BEN SIMS, LAWN TIPS
I’ve always dreamed of having my own golf hole, and now it’s happening right here in my backyard in Orange, NSW. It’s been an exciting and challenging journey but seeing it all come together has been incredibly rewarding. I’ve already built a beautiful golf green, laid down a TifTuf fairway, and set up an irrigation system to keep everything lush and green. Let me take you through the whole process, sharing everything I’ve learned along the way.
The TifTuf Fairway
The latest completed project has been my TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda fairway. There were several steps involved in getting the TifTuf to where it is now.
Design and Preparation
Before anything, I needed to decide on the size of the fairway and the best grass type for the entire area. I planned to have a decent-sized area since I’m eventually putting in three to four tee boxes on the golf hole. After talking with some designers and my subscribers on my YouTube channel, we settled on about half an acre of grass.
I also decided to create a second fairway on the top side of the green so the bottom tee box would have another area to hit from. This second fairway would feature a different grass type, allowing me to show how to care for both types. In total, this meant about 2,500m2 of fairway space. Prepping this area involved several steps. Firstly, I had to clear out all the rocks in the area. There were some decent-sized boulders and a few rock shelves, so it was a bigger task than I had originally expected. I used my John Deere E36ZS Excavator to help dig the rocks out and tidy up the area. Overall, I spent close to a week digging these rocks out.
The next step was spraying out all the existing weeds and grasses so that I had a clean area to shape and turn over. I used a non-selective herbicide (glyphosate) to kill everything in the area. I did this over a six-month period. Every month, I would spray every weed that popped up to destroy as much of the seed bank as possible. This also helped remove a lot of the existing Kikuyu and Couch, which took a few sprays to see an impact.
Once the area was clean of weeds, it was time to start shaping the fairway and turning it over so that it would be ready for turf to be laid. I used a Harley Rake (power rake) on the front of my John Deere 317G, which made things super easy. Turning over 2,000m2 only took about an hour of work. I did this about three times over two months to keep the soil loose and the weeds at bay while I waited for the right time to lay the turf.
The last step before laying the turf was installing the irrigation. I installed a Rainbird system, just like on the golf green, to cover the large area. I had a trench digger that goes on the skid steer, which made it a quick and painless job.
Turf Selection and Installation
The turf I decided to go with was TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda. The main reason for this choice was that it wouldn’t require a ton of water to keep it alive, considering the size of the area and the superior drought tolerance that TifTuf has. Hybrid couches are also very commonly used on fairways across the world since you can mow it nice and low, and it repairs very quickly from divots taken by golfers.
The TifTuf was laid in December 2023 with help from the boys at Western Plains Turf. Huge shoutout to Tim and the boys there—without their help, my mates and I would have struggled to get it down in the sweltering heat by ourselves. We had 1,700m2 to lay in the end, and it took us four hours. Not a bad effort!
After the turf was laid, the next step was to ensure it was established properly. For the first few weeks, I watered the new turf daily to help it take root. After that, I gradually reduced the watering frequency to encourage deeper root growth. Mowing was also a critical part of the maintenance routine. I started mowing the fairway after about two weeks and continued to mow it regularly to promote healthy and dense turf.
Future Projects
I’ve still got a few projects to work on over the next 12 months, and the plan is to have it all finished by the end of next year’s season. Here are some of the main tasks I plan to tackle:
Build Three Tee Boxes: I need to design and construct three tee boxes, each with its own irrigation system and grass. This will allow for a variety of tee-off points, enhancing the playability of the hole.
Install a Sir Grange Zoysia Fairway: Next to the green, I plan to install a Sir Grange Zoysia Fairway. This will not only add variety to the course but also provide an opportunity to showcase how to care for this type of grass.
Create a Pitch and Putt Area: I want to sprig 2000m2 with TifTuf to create a pitch and putt area. This will be a great addition for practising short-game skills.
Install Grass in the Rough Areas: To complete the look and feel of the course, I need to install grass in the rough areas. This will involve selecting the right grass type and ensuring it blends well with the existing fairways and greens.
I’m sure more ideas and projects will come up, but these are the main ones I hope to complete by the season’s end. Building my dream Par 3 golf hole has been an awesome journey so far, and I’m excited to see it all come together.
