ProGreen International PG Augusta Putting Green Installation Instructions

Transcription

1 ProGreen International PG Augusta Putting Green Installation Instructions Installations Over Aggregate Base VERSION Copyright ProGreen International, Inc.

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Tools Needed Step A Accessories Needed Step B Material Needed Step C Pre-planning Step 1 Sub-base Preparation Step 2 Sub-base Installation Step 3 Cup Installation Step 4 Preparing the Turf for Installation.....Step 5 Cutting the Turf for Seams Step 6 Seaming the Turf Step 7 Turf Installation Step 8 Infill Application Step 9 Border Stakes Step 10 Cutting Out the Holes Step 11 Other Tips and Hints Step 12 Adding Fringe or Sand Trap Last Page

3 A. TOOLS NEEDED Landscape Rake Respirator Masks (for spreading silica sand) Post-Hole Digger Hand Tamper Flat Head Shovel Rags and Stain Remover (Goof-Off or similar product) Large Caulking Gun for above glue Broadcast Spreader Utility Knife 1/8 Notched Trowel Knee Pads Pack of 15 Blades - Minimum! Wheelbarrow Hammer Garden Hose & Spray Nozzle Sod Roller (water filled roller) Leaf Blower Vibrating Plate Compactor OPTIONAL TOOLS & MATERIALS: Hand tamper for areas a roller can t reach. Gas powered sod cutter to remove grass if present. Gas powered jumping-jack tamper only used to compact the ground if soil is loose. Long rope or garden hose to design and shape borders. Drag Mat (great for large projects) 60" Pinch Point Crow Bar (used in rocky soil conditions to assist post hole digger in cutting holes) B. ACCESSORIES NEEDED The accessories below must be purchased separately. Check with your ProGreen representative to determine the materials needed for your specific installation. Most of the tools can purchased or rented locally. Items in BLUE only available from ProGreen Adhesive: Polyurethane PL Premium Construction Adhesive. Available from Home Depot or ProGreen. (only needed if seaming) ProGreen Seam Tape (only needed if seaming) Putting Cups, Cup Sleeves, Practice Flags, 3

4 C. MATERIALS NEEDED LANDSCAPE FABRIC & Pins A must for putting greens! This separates the soil from the rock base which greatly minimizes unwanted dips and swells. This must be laid down and pinned prior to adding aggregate. Be sure you also purchase some landscape fabric pins. CONCRETE MIX Quickrete or equal 50lb bag will be enough for two holes CRUSHER FINES You must have a minimum of 6" compacted crusher fine base! Specifications: 1/4" minus (3/8" minus is acceptable). CRUSHER FINES, also known as Stone Dust, Stone Screenings, Crushed Rock, Lime Stone, Reclaim, Red Diamond, Coral Rock, etc. CRUSHER FINES is rock that is finely crushed and screened, with no pieces larger than 3/8 inch, preferably 1/4 inch. The majority of the material should be a fine powder or dust and the remaining material flat and jagged. In many cases you may not be able to find the exact properties just described. If all the material is the same size and very fine, this will work. To be sure you are getting the correct product, ask your local rock quarry if it compacts well and if it will smooth out if wetted and rolled with a water filled lawn roller. Amount Needed: Sold by the ton (2000 pounds). Approximately 75 pounds per square foot will give you an approximate 6" of compacted depth. VERY IMPORTANT: This depth is needed to avoid future sink holes, and bumps on the surface of the putting green. For example if you have a 400 sq. ft. putting green you multiply 400 x 75 pounds = 30,000 lbs, divided by 2,000 lbs (ton) = 15 tons. Source: Look in your local yellow pages under Quarry or Sand & Gravel. 4

