Score Golf

Two weeks ago, teaching pro Bill Green installed a new putting green at Hubbard Driving Range in Summerfield. He hasn't touched it since. "I've built a putting green before," Green said, "and there's a lot of maintenance involved ... a lot of daily maintenance. With this you don't have any."

Pro Putt Synthetic Golf Systems, a Canada-based company, uses a synthetic fiber (fibre) and silica sand over crushed rock over compacted soil to create a base that, unlike artificial turf used in domed football stadiums and the Brady Bunch's backyard, has an earthy feel, only smoother.

The putting green at Hubbard is used mainly for teaching and will be featured in Green's newly-forming "40 Days of Better Golf" academy (call 875-3978 for details).

"You always get the same conditions, " Green said. "It gives you a better feel because you know what to expect."

Economically the benefits are long lasting, Green said.

In Marion county right now, courses may only be watered twice a week. But the synthetic never needs watering. Over the long haul (short haul, even, as Green said his green cost "less than adding a deck to a house, less than a jacuzzi"), it pays for itself.