When Jim Wise and the other teaching professionals at Medina Country Club in Ohio went looking for a supplier and installer of putting greens and hitting turf for their new Golf Academy facility, Tour Greens Ohio was not even on their original list. As they learned more about the innovative Tour Greens practice greens and visited other installations by Matt Mormon's team at Tour Greens Ohio, the choice became obvious.
The Project
As one of the largest and most successful PGA Junior League program operators in the country, Jim's first goal was to create an indoor practice facility that would replicate most of what the Academy's students would experience on an actual course. The facility included:
- A Tour Greens Short Game Green with undulating green, practice bunker and multiple chipping surfaces
- A flat, 70 foot long putting surface
- Indoor hitting bays and outdoor tee line featuring Ultimate Tee turf
Chipping & Pitching Practice
To create an environment where one could practice the various shots around the green, Matt and his team designed an area complete with mounds, a sand bunker, and multiple types of artificial grass including:
- Fringe turf
- Rough turf
- Fairway turf
The team at Tour Greens Ohio then utilized its proven construction methods to create the contoured bases, lay and connect the turf for a "seamless" experience.
The Greens
Unlike many indoor putting greens, the Tour Greens putting green system utilizes an artificial turf product featuring texturized fibers and a taller pile height that combine with the turf infill and padded underlayment to create a putting surface that truly looks, feels and reacts like one on the tour.
The primary Short Game Green featured a number of holes for practicing all types of putts from a wide variety of distances.
A separate, "dead flat" putting surface was also installed along the side of the wall so that students could master their putting skills even further.
Outdoor Tee Line
In addition to the indoor practice area, the team at Tour Greens Ohio also integrated this 7 foot wide, 800 foot long tee line featuring XGrass Ultimate Tee turf. This turf holds a real tee and allows players to experience a true feel when using a natural, down and through swing.
The tee line turf was surrounded by a 40 feet of artificial grass lawn turf that provided plenty of room for students, teachers and others to watch golfers as well as a place to hold events and entertain.