If you’re considering whether to install artificial grass at your Portland home, you may be interested in enhancing the curb appeal of your home, looking forward to cutting time and energy and maintenance costs, and excited about your lawn being green in the hot summer weather. But there’s another perk you may not have thought of—artificial grass is a great surface for outdoor activities and games.
With an artificial lawn in Portland, your backyard gets a level up as the place to be, whether it’s a casual night with your neighbors and friends, a holiday party, a summer barbecue, or a family reunion. Hosting gatherings and having games available will be a snap.
Here are five ideas to get you started:

1. Putting Green

Maybe your kids enjoy some putt-putt golf or you’re looking to hone your own skills on the green. This is a great way to have family game night or challenge your friends and family to a little competition and teamwork. A natural grass putting green requires a lot of maintenance, such as making sure the grass is cut before your part and working hard to keep the grass even and green in the area. With an artificial grass golfing green in your backyard, there’s almost no maintenance needed, so you can focus on setting up for your gathering instead of detailing the green.
Putting greens can also be made customizable, maybe even filling up those awkwardly shaped corners you aren’t sure what to do with otherwise. This way, your space can fit many different configurations, ensuring many happy hours of putting in your future.

2. Children’s Play Area

Sometimes, artificial grass is also called “outdoor playground carpet,” and it’s certainly apt. Since the grass is composed of several layers, there are fewer opportunities for bumps, cuts, scrapes, and abrasions. The top layer is made of polypropylene or other manmade fibers, then there is a backing and cushioning, which provides the artificial grass with some give and a little bounce.
Depending on which way you go, the infill beneath that can also be made of recycled rubber or natural cork, making it even better fall protection and shock absorption for children. Synthetic grass is robust enough to withstand the high traffic a playground or backyard playhouse area can receive, while also being a safe surface that looks good no matter what.
If you’re planning to build a community playground or children’s play space in a public setting, you can obtain LEED certification and LEED points when you use these artificial and recycled materials. And it doesn’t stop there: points can also be accumulated for water efficiency, recycled or recovered materials used in the project, and low emissions materials used.

3. Bocce Ball

A bocce ball court may usually be made of concrete, crushed oyster shells, gravel, or sand, but artificial grass is another excellent surface to play on. It’s a quality surface for this game—think of it as lawn bowling. If there’s a groove or a dip in the sand, that could cause you to lose points.
On an artificial grass surface, not only will the balls have a smooth surface to roll and minimal bounce (something that’s good for a solid game of bocce ball), but you won’t have to go back and fill in any divots that might have been created, in previous games or by way of footprints. This makes for a clean, smooth game, without many interruptions. The durability of the turf won’t allow it. And a lush green lawn looks a lot better than a concrete court. When the game is over, the synthetic grass still looks like a beautifully landscaped feature.

4. Water Balloon Wars and Squirt Gun Fights

One of the advantages of having an artificial grass lawn in Portland is that you don’t have to worry about watering it. While the Pacific Northwest has a reputation for being rainy, the increasingly warm summers can still dry out lawns and make grass dry, yellow, prickly, and unpleasant to walk on. Artificial grass doesn’t have this problem. There’s no need to water it, and it always looks newly grown.
But just because you don’t have to water your artificial lawn doesn’t mean that you can’t water it. When the weather gets hot, kids (and adults!) love to play in the water. Whether it’s a battle royale with water balloons or squirt guns, a slip-n-slide with a garden hose, or running through the sprinkler, enjoying the water will keep you cool and give your family some fun in the sun. Artificial grass is the perfect surface for your family’s water games.
Natural grass can become soggy with too much water. It’s planted in soil, which usually soaks up that water. But it can only absorb so much before the water starts to puddle on the grass. This can make for a slippery and muddy surface. Artificial grass is installed with the draining system, however, so excess water isn’t an issue. Plus, since the soil is buried below, mud won’t be an issue either. There also won’t be puddles of water where pests and mold might gather and grow. That drainage will let all the water go, ensuring that you’ll never have to deal with a flooded yard.

5. Backyard Soccer

Soccer requires a lot of running, and one difference you may notice between natural playing fields and artificial grass is that the artificial grass is a non-slip surface to run on. A natural lawn can also have uneven sections, bumps, or dips in the ground, which means the game can be a little slower. A player wouldn’t want to hit one of these, trip, and fall over. It’s not a concern with artificial grass, as the ground is even, and slipping is less of a risk.
Another benefit of sports on artificial turf is that you can play on it more. Without having to water, fertilize, mow, and otherwise maintain a natural grass soccer field, you can use the space without having to wait for the work to be done. You can also still finish your game of soccer in inclement weather, such as heavy rain and even light snow, since artificial grass absorbs and drains the moisture better than natural grass.
All of these activities are a snap to put together for a casual game or to entertain at your house party. Does it sound perfect for your yard? Contact the experts at Sportech to see how we can elevate your Portland home with artificial grass.