I want to make a 1-hole pitch & putt in my new yard

[Rykymus]

So, we just bought a house on 1.17 acres. The house and yard are about in the middle, and the lot is about 45 yards wide across the back. (A little wider at the street) I have about 50 yards from the back edge of the pool to the tall trees that line the back fence to work with. My wife likes the idea of having a nice grass fairway down the middle of the area. (She would plant fruit trees on either side.) There is a planter along the backside of the pool that is slightly off-center of the yard that we plan to rip-up (it has poison ivy growing init.) I thought I would put my teeing area there. (Probably half grass/half hitting mat, for when the grass needs a break). I'm not sure if I should do a real putting green, or an astro-turf one. I don't mind taking care of it, as I would get a ton of enjoyment out of it. (I work at home, so I like to go out and hit some balls a few times per day, at least.) I may even put a sand trap or two. If it matters, this is in the DFW area. I'll probably string a catch-net in the trees along the back, just to be safe. I think I could do it and make it pretty well hidden in the trees. Not sure how much any of this would cost. It will definitely be a lot of work and take some time, but the idea of being able to walk out my back door, chip 10-20 balls to the putting green 40 yards away, and then walking out and putting them all in, then going back to work...dreams.

Any ideas or words of wisdom would be appreciated.

[Piz]

You might consider a pitch and chip layout.  Instead of maintaining a green, or greens, you devise a challenge that doesn't require putting.  Also known as "Pasture Golf" this type of set-up features a much larger "hole"...typically a dry wall bucket.  

[Rykymus]

I want a fairway. Mainly because we have all that space behind us, and we need to do something besides having weeds and wild flowers. That, and my short game typically sucks.

[billchao]

I don't have any experience with backyard practice greens, but from what I've read about them, real turf requires a lot of work in maintenance, chemicals, and a special mower. The location is important, too, because putting greens don't tend to do well in the shade. You have the ability to change your hole location as well as the other obvious advantages of being a real putting green.

Synthetic turf requires a higher initial cost, but they're significantly easier to maintain. You can put it pretty much anywhere since fake grass doesn't need sunlight. You're stuck with where you place the hole, though, so I think if you have a big enough green, you would just have multiple hole locations, which may or may not be what you want if you're thinking about a pitch and putt hole rather than just a practice green.

[Patch]

Go with synthetic turf for green area. Real grass would be great, but unless you have mower that will cut the grass close enough to roll a ball like a golf course green does, your putting will suffer.

Another plus of using synthetic turf is you can change the green's slopes and valleys much easier. That way you won't see the same chips and putts all the time. 

Real grass for a fairway would work just fine, and a regular mower would suffice. 

Also as a side note, a one hole plan is great. However, to save yourself some foot steps, put, a hole at each end of your fairway. 

Don't forget draining excess water off your green(s) if needed.

Edited July 26, 2018 by Patch