We would like to know which surface you would most like to have installed during the upcoming park’s development. The idea is to find out which court surface is desired and whether to have one or two different types of tennis court surface/s. The information below gives a brief summary of the characteristics of the four most popular tennis court surfaces used in Great Britain. You can click HERE to do the very quick two questions survey.
Description and some of the Pros & Cons of four different court surfaces
1) Artificial Clay
Description:
1. Slow-Medium speed. 2. Medium height bounce. 3. Almost uniform trueness of bounce. 4. Sliding footing. 5. Non-slip traction. 6. Medium to soft shock absorption.
Advantages:
1. Surface provides the highest number of playing hours throughout the year. 2. Surface is not affected by frost or freezing conditions. 3. Suitable for junior coaching and liked by junior coaches. 4. Low cost replication of real clay playing characteristics, i.e. slow pace / medium bounce.
Disadvantages:
1. Player maintenance before or after playing session. 2. Weekly drag brushing by club staff is an essential requirement. 3. If localised problems exist it is harder to patch repair the surface. 4. Surface requires raised kerbing to prevent clay infill from migrating outside the fence line.
2) Porous Asphalt
Description:
1. Slow speed. 2. High bounce. 3. Almost uniform bounce that decreases with age. 4. Firm footing. 5. Non-slip traction. 6. No shock absorption.
Advantages:
1. Low capital cost to construct. 2. Low maintenance costs over lifespan. 3. Hard and robust playing surface. 4. No court user maintenance required.
Disadvantages:
1. Firm surface can be heavy on players joints. 2. Slow pace / high bounce. 3. Surface can soften in early years during summer. 4. Poor aesthetics where repainting is left too long.
3) Artificial Grass
Description:
1. Medium Slow-Very Fast speed. 2. Medium-Low height of bounce. 3. Variable trueness of bounce. 4. Generally firm, can have partial sliding footing. 5. Mainly non-slip but can be variable traction. 6. Mostly reasonable shock absorption.
Advantages:
1. Soft surface under foot. 2. Allows play in most weather. 3. Not affected by puddling. 4. No court user maintenance required.
Disadvantages:
1. Fast pace / low bounce. 2. High maintenance requirements. Weekly input from club staff. 3. Potential for freezing during winter. 4. High cost of reinstating if facility is poorly maintained.
4) Impervious Acrylic
Description:
1. Medium Slow-Fast speed. 2. Medium height bounce. 3. Uniform trueness of bounce. 4. Firm footing. 5. Non-slip traction. 6. Shock absorption is hard to moderate depending on if cushioned.
Advantages:
1. Good slip resistance qualities. 2. Low maintenance of the surface once installed in that only the upper surface of the court needs to be re-coated and you don’t need to replace the tarmac. 3. Durable surface with a long lifespan. 4. Good playing characteristics.
Disadvantages:
1. Un-usable during periods of wet weather. 2. Hard under foot. 3. Surface has a non porous sub-base, therefore a larger cross fall may be required to assist the drainage of the courts. 4. Perimeter drainage around the court block will be required regardless of the gradient.
Click HERE to do the very quick two questions survey.
Thanks,
(Serious About Tennis)
