A Golf Course Lawn: How I saved $1000 – DIY Lawn Care
I’ve been trying to get my lawn to look like a golf course for as long as I’ve been mowing lawns. As a 14-year-old kid, I would spend an extra 90 minutes on the lawn each week cross-cutting it to get the checkerboard golf course look. A little OCD maybe? I’m pretty sure that getting my lawn to play like a tightly cut fairway is beyond the time, money and energy I’m willing to put into it. Making it look nice though seems like a reasonable and worthwhile pursuit. My lawn looked better this year than it ever has. Hopefully you read my first post on 7 Ways to get your Lawn Like a Golf Course. After spending tons of money on my lawn last year I fired my lawn service company and saved over $1000 this year with DIY lawn care.
A Golf Course Lawn- I Saved Over $1000
I was a little shocked by the numbers myself. This is not an exaggeration though. I saved over $1000 this year by taking care of my own lawn. Before making the change to DIY lawn care I read a lot of websites and articles about caring for your lawn. I was nervous that I would ruin it. There have been some bumps along the way but my lawn looks way better than it ever did when I was paying the professionals.
1. Fertilizer- $250 in savings
Last year I paid about $500 for a company to fertilize my lawn for the year. They came out 7 times and were seemingly spraying water on my lawn. I don’t feel like my lawn ever looked much greener. I do admit that they helped with the weeds in my lawn though which I was happy about.
This year I started using the Scotts My Lawn App. It tells me the 4-5 times I need to fertilize each year. A good trick is to remember to fertilize around the major holidays (Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Halloween). I ended spending about $250 on fertilizer this year. My most recent purchase at Amazon was for the winter fertilizer. It cost me $12.50 a bag instead of $20 everywhere else. I just found that you can buy all of Scotts lawn products for the season on amazon in one shipment. They have options for small or large lawns.
2. Lawn Mowing- $50 in savings
My lawn service company tricked me into mowing my lawn last year for $50. I honestly don’t know why I agreed to do it. I think I must have been on vacation or something and so told them they could. This year I did it all myself. I enjoy mowing my lawn and for the 30 minutes it takes me each week I wouldn’t pay anyone to do it.
3. Dethatching/Aerating- $200 in savings
It’s that time of year when golf courses shut down for a few days for their fall aerification. Last year was the first time I ever dethatched and aerated my lawn. I figured if I wanted a golf course lawn then I should aerate too. Last year I spent $450 for my lawn service company to do it for me. This year I rented some equipment in the spring for $120. This fall I bought a Sun Joe Dethatcher for $130 on Amazon. Lowes and Walmart also sold it but for $150. It worked just as well as the bigger ones I had rented, and now I don’t have to rent anymore.
4. Overseeding- $350
For a lush and green lawn they say you should aerate and overseed every year. Last year my lawn company did this for me. They said they bought “premium seed” for $350. A few days after fertilizing I noticed that every bird in the county was on my lawn eating my “premium” grass seed. The lawn service company told me to stay outside and scare off the birds so that my grass would grow (that is not joke). I ended up firing them after that because I figured why would I pay someone to tell me to scare birds off my lawn.
This year Lowes had a special for free grass seed when you purchased another fertilizer product. I was buying the fertilizer anyways and so I got some free grass seed with it. For some reason the birds don’t like the seed this year as much as they did last year. Maybe I will get some new grass growing this year. At least I saved myself the $350 from having my lawn care company do it. If you want to have a golf course lawn, and save $350, then overseed yourself.
5. Pest Control- $450
I thought I would throw this in their too. My lawn care company also specialized in pest control. I never bought anything from them and have always done this on my own. This year some college kid knocked on my door to sell us pest control. I caved and signed a $570 contract for the year.
10 minutes later I ran down the street and told him to tear up my contract. I bought a backpack pump sprayer on amazon for $70 and $50 worth of bug spray concentrate that will last me for three years. I don’t notice the spiders anymore which is good enough for me. Coincidentally the sprayer is on sale for $50 right now
$1300 in Savings
In the end I saved a little over $1300 this year in lawn care. It is ridiculous how much I was paying people to do something I could easily do myself. My lawn this year is way better than it ever has been. Don’t waste your money paying someone else to do something you can easily do. DIY lawn care will save you tons of money and increase the curb appeal of your home.
About the Author
I am a husband, father, ER doctor, and an avid golfer. With a handicap of 3.2 I have a fairly legitimate claim to be among the Top 100 Physician Golfers in the United States. You can read more about my story on my about page. Feel free to contact me or follow my sites on social media
