is involved in select synthetic green designs, they have partnered with Southwest Greens for the installation of the greens.

Jay Rostad: The expansion of Nicklaus Design into synthetic turf greens allows us another avenue to reach our customers and give them a quality designed green on a smaller scale.

RPGM: A standard country club green is about 4 or 5 thousand square feet and, if well designed, is a work of art in and of itself. Do you approach your design of residential synthetic greens with a similar mindset as you approach your golf course putting greens?

Jay Rostad: We use design philosophies similar to those we would use on a real grass green, and we also utilize much of the same technology and proprietary software we incorporate into the plan documents of our course designs.

Jay Rostad: The limited square footage of most residential space and the unusual dimensions we often encounter are the two biggest challenges we face when creating a residential putting green.

RPGM: How many Nicklaus Design synthetic greens have been built to date and do you see future growth in the residential market?

Jay Rostad: Nicklaus Design has been involved in close to 50 synthetic green designs and has seen over a 100 percent growth the last two years. We expect to do well again this year.

RPGM: Have you found that the playability of well-designed and installed synthetic greens are comparable to real grass greens?

Jay Rostad: In our experience, the reaction of the golf ball on synthetic greens and real grass greens is identical.

RPGM: Is there a minimum size needed before a homeowner would benefit from a Nicklaus Design green?

Jay Rostad: When preparing to create a putting green for any homeowner we prefer to have over 1,000 square feet available for our design.

From Nicklaus Design Q&A to the RPGM Q&A with Weston Weber, founder of Southwest Greens.