Yes, the corner is artifical turf. I didn't want a concrete jungle and my kids wanted to have a putting green. It was a great compromise. It also is great for large sized yard games like jenga & yahtzee. We still have grass on the other side, but I wish we turfed everything.
So far, we have just had to blow it off. We have mulch that fell while settling, but it hasn't aggravated me enough to pick it up piece by piece.