I started installing artificial turf in 2004 when I purchased a franchise from a leading putting green company. I learned all the best techniques for installing artificial grass and synthetic greens. What I should have been taught was how to avoid maintenance for the customer. When I found a better way to install a golf green, I decided to become an independent installer. In 2009, I started using a paneling system for the base of the putting greens made by Tour Links. I still build the golf green base using compacted stone, but I now also use the latest version of the Tour Links panel called, Ultrabase, and I also now use a paneling system from EasyLock Panels. I have learned that this base system is necessary to avoid all of the maintenance issues that plague the industry. The benefits of using these panels are: they provide a consistent putting surface for the life of the green, they answer the issues associated with expansion and contraction that can occur with artificial turf as the panels have a barb system built on top that holds the turf in place, and most importantly, moisture is swept away from the turf surface through the drainage holes that are built into the interlocking panels.