8 Backyard Turf Ideas: Create a Multi-Functional Backyard With Artificial Grass

Backyard Turf Ideas

Are you looking to increase the functionality of your backyard? 

How about enhancing your landscaping and making your yard more fun to spend time in? 

Perhaps you just want to save time and money.

Regardless of the motivation, you owe it to yourself to consider a beautiful, low-maintenance artificial grass installation at your home.

There’s a reason why synthetic turf is recommended by many landscape architects, pet experts, golf instructors, and more. 

This article will highlight some backyard turf ideas and explore the more popular ways to incorporate artificial turf into your outdoor living areas.

1. Create a Mini-Dog Park

1. Create a Mini-Dog Park in Your Backyard

Pet owners know how difficult it can be to maintain a beautiful natural lawn when you have pets. 

No amount of time and effort can overcome the effects of multiple dogs taking care of their business in your yard.

Turn that negative into a positive by using natural-looking artificial turf to create a mini dog park in your backyard! 

Your dogs will love it, and so will those of your guests. 

You’ll love it because you’ll never have to worry about brown dog urine spots, holes, and other problems caused by our furbabies.

Artificial grass stays green all year long and can stand up to whatever abuse the dogs may dish out. 

It’s low maintenance, drains well, and comes pre-treated to resist pet odors. 

Pet turf comes in a choice of materials, pile height, density, infill, and more to fit the exact needs of your yard and the pets who will be using it. 

2. Install Between Pavers

2. Install Between Pavers 

Stone, slate, tile, and concrete pavers can add much to a yard and overall landscape. 

Whether you have existing pavers or are thinking of adding them to your yard, using artificial grass between and around pavers is a great alternative.

Due to the relatively narrow gaps in most paver layouts, caring for regular grass can be a real chore. 

In addition to mowing, weeding, and controlling pests, you’ve got to do a massive amount of edging to keep everything looking neat.

Artificial grass eliminates all of that. 

Your lawn will always be as neat as when first installed. 

You’ll see lush, green, natural-looking grass year-round, every time you look.

3. Create a Kid-Safe Play Area

3. Create a Kid-Safe Play Area

Did you know artificial grass can be safer than natural grass? 

A lot of people don’t realize that. 

Due to the materials used today to manufacture turf and infill and to provide cushioning power beneath the grass layer.

Artificial turf can help soften the blow of children tripping or falling off play equipment. 

And it is certainly less likely to cause cuts and scrapes than alternative materials like mulch and pebbles.

Artificial grass is also easy to clean, keeping your play area safe and sanitary for children. 

You’ll love the low maintenance, natural appearance, and absence of mud.

For more kid-friendly landscaping inspiration, check out our list of 12 backyard ideas for kids.

4. Add a Custom Backyard Putting Green

4. Add a Custom Backyard Putting Green

Backyard putting greens are becoming steadily more popular as families realize how much fun they are for adults and children alike. 

For the avid golfer, having a putting green in your yard is the single most effective thing you can do to improve your game, according to many golf experts.

If you’re considering adding a putting green in your yard, you can’t go wrong with artificial grass. 

Artificial grass has several advantages for putting greens over regular grass, such as:

  • Provides a true natural roll for the golf ball
  • Realistic green speeds mimic actual course play,
  • Lifelike feel and appearance.

Artificial grass is used by PGA professionals, golf instructors, tour players, and most of the better golf training and entertainment facilities and for good reason. 

It’s beautiful, low maintenance, and always ready to help you improve your game.

Polypropylene and nylon are the most popular materials for artificial putting greens. 

Polypropylene turf is cheaper, more popular, and not as dense as nylon. 

This type requires infill material and regular brushing to keep the grass blades upright. 

However, polypropylene is great for shots from any distance. 

The infill holds golf balls well, with minimal bounce.

Nylon turf is of a higher quality than polypropylene and doesn’t require infill because the material is stiff enough to stand up straight over long periods.

Because of the manufacturing process, nylon synthetic turf is more expensive. 

It’s also not recommended for shots over 30 yards due to the bounce factor caused by the material’s firmness.

Additional artificial turf putting green resources:

8 Backyard Turf Ideas: Create a Multi-Functional Backyard With Artificial Grass 1

5. Install Around Your Pool 

Few things are more satisfying after a long hot day than a dip in the swimming pool. 

Installing artificial grass around your pool beautifies the entire landscape and helps cut down on slipping and sliding as people walk around.

Another big advantage of synthetic turf around swimming pools is the lack of mud and debris compared to a regular lawn. 

You can skip having mud tracked across your patio and in your house, and avoid mud and debris that is stuck to people’s feet from getting into your pool. 

Artificial grass helps maintain a sparkling pool and relaxing backyard setting.

To learn more about artificial grass around swimming pools, check out the following resources:

6. Transform Patio or Outdoor Living Space

6. Transform a Patio or Outdoor Living Space 

Patios and balconies extend your living space to the outdoors. 

Just as a beautiful green lawn improves the appearance of your house, so can artificial turf scale up the look of your patio or balcony.

Lush and lovely, artificial grass helps ensure a smooth glide as you walk and feels great on bare feet. 

It’s easy to clean up spilled drinks and food or animal messes. 

Dust can be rinsed away with a quick hose-down, and there’s no mud to track into your clean home.

For a complete buyer’s guide on patio turf check out: How To Choose The Best Fake Grass for Patios & Outdoor Living Spaces.

7. Create a Lush Green Side-Yard

7. Creating a Lush Green Side-Yard

Side yards are challenging. 

They usually get a lot less sun than other portions of your yard, complicating landscaping choices and making it harder to grow grass that’s up to par with the rest of your lawn. 

The answer, of course, is to use artificial grass. 

Synthetic turf is beautiful on its own and even more so when coupled in a side yard with careful landscaping, such as walkway pavers and shade-loving plants.

8. Add a Bocce Ball Court

8. Add a Bocce Ball Court

There was a time when most families had a traditional croquet set and played it often in the yard. 

Nowadays, you’re more likely to see bocce ball. 

Bocce ball is great fun! 

It is sort of a cross between curling, bowling, and shuffleboard. 

The players roll small balls down a long court, which is typically about 60’ long and 12’ wide for a home installation. 

Players try to get further down the court than their opponent. 

In the process, they try to knock their opponent’s balls out of play. 

Flat, level ground is essential. 

Artificial turf makes a terrific bocce ball court. 

Like a putting green, installing a bocce ball court in your backyard can increase your home’s value

It also provides another outlet for outdoor entertaining – adults love it – and fun activity for kids that might entice them to put down those electronics for a while.

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Wrapping Up Our List of 8 Backyard Turf Ideas

As we’ve shown you above in our list of backyard turf ideas, many terrific uses for artificial turfs exist around your home. 

Synthetic grass stays green all year, never needs watering, and doesn’t require pesticides or fertilizers to look great. 

It can save you substantial time and money over its typical 20-year lifespan.

With synthetic turf, there’s no mowing, no problem maintaining consistent growth in shady areas, and no worn spots from heavy traffic. 

Lastly, there are no pet stains, discoloration, insect damage, or muddy spots.

For top-quality materials and quality in artificial grass installation, count on Ideal Turf

We encourage you to read our customer reviews. 

Convenient financing is available, too. 

For a free design and installation estimate, click the GET A QUOTE button or call us at (800) 204-4650.

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