Artificial Grass Putting Green and Paving in a Dubai Villa
Urban Flooring supplied and fitted artificial grass through the garden, terrace and courtyard of a villa in Dubai, including a shaped putting green with cups set into it. Most of the work was not laying a lawn. It was cutting grass to fit around paving, stepping stones and a curved green edge.
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Project at a Glance
- Location
- Dubai
- Property
- Private villa
- Areas
- Garden, terrace, courtyard and a putting green
- Surface
- Artificial grass
- Detail
- Grass shaped to a curved green edge, cut around stepping slabs and stones, and set into the joints of a paver grid
- Putting green
- Shaped surface with cups set in, two visible in the photograph
- Media
- 4 project photos
- Scope
- Supply and installation of the grass, Urban Flooring in-house team
- Area served
- Dubai, Abu Dhabi and all seven emirates
Grass Between the Pavers
A paver grid with grass joints is the slowest artificial grass work there is. The terrace in these photographs has dozens of slabs, and every strip of grass between them was measured, cut and fixed on its own. A lawn of the same area is a fraction of the labour.
The difficulty is that a narrow strip has almost no material to hold it down. A lawn is anchored by its own weight and by a fixed perimeter. A strip a hand's width across has neither, so each one has to be cut a fraction tight and seated against the slab edges on both sides. Cut it loose and it lifts at a corner within weeks. Cut it too tight and it buckles into a ridge you can feel underfoot.
The lines also have to read straight. A paver grid is a set of parallel lines the eye can measure instantly, so a strip that wanders by a few millimetres over two metres is visible from the house. There is nowhere to hide a correction.
Shaping the Putting Green
A putting green is the one part of a garden where the surface has to perform, not just look right. Two things separate it from a lawn: the turf is a different product, and the base underneath it has to be far flatter.
Flatness is the part people underestimate. A garden lawn hides a shallow dip because there is nothing to measure it against. On a green, a ball travelling slowly over the last metre will find a dip of a few millimetres and turn away from the hole. Every deviation shows up as a putt that missed, so the base is worked to a tighter tolerance than any lawn would need.
The cups are set through the surface into the base below, with the turf cut cleanly around each rim so the edge does not fray or lift when a ball drops in. Two are visible in the photograph.
The green in these photographs is a free shape rather than a circle, with a long curved edge running into the planted border. A curved edge takes considerably longer than a straight one. The grass has to be cut to the curve, held against it and finished so the join reads as a clean line rather than a series of short cuts.
A putting green costs more per square metre than a garden lawn, and a paver grid with grass joints costs more again per square metre than either. Both are labour, not material. If the goal is simply to replace a lawn that will not grow, neither is necessary. These are finishes you choose because you want the garden to do something specific.
The Path and the Courtyard
The same cutting work runs through the rest of the plot in a quieter form.
Along the side path, large rectangular slabs sit in the grass with a joint of only a few centimetres around each one. Every slab is a separate cut on four sides, and because the slabs are not perfectly regular, no two cuts are the same. The white pebble border along the wall gives the grass a second edge to finish against.
In the courtyard the stepping stones are round, which is harder again. A round cut has no straight reference to work from and no corner to hide an error, so each stone is scribed and cut to its own outline. The grass also finishes against travertine paving on one side and a stone-clad planter on the other, both of which need a clean edge.
None of this is visible as work when it is finished, which is the point. What you notice is that the grass sits flat against everything it meets.
Urban Flooring supplied and fitted the artificial grass. The paving, stepping stones, planting, stonework, pergola and lighting shown were already in place or fitted by others.
Where This Kind of Work Suits a UAE Home
- Terraces and driveways where a paver grid needs green joints rather than gravel or mortar
- Courtyards and side returns too small or too shaded for a lawn to be worth attempting
- Gardens with a putting green, a play surface or another area that has to perform
- Roof terraces and podium gardens where a lawn is not possible and detail work carries the whole look
Pile heights, product ranges and indicative prices are on our artificial grass and outdoor carpet page. For a villa garden laid as a full lawn, see our Al Suyoh villa project in Sharjah. For hard outdoor surfaces we also fit WPC decking and wet pour rubber.
Putting Green and Paving FAQs
Can artificial grass be laid between pavers?
Yes, and it is a common finish for terraces and driveways. Each joint is measured and cut as its own strip, then seated against the slab edges so it cannot lift. It costs more per square metre than a lawn because almost all of it is cutting rather than laying.
How narrow can a grass strip between pavers be?
Narrow strips are possible, but the thinner the strip the more carefully it has to be cut and fixed, because there is less material holding it in place. Very thin joints are better filled with jointing sand or mortar. We advise on the practical minimum when we measure.
Will grass strips between pavers lift or move underfoot?
Not if each strip is cut to a close fit and seated properly against both slab edges. Lifting is a fitting fault, not a material fault, and it usually starts at a corner that was cut slightly short. A strip that is too tight is the opposite problem and ridges up.
What makes putting green turf different from garden grass?
Putting turf has a much shorter, denser pile so a ball rolls true instead of being deflected by the blades. Garden grass is longer and softer, which looks and feels better underfoot but is unplayable. Our artificial grass page sets out the pile heights for each use.
Why does a putting green need a flatter base than a lawn?
Because a slow-moving ball finds any dip. A lawn can carry a shallow deviation nobody will ever notice, but on a green the same deviation sends a putt off line over the final metre. The base under a green is worked to a tighter tolerance for that reason alone.
How are the holes made in an artificial putting green?
A cup is set through the surface into the base beneath it, and the turf is cut cleanly around the rim so the edge cannot fray or pull up when a ball drops in. The cup sits flush with the surface. Position is set out before the turf is fixed down.
Can a putting green be added to a garden that already has grass?
Yes. The area for the green is lifted, the base beneath it is reworked to the flatter tolerance a green needs, and the putting turf is joined to the surrounding grass at a shaped edge. It is a separate build inside an existing garden rather than a patch.
Do weeds grow through grass laid between pavers?
A weed membrane under the grass stops growth from below, which is where garden weeds come from. Seed blown onto the surface can germinate in trapped debris, so joints are worth brushing or rinsing occasionally. This is the same maintenance any paved area needs, not a fault of the grass.
Planning a Putting Green, or a Terrace with Grass Joints?
Send us the area and a photograph of the space and we will come back with a measured quote. Detail work like this is priced on the cutting, not just the square metres, so a site visit gives you a far more accurate figure. Site visits and measurements are free anywhere in the UAE.
Or call +971 56 689 9831 · See more projects
Urban Flooring Maintenance and Decor Works 7 24A Street, Al Quoz Industrial First, Al Quoz, Dubai, UAEHours: Saturday to Thursday, 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM GST, Friday closed
Phone: +971 56 689 9831 · Email: info@urbanfloorings.com
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