Ultimate Backyard

A handful of humble suggestions if you are aspiring to an outdoor upgrade in time for summer

The Green

Let’s start at the beginning, at ground level, you might say. We club golfers are unlikely to spend the hours on the putting green that the pros do, but a green in the backyard makes putting practice more convenient than ever, it adds a sporting challenge to those summer barbeques, looks great and ultimately will shave shots off your next round of golf. When you think about it in these clear and objective terms, the backyard green is not a luxury, no, not amid these pages; it’s a necessity.

We have done some scouting around, checking turf quality, installation process and durability, and we can recommend GolfGreens by ForeverLawn.

Importantly, GolfGreens does not peddle just a single putting green solution. There are so many variables with putting green installations in terms of size, location, undulations, speed and level of required care, and so GolfGreens provides a bespoke service to ensure each installation matches the requirements and preferences of each customer.

“Unbeknownst to most consumers, there’s an underlying discussion in the backyard residential golf green community,” explains GolfGreens’ James Rekart. “A lot of companies o er just one product, but we’re not in one camp or another. We have four di erent products, and we help customers navigate to the right one for their backyard.

“We have layout artists and designers and specialists that put it all together, working to a customer’s design or to their vision. Every step of the way we communicate with customers on the turf, the square footage, the undulation and making sure they get exactly what they want.”

It might start as a passion for game improvement, yet ends as an improvement in quality time at home with family and friends as well. No one loses in this game.

The Putter

There is only so much putting improvement you can achieve without the right equipment in your hands. We would always recommend you try before you buy with all equipment, but the new Queen B Series from Bettinardi catches the eye and feels great in the hands. Made from 303 Stainless Steel, the Queen B putters feature Bettinardi’s new Mini Honeycomb face milling to promote a soft feel at impact.

The Music

Try the P9 wireless high-fidelity music system from Escape. Undercover are five speakers, an optimized deep polypropylene cone, linear flat spider and a vented voice coil driven by a powerful magnet. Built with a 20cm subwoofer, the built-in audiophile amplifier boasts output of 100 Watt RMS. It wants for nothing.

The Coolbox

The Dometic Patrol 35 ice chest does not just keep ice frozen for hours; peerless insulation keeps ice solid for days. So you are covered: if the putting becomes a marathon the drinks won’t get warm. It even comes with a fishing rod holder (ideal for spare golf balls).