5 IN-FILL MATERIAL (spread on top of the putting green fibers) Silica Sand: 50 mesh of finer (50 mesh, 70 mesh or 100 mesh) Don't buy silica sand that is 50 (The higher the mesh size, the finer the sand) Don t use play sand or any other type of sand, you must use silica sand! See Purchasing the Right Silica Sand below Amount: 2.5 pounds per square foot Source: Silica sand can be hard to find. It can usually be found at a non-box store building-supply store. If you have a problem finding a source, try calling a sandblasting shop or a swimming pool builder to find out where they get their silica sand. Purchasing the Right Silica Sand DO NOT USE ANY OTHER KIND OF SAND OTHER THAN SILICA SAND! Silica Sand is used as the base dressing which is applied over the synthetic turf. The purpose for the silica sand is to provide a ballast or weight to anchor the turf to the aggregate surface. The silica sand depth is very minimal and should not be visible after installation. SILICA SAND SIZES There are many mesh sizes of Silica Sand. Silica Sand is screened, then rated according to the mesh sizes. The higher the rating number, the smaller and finer the sand. Conversely, the lower the rating, the larger the Silica Sand. There is no such thing as a singularly rated Silica Sand size such as a 70 mesh. The bag might say 70 mesh, however, it s a blend of different sizes such as 30/70, 40/100, etc. As the sand suppliers cannot provide a single, uniform mesh size, the Silica Sand will always be a blend. The important thing is that the majority of silica is finer than 50 mesh. STEP-BY-STEP INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Be sure to completely read all the instructions before starting. STEP 1. PREPLANNING SIZE AND SHAPE Before you begin preparation on the sub-base, you must first determine the size and shape of your putting green, and the kind of border you will be using. Using a long rope or garden hose, shape the design of the green. Be creative, and don t stop until you're completely satisfied. NOW EXTEND IT ABOUT 1' ON ALL SIDES SO YOU HAVE A SOLID BASE OUTSIDE THE ACTUAL PUTTING GREEN SIZE. 5

6 BORDERS SYNTHETIC FRINGE, NATURAL GRASS or ROCK BORDERS You can butt just about anything up next to the putting green. The best looking borders are ones with synthetic grass fringe from ProGreen. Natural grass borders are also an alternative. If you re going this route, we recommend installing a metal landscape edging between the grass and the synthetic putting surface, and then pounding the landscape edging downward, even with putting surface. This keeps the grass from growing on top of the putting surface. Rock borders are another alternative. When using rock we recommend using river rock or cobblestone. Smaller rocks can be quite messy and require constant maintenance. If smaller rocks are used, we recommend using landscape edging as described in the paragraph above. CURB BORDER Curb borders look great! You can rent a curbing machine or hire a contractor to do it for you. Be sure the curb base is well compacted before installing curbing and that you have placed and compacted 4" of your 6" CRUSHER FINE base. RETAINING WALL BORDER A retaining wall border can be made with bricks, railroad ties, concrete curbing, or other landscaping wall material, or it can be the edge of a driveway or concrete patio. You can use an existing retaining wall, or you can build a new one. You can butt the turf up to your retaining wall, or you can butt the turf up against a patio or sidewalk. STEP 2. SUB-BASE PREPARATION Measure the area where the green will be installed. With a long rope or garden hose, position and shape the desired border AND THEN EXTEND THAT BORDER 1' AROUND ALL SIDES. And remember, you will need to cap, re-route, or remove any sprinkler systems, underground drainage, electric wires, phone or cable wires, or anything else in the area where the putting green is to be installed. It will be difficult to gain access to any piping or water lines underneath the green after installation. The most important aspect of subbase preparation is DRAINAGE! After the water exits the top of the green, (this putting green does not have drainage holes in backing) the water must continue to exit away from the green. If water pools-up around the border of the green, the water will undermine the sub-base causing deterioration! WARNING: DO NOT INSTALL YOUR GREEN AROUND OR NEAR SHALLOW-ROOTED TREE. THE ROOTS OF THIS TYPE OF TREE WILL GROW TOWARD THE SURFACE SEEKING WATER. EMERGING ROOTS WILL AFFECT THE INTEGRITY OF THE PUTTING GREEN SURFACE! AND REMEMBER TO STAY OUTSIDE ANY SHALLOW ROOTED TREE S WATER DRIP LINE! Next, using the supplied Landscaping Flags, stake six to twelve flags approximately three feet outside of the border (disregard if your border is a retaining wall border). The border must be extended so that the edges can be sufficiently compacted. After marking your border area, clear the area where the green is to be installed. If grass is present, remove it with a sod cutter or shovel, and save it to be replaced around your green if you are using a natural-green border. Next, 6

7 kill all organic with vegetation kill. Another way to remove the sod without renting a sod cutter is to kill the vegetation with Round-Up or vegetation kill. Wait a week or however long it takes for the vegetation to die, and then remove the dead vegetation and loose soil underneath with a flat head shovel. After the ground is cleared of organic and debris, lightly wet the area, and compact with a vibrating plate compactor. This will remove any air trapped in the loose dirt and further compact the ground. NOTE - Make sure the soil is firmly compacted before the sub-base material is laid down! If the soil is not hard and compacted you will need to rent a gas-powered jumping-jack tamper to compact the soil. If the ground has been recently excavated its imperative to compact. If you find soft clay after excavation and have trouble compacting the base you will need to do the following: Add Landscape Fabric BEFORE crusher fines: After copious amounts of research, we are now recommending the use of a geotextile material between the earth and crushed rock base when installing putting greens. A well compacted base should remain intact for years to come, but because the integrity of the putting surface is so important this extra step will keep the soil separated from the rock base and prevent surface disturbances caused by ground movement and pervasive vegetation. Be sure to build the cost of the fabric into your quotes including the time it will take and the landscape staples used. It is important to use an adequate number staples to ensure the fabric does not shift when adding your base which could affect the way the base compacts. Remove any loose wrinkles or slack and then pin the edges. Insert pins in the middle if needed. Your 6" rock base will keep the fabric secure, but just be sure the existing soil is separated from the rock base. STEP 3. SUB-BASE INSTALLATION The most important aspect of drainage is knowing where the water will go after it exits the putting surface. THE PUTTING GREEN TURF DOES NOT HAVE PERFORATIONS FOR DRAINAGE! If water drains off the green, but accumulates on the outer edges, the standing water will undermine and cause severe deterioration to the sub-base! At some point, you ll probably want to shape contours into the sub-base. There are no limits to the undulations you can design into your putting surface. You can build a two-tiered green, bank the sides, or whatever you wish. NOTE OF CAUTION! DON'T SLOPE TOO MUCH ESPECIALLY ON SMALL PUTTING GREENS 600 SQ. FT. OR LESS! THE LAST THING YOU WANT IS FOR THE BALL TO ROLL OFF THE GREEN EVERY TIME YOU PUTT THE BALL! ProGreen turf is pliable enough to conform to any shape. You can accomplish this by spreading more CRUSHER FINES in the areas you desire a contour. IMPORTANT NOTE: It's important to not wet the subbase too much. This will cause the fines of the crushed 7

8 rock to separate from the larger pieces bringing the larger chunks to the top. We want to avoid this from happening, so only slightly wet the subbase only when mentioned. Compact the CRUSHER FINES in stages and compact with a Vibrating Plate Compactor. Don t worry about how smooth it is at this point. Slightly wet the CRUSHER FINES each time you compact. You should compact the fines for every 2-3" of CRUSHER FINES you add! You must have at least a 6 depth when finished. Sculpt and compact the crusher fines in layers! When compacting, slightly wet the crusher fines before using a Vibrating Plate Compactor. AFTER YOU'VE COMPACTED 4", add the final 2" of CRUSHER FINES while raking the CRUSHER FINES with smooth even strokes. Use the finger side of the rake to move large amounts of the sub-base, and the flat side of the rake to smooth out the CRUSHER FINES. This is where the majority of your sculpting of the contours occurs. Rework the surface with the landscaping rake until the surface is free of small bumps and ridges. If you have a drag mat, you can use the drag-mat in place of the rake after the main shape has been sculpted. Repeat this step at least 3 more times of grading with your landscaping rake and compacting, until you re completely satisfied with the undulations and surface. Don t shortcut this step! Make adjustments to the sub-base by adding to or removing depth, as needed. After you're completely satisfied with the contours and breaks of your top surface, it s time to slightly wet the top surface and compact one more time with your gas powered vibrating plate compactor. The Plate Compacter will leave small ridges...so now it s time to smooth out the CRUSHER FINES. Fill your hand roller FULL with water and roll across a slightly damp sub-base several times. For best results, go across the surface with the roller at different angles, not just back and forth in a straight line. If mud or debris builds-up on the hand roller, remove it using a flat-head shovel. If build-up persists, spray with roller with cooking oil. Be sure not to twist the roller when turning as this will cause damage to the subbase. Make gradual turns with the roller! SUBBASE CHECK To be certain that you have made the sub-base surface as smooth as possible, after dark, take a couple of flood lamps and place them on the surface, aiming them down the length of your sub-base. Any bumps or ridges will be exposed, casting shadows from the ground-level floodlights. If you see any irregularities, smooth them out while the lights are in place. If you re not completely satisfied with the contour of the sub-base, change it now. Don't stop arranging the slopes and contours until you are completely satisfied! Don t shortcut this step! Be completely meticulous! The putting surface will be only as good as you have made your sub-base surface. STEP 4. CUP INSTALLATION Mark the positions you want for your holes with the supplied Landscaping Flags. Try placing the flags in a variety of places. Continue to move the flags around until you are satisfied with their placement. IMPORTANT NOTE: Most people tend to place the holes too close to the edge so they can maximize the putting distance. 8

9 This is a mistake. First Off it's looks goofy and unbalanced it the cups are too close to the edge. Secondly, you want some distance between the hole and the edge so that you can putt back to the hole when you putt past it. CAUTION! DO NOT DIG FOR THE CUP HOLES UNTIL YOU HAVE CALLED YOUR LOCAL UTILITY COMPANY TO HAVE THEM CHECK FOR UNDERGROUND WIRING OR PIPING. ALSO, BE AWARE OF SPRINKLER PIPES. Do not place holes in the area where there is to be a seam. Remember, the turf material is 15 feet wide. Using a posthole digger, dig down about 9 inches at each site you've flagged for a hole. The ProGreen cup sleeve is placed into the 9 inch hole. Twist the cup sleeve in until it's level with the ground. Now, insert the actual putting cup into the cup sleeve and place into hole. You may notice that when the actual putting cup is placed inside the cup sleeve, the cup extrudes about ¼ over the cup sleeve. Now place the practice flag assembly (base, rod, flag) into the putting cup. This is done so you can visually inspect how the flag will look after installed. Nothing worse than a practice flag that is leaning over to one side too much! Backfill around the sleeve with dry concrete mix, making sure the cup is straight and level. We don't use a level here because a visual inspection actually is better due to factors such as the slope of the green and the background gives you a different perspective on what looks right. You want to end up with the flag looking straight up and down...even if it's actually not! Be sure to visually inspect from all angels before you set the cup sleeve. Once you ve adjusted the practice flag to your liking, set the cup sleeve by adding water over the dry concrete mix per the instructions on the bag. Make certain you continually check the position of the flag stick as you're compacting in stages! After you have finished installing the cup sleeve, SLOWLY REMOVE THE PUTTING CUP so that you don't move the cup! The cup sleeve should be level with the surface. Smooth out the area with your landscape rake, and then wet and roll over the area until it's completely smooth around the hole. Take your time! This is the most important area of the sub-base to be free of bumps and ridges! Even putting greens that receive frequent use can last 10+ years or longer. Over time, however, the cups can become loose and even rise up, which can cause the ball to catch on the lip or make the cup prone to becoming chipped. Adding concrete to your install process can eliminate these issues. RECAP 1. Once geotextile material and base have been laid and compacted, clear base from area where hole will be placed. 2. Cut X geotextile fabric and pin back 3. Use posthole diggers to create hole. Make hole slightly larger than cup sleeve to ensure ease of cup placement. 4. Assemble cup into sleeve and place in hole. 5. Use level to ensure cup is level. Cup should be at sight level with base. 6. Assemble flag pole and insert into cup. 7. From multiple angles, visually inspect from multiple angles to ensure flab pole dose not lean to one side. 8. Carefully add dry QuikCrete around and inside sleeve and add water. Allow cup to set for up to 4 hours. Replace fabric and base. 9

10 STEP 5. PREPARING THE TURF FOR INSTALLATION NOTE: The temperature should be at least 60 degrees during turf installation. It s necessary for the turf to remain pliable enough to conform completely to the sub-base and if seaming, for the adhesive to properly set-up. NOTE: SKIP TO STEP 8 IF YOUR GREEN DOES NOT REQUIRE SEAMING. STEP 6. CUTTING THE TURF FOR SEAMS IMPORTANT NOTE: You ll be on your knees during the cutting and seaming of the turf. We recommend kneeling on a bag of sand, and moving the bag to each place you kneel. Another option is to keep flat-footed while you squat-down to cut and seam. Kneeling directly on the turf might result in sub-base deficiencies. If the design for your green requires turf wider than the 15-foot width turf, you will have to cut and seam the turf length-wise. Before you cut the turf, make sure the fiber, or grain of the two pieces you are seaming together will be running in the same direction. What we call grain is really carpet crush. The fibers are bent over in one direction, which is caused by the turf being rolled around the core for shipping. The two pieces of turf that are to be seamed must be cut independently. The seam cuts can be made with the turf in position on the sub-base. Position and unroll the two pieces of turf onto the sub-base exactly how they will lay in their permanent position, butting them up side by side. Make sure the grain, or the carpet crush of the fibers are facing the same direction. Now roll the edges back about 4'. You'll notice that you cannot see the stitch rows on the back. That's because a special rubber backing covers the stitches. For a quality seam, this rubber back must be peeled back from the edges approximately 5" or 8 stitch rows. With a new blade installed in your utility knife, cut inbetween the second and third rows of stitching. Try to cut as straight as possible without cutting the stitches. KEEP THE BLADE BETWEEN THE ROWS OF STITCHES AT ALL TIMES. DO NOT CUT OVER THE STITCHES! Take your time cutting. A quality cut is the key to a quality seam. Repeat this step for the adjoining piece of turf. If you cut into the stitches, STOP! Then start over in-between the next row of stitches. In the unlikely event that need add to the length of your green, across the 15' width of the turf (hopefully, you ordered the correct length), you will need to perform a Head Seam. Use a chalk line to give you a straight edge across the width of the turf. This line will be directly across all of the seams. Cut a clean edge using a straight 10

11 edge and a sharp utility knife. You should replace the blade on your utility knife after about 20 of turf is cut. STEP 7. SEAMING THE TURF NOTE: To seam the turf evenly, at least two people are needed. You ll be on your knees during seaming of the turf. We recommend kneeling on a bag of sand, and moving the bag to each place you kneel. Another option is to keep flat-footed while you squat-down to seam. Kneeling directly on the turf might result in damage to the sub-base. Unroll the two pieces that were just cut and butt them together. Perform a Mock Seam by adjoining by butting the two turf pieces so that they are precisely touching one another. To insure that the turf stays in place, place bags of sand about 6 back from the seam on both sides of the turf, spaced out about 10 apart. Now, rollback the two pieces of turf about 4 feet, face down as you did when you cut the edges. Take the roll of seam tape and unroll it the length of the seam, directly down the middle of the seam area. Unroll the turf pieces back to their rolled back position. Apply the adhesive down the center of the seam tape about 3 wide. Use a 1/8 notched trowel to spread the adhesive. Trowel the adhesive over the center part of the seam tape, leaving about 4 5 wide path. BE SURE THERE ARE NO VOIDS IN ADHESIVE IN THE SEAM SPOT, FOR 3" WIDE. Pin the ends of the seam tape with large nails Be sure there are no voids in adhesive in the seam sweet spot Roll one of the pieces into the VERY CENTER OF THE SEAM TAPE where there are no voids in adhesive. The remaining piece of turf is rolled back differently. One person holds back one of the turf while the other person, whom we'll call the "seamer" is at the other end and slowly adjoins the two pieces of turf together The turf backing on both pieces turf should be touching, or very, very close to touching for a good seam. Continue to working down the length of the seam, while making certain the two pieces of turf are touching. When the seam is complete, walk up and down the seam. In the event any adhesive comes in contact with the 11

12 fibers, clean it off as soon as possible. This can be removed with Goof Off. STEP 8. TURF INSTALLATION If you had to seam your turf, you followed Step 6 and 7 and the turf is already on the sub-base. If you haven t seamed the turf, unroll the turf onto the sub-base. Lightly wet the base so it's a little bit moist. This prevents After the turf is rolled out and properly adjusted over the sub-base it's time to shape the border of your green. Your green will look professional if you round the edges and give it a natural looking border. Make your curves large and flowing. It will look un-natural if the border has too many little curves to it. Line up some rocks around an imaginary borderline, placing them about 6 inches apart. Adjust the rocks until you re completely satisfied with the imaginary border design. With a utility knife, and new blade, cut on top of the turf, cutting directly through the middle of the rocks as the rocks are pushed to the side by the utility knife. Do this swiftly and quickly keeping the knife flowing. If you go too slow you will tend to cut jagged. We recommend practicing on the outer corners of turf first. NOTE: Don t lose sight of where the holes are! We recommend placing a landscape flag in the cup hole so it s easy to locate the holes. It s very difficult to find the holes after you ve added the silica sand! STEP 9. INFILL APLICATION Be sure to use Respirator Masks, as airborne silica dust can be harmful to your lungs. Read the label on the silica sand bag for more information It is important to note that the turf must stay dry during the silica sand spreading process. If the silica sand or turf gets wet, the silica sand will clump together. If this occurs, you must wait until the sand is completely dry before resuming. It's wise to have a plastic tarp handy in case of rain. The silica sand is applied with either a drop spreader or broadcast spreader, both of which are commonly used for spreading fertilize. Fill up your spreader and spread the silica sand as evenly as possible. Start from the outside and work your way in, in a circular pattern. Repeat this step several times. Some of the silica sand will hang-up on top. Take a soft bristled push broom, and brush the sand into the fibers. Don t over fill green with silica sand! You should NOT see the sand when you re finished. Or at least you should barely see it when looking directly downward. If the border of the green doesn't seem to have as much in-fill material as the rest of the green, spread extra on the edges and other areas that are thin, and brush until the sand is level throughout the green. You can spread these hard to get areas by hand or with a shovel. That s it, you re finished!! It s time to get your putter and balls out and start working on your short game! 12

13 STEP 10. BORDER STAKES Use landscape staples for the border stakes. If you ordered border stakes with your order, stake the entire perimeter of the green, spaced about 3 feet apart, and approximately ¼ from the edge. Try not to bury the fibers with the head of the stake. STEP 11. CUTTING OUT THE HOLES Before cutting the cup holes out, be sure you ve removed any wrinkles and slack in your turf. This can be accomplished by pulling the opposite ends of the turf, or by kicking the wrinkles to the edges. Don t expect the turf to adhere tightly to the sub-base at this stage. It will lay somewhat loose, especially in areas where there is extra slope. The weight of the silica sand will anchor the turf snugly to the sub-base. Cut out the cup holes. Locate the position of the cup holes by pressing the turf with your fingers until you feel the holes. With a utility knife, AND NEW BLADE cut an "X" inside the hole. This will create four pie-shaped pieces. Grab the tip of one of the pieces, pull it towards the center, away from the edge of the cup, and cut around the inner edge of the cup, using the inside cup as your guide. Use short "saw like motions" with the utility kinife. Repeat this step with the other pie pieces. After the holes are cut, stuff a rag or a wad of paper inside the cup to prevent sand from entering the hole during the sand spreading process. STEP 12. OTHER TIPS AND HINTS USE EXTRA OR TRIMMED PIECES OF TURF FOR CHIPPING/DRIVING MATS! ProGreen turf is ideal for chipping and driving mats. If you have any turf scraps remaining, you can use them for driving and/or chipping mats. You can even cut several scraps to make a variety of different approaches to the green. To install the mats, first clear a spot, making it as flat as possible. Lay the turf down and stake around the border with border stakes. Make sure you pull the turf tightly while staking. Adding Fringe Call for instructions on how to do this and we'll send you the instructions. 13

14 SAND TRAP INSTALLATION The first thing you must consider is drainage. If the sand trap you're installing is on a slope or incline, drainage shouldn't be a problem. If this is the case, you can skip steps B and C. If not, you'll have to build a drain. A. Dig out the spot where you want your sand trap to be. You will need approximately six inches of sand depth. If your trap will be on an incline or slope, or drains naturally, skip to step D. B. If your sand trap does not drain naturally, dig a center drain hole about ten inches deep, approximately two to three feet in diameter, as shown here. C. Fill the drain hole with cobblestone or river rock, three- to four-inch diameter rock. (see diagram below). D. Line the sand trap floor with a geo-textile webbing, also known as weed block fabric, which works well. This webbing separates the soil from the sand, and prevents weeds from growing underneath the sand. Fill your sand trap with bunker sand or washed masonry sand. If your sand and gravel company or home and garden center doesn t have this type of sand, call your local golf course greens keeper to ask where you can purchase it locally. While you have them on the line, you might also ask where you can purchase a sand-trap rake. 14