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Putting green maintenance is important to the overall satisfaction of your backyard putting green!With spring approaching, those of us with backyard putting greens are spending more and more time on them! Putting green maintenace is very important to the long-term enjoyment of your backyard green. We created this new Maintenance Tips section of RPGM to provide you with the information you need to get the most out of your putting green. RPGM recently interviewed Ted Greiner with TJB-INC, a well known landscape contractor and putting green installer in the Northeast. Ted is the owner of TJB-INC and has years of experience in this area. RPGM: With spring approaching, what type of maintenance should existing backyard putting green owners consider for their synthetic turf? Ted Greiner: This will depend on the climate in your area. Up in the areas where the ground freezes, as the spring weather thaws the ground, several things might have happened to your green. If the frost went deep enough, your cups may have risen out of the ground. Most of the time, all it takes is a slight tap with a foot to re-set the cup. We use a tool called a cup-setter. This allows us to set the cup at the proper height and keep the sides perpendicular to the playing surface. If not, your marker flag will be tilted. If you do not have a cup setter tool, you can use a piece of wood and a rubber mallet to reset your cup. In warmer climates, just a regular cleaning cycle will keep your surface playable. 
A hand or backpack blower will assist in clearing off any winter debris that might have settled on to your green surface. I know this sounds funny, but on nylon greens, we use a yellow Dyson vacuum cleaner to vacuum the surface. We found that this method will do a better job of cleaning up stuck debris, but does not remove the in-fill material. If you have needled evergreens or deciduous trees that have catkins (seed pods) in the spring, this cleaning method seems to work better than a blower. A vacuum does a better job of un-sticking evergreen needles & spring catkins. It might look a little strange and your neighbors will think you’re a little eccentric, but it works! For bird & animal droppings, remove the larger clumps. A little warm water will dilute the remaining mess. Use a paper towel to blot up the mess. If moss or algae have started to develop on the surface, you are in for a long battle. First, algae and moss grow on surfaces, not from surfaces. If conditions warrant, they will grow anywhere like patios, siding, roofs, driveways, lawns, and yes … putting greens.
It does not matter if the surface was a polypropylene, nylon, or a hybrid. If conditions are right, moss and algae will grow. Try to allow as much sunlight to reach the green as possible. Wind flow is very important as well. Trim trees & shrubs to allow natural wind currents to dry out the surface area of the green. Many golf courses use fans to keep the surface of their greens dry to prevent fungus and mildew. It is very important to make sure your irrigation system does not wet the playing surface of your green on a regular basis. The continued moist conditions will quickly add moss & algae on your playing surface even in direct sunlight. If moss & algae have become a problem, try using a 10% solution of bleach & water or hydrogen peroxide to kill it.
Note: try a small area first to see if the green surface will discolor. Garden Centers sell a moss & algae remover that people have said they have had success with. If you have had the misfortune of having a burrowing animal tunnel under your green surface or major frost heaves, then more in-depth repairs will be necessary. If you are capable of this work yourself, then roll back the green surface. Re-grade the heaved or burrowed areas with a grading rake. Compact the area with a gas-tamp. Pull the green surface back and check the playing surface. This sounds simple, but can be very involved depending upon the damage done. It might be best to hire a professional service.
RPGM: What is involved in a maintenance plan for backyard putting green owners? Is the plan monthly, quarterly, etc? Ted Greiner: Some clients do not want to do any of the basic maintenance work involved with owning a synthetic putting green. This is where a local landscape company can provide the services needed. The green surface should be cleared of surface debris on a regular basis. Clients of TJB-INC will have us come on a weekly, biweekly schedule to blow of their greens. We always recommend to our installation clients that they invest in their own hand held blower so they can remove debris when they first notice it. It is a simple 3-5 minute process that doesn’t always need to be done by someone who is going to charge you a fee for their time. Do it yourself and save money!
RPGM: Is spring the best time to consider installing a backyard putting green? Ted Greiner: Anytime the ground is non-frozen is a good time for an installation! RPGM: As far as maintaining your putting green, do different turfs need different types of care? Ted Greiner: In our experience over the past 10 years, it is more a matter of location conditions, customer upkeep, & quality of the original installation than the type of surface used. If a surface is installed correctly and maintained, all surfaces should provide the end user with years of play. There will be some discoloring of the surfaces from UV light as the years go by, but the play should not be affected. At some point in time, all surfaces will need to be replaced, but I do not have a hard fast rule on when because it is very site specific. RPGM: What is the most important part of maintaining a backyard putting green? Check out Putting Green Winter Maintenance Tips.
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