There are two main types of synthetic turf – nylon and polypropylene. Which one you install depends on how you intend to use the turf –for putting, chipping, receiving distance shots, etc. – and what your budget is.
Polypropylene is a type of plastic, and is generally a little less expensive than nylon, but requires a little more maintenance. Polypropylene fibers can’t stand up on their own. To make them stand upright and to prevent them from becoming matted down, you have to brush in an infill, usually sand.
Polyproylene turf may also require occasional “rolling” with a lawn roller. This curls the tops of the polypropylene fibers back into the infill to give the ball a smoother roll, free of oscillations.
The lower cost of polypropylene can make it a good choice for covering a large area. Additionally, the infill makes it ideally suited to receive long-distance shots – the sand helps disperse the force of the impact to prevent the ball from bouncing.
Polypropylene putting greens are often used as "fringe" turf, providing an outside border to your nylon putting green.
Nylon turf tends to have a slightly higher cost, but requires virtually no maintenance, as it needs zero to minimal sand fill. Heat-set during the manufacturing process, nylon turf resists becoming matted by springing back to its original upright position. However, in spite of this, over time, it can become compacted, irreparably increasing the speed of the ball roll.
Nylon turf is at less risk for UV damage than polypropylene and makes an excellent putting surface, which is maintained easily by blowing or sweeping debris away. However, putting is all a nylon turf is good for. If you chip to a nylon putting surface, the fibers can make the ball bounce.
Keith Thykeson is a PGA professional instructor for a California country club, and also runs Pioneer Golf of Thousand Oaks, California, a synthetic greens installation company. He specializes in nylon turf that uses an infill to prevent matting, offering a best-of-both-worlds solution to the nylon vs. polypropylene dilemma.
