THE TENNIS COURT BUYERS GUIDE CONTENTS
ADVICE & PLANNING BUDGET SITE LOCATION CONSTRUCTION METHOD SURFACE CHOICE COURT LIGHTING AMENITIES ON AND OFF COURT CHOOSING A CONTRACTOR
CHECK LIST THE TENNIS COURT BUYERS GUIDE
So you think building a tennis court would be a good idea...
Before proceeding too far, seek some sound professional advice !
Advice & Planning
It is always good advice to speak to qualified consultants and tennis court users. Such advice can be sought from experienced qualified contractors, Tennis Court & Sports Contractors Association or State or National Tennis Body (Tennis Victoria, Tennis Australia, Tennis New Zealand).
The standard questions you need to have answered are:
• Best position of court; • Impact on surrounds; • Compliance with State Planning Laws; • Requirements for Permits; • Appropriateness of desired surface; • Quality and qualifications of court builder. THE TENNIS COURT BUYERS GUIDE
Budget
You will need to establish a tight budget. Factors that may effect this budget are:
• Volume of civil works (including adjacent areas) • Necessity for retaining walls • Base specification (related to your site) • Court surfacing • Level of lighting • Extent of fencing • Further amenities on and off your court and adjacent landscaping
The only way you can obtain this budget figure is to fully define your specific needs... remember few courts or court users are ever the same. The right planning decisions at this stage will give you years of pleasure and add value to your property. THE TENNIS COURT BUYERS GUIDE
Site Location and Orientation
The first question to ask is... will it fit ? The court playing dimensions are set at 23.77 metres long by 10.973 metres wide. However the fencing dimensions can vary. It is recommended not to build a court smaller than 30 metres by 15 metres, with a desirable domestic court being 33.5 metres by 16.2 metres. Occasionally courts of 36.5 metres by 18.2 metres are built to reach international dimensions (see centre pages).
As the sun’s path varies throughout the year there is no perfect position. Although it is often suggested a court be built ‘True North / True South’ this does not eliminate ‘sun-in-eyes’ problems.
In fact, in Southern Australia during winter months, in the middle of the day, the sun is in the northern hemisphere and rather low in the northern sky. This results in the sun being a potential problem for players at the southern end of your court.
It is far more important to design a court layout that will compliment your swimming pool, entertainment areas, views and outlooks, existing and future vegetation, gazebo, existing levels and landscaping to mention a few factors. THE TENNIS COURT BUYERS GUIDE
Construction Method
The construction of your tennis court sub base is a civil engineering project, therefore there are several long established engineering principles that should be followed particularly pertaining to soil compaction, drainage and consequential stability. You may wish to consult a qualified civil engineer at this stage to gain further instructions specific to your site.
SAPIA has a printed set of construction guidelines that set out minimum standards of construction. This can be obtained from your local State office.
The Cement and Concrete Association similarly prints standard minimum specifications, i.e 100mm of concrete reinforced with welded reinforcing mesh correctly placed on ‘bar chairs’ to gain maximum strength.
Do not deviate from time proven methods of construction. Again, ‘remember you get what you pay for’...
The fence posts should be soundly embedded in concrete footings designed to meet the requirements of the existing soil conditions. Similarly if light poles are required, a suitable foundation design will be necessary to allow for wind loading, overall torque and the weight of the fitting. THE TENNIS COURT BUYERS GUIDE
Surface Choice
Over the past 40 or so years, synthetic playing surfaces have taken over from the old high maintenance type courts of natural grass and loose granular products. You must now prioritise your requirements for your court. A purist tennis player may choose an international surface like Plexicushion or Acrylic, or even a short pile (13mm) tightly bound synthetic grass. These types of surface offer excellent ball response (spin, slice, bounce) however they can be hard on the legs and body and often do not offer great versatility in a domestic setting.
Sand filled synthetic grass, whilst being extremely aesthetically pleasing, offers very good playing conditions for tennis, plus adds the versatility of allowing other sports to be played on it, such as basketball, netball, volleyball, bike riding, roller blading, cricket, golf and many others.
When choosing a specific surface you must now take extreme care to investigate the features and advantages of each product. For instance the Plexicushion surface used at the National Tennis Centre Melbourne has been imitated but not copied, therefore ‘similar’ surfaces may not have the same resilience, bounce, spin or foot grip. Similarly Acrylic surfaces vary greatly depending on the size and quantity of the mineral filler and even on the installation technique. THE TENNIS COURT BUYERS GUIDE
Ask your contractor whether he squeegee finishes the surface or uses a non slip ‘broom’ finish.
Synthetic grass surfacing becomes even more complicated with different weights and measures, different heights, different yarn thickness, different yarn sources and even different types of yarn. Below are some basic definitions:
Pile Height The height from top of the primary backing to the tips of the yarn. Denier The weight in grams of 9000 linear metres of yarn. Over recent years it has been shown that 10,000 denier products have greater ‘wear life’. (Note the metric conversion of denier is to Decitex which