Tennis Court

• Design
• Construction
• Renovation
• Maintenance
• Rules & Regulations

Tennis Court Construction & Reconstruction

Construction
 
With plans in hand, the construction process for any type of tennis court begins with the installation of grade stakes to achieve the proper grade. First, set the subgrade and install subsurface drainage structures and a granular, if specified. Then apply the surfacing material to achieve the finish grade.
 
For any type of court except grass, after finish grade is achieved, flood the area (or wait for a heavy rain) to check for low spots. If such low spots ("bird baths," large enough to cover a nickel) appear, raise the area with an appropriate fill material to correct the grade. If the standing water in the low spots does not cover a five-cent piece, these puddles should evaporate quickly, and are considered to be within the tolerance of good tennis court construction. After correcting the grade, reflood the area until no "bird baths" are present.
 
Net posts are usually installed after the final grade is achieved, so they do not obstruct grading equipment and so they will be at the right height above the surface. Then, for nonporous surfaces, apply the color finish system. For porous courts, install the irrigation system. Finally, apply the seed or sod for a grass court.
 
When painting lines on nonporous courts, make sure the paint is compatible with the color finish system. If it is not compatible, the lines will crack even when there is no cracking anywhere else on the court. Check with the supplier of the color finish system to ensure that the paint will perform as desired.
 
(For more information on the construction of sand courts, see Chapter 24.)
 
Reconstruction
Tearing up an existing court and reconstructing it is necessary only when the sub-base was not prepared properly; most surface cracking is a sign of subsurface problems. For example, the wrong granular material (or not enough material) may not have been installed, the sub-soil may not have been sufficiently compacted, or drain systems required for proper drainage were not installed. Before constructing the new surface, it's important to identify existing subsurface problems and correct them, or the same surface problems will soon appear.