How to Choose a Surface for Your New Tennis Court

If you are a keen tennis player, then adding a tennis court to your home is a great idea. Not only will it offer you hours of enjoyment, but it can add value to your home and save you time travelling to and from your local tennis court. However, tennis court construction is not something you should do yourself. If you are planning to add a court to your home, you will need to have some idea of exactly what you want before you start to discuss your requirements with your tennis court builders.

A tennis court has several features that you will need to think about, but it is the surface of the court that is the most important since this will impact every match you play. If you choose the wrong surface for your court, it will significantly limit how much use you can get from your new construction.

Consider court materials

The big question is whether you want a synthetic grass court, a hard court or a clay surface.

A synthetic clay surface is a popular choice which should offer a slow to medium surface speed and a consistent ball bounce similar to real clay. For most users, real clay is not a popular choice due to the high maintenance demands of clay courts.

If you want your tennis court builders to simulate the effect of grass, then there are various options you will want to consider. Many artificial grass tennis courts use sand to prevent the polypropylene fibres from flattening. The amount of sand each grass system uses will vary with the chosen construction. Some artificial grass systems need regular brushing and may get sand in the players shoes, while others are designed to act more like a carpet and are simply dressed with sand. Whichever form of artificial grass you choose for your tennis court, you need to be sure that it is hard-wearing and offers a consistent bounce that does not vary depending on temperature changes and other weather conditions.

Check before you buy

If you are not sure which court surface is most appropriate for your new tennis court, why not ask to see examples of each surface type in use? Talk to other tennis court owners and see how they feel about their chosen court surface. Doing your research before making a final decision is the best way to ensure that you get a tennis court that you will be able to use regularly for many years before the surface needs to be replaced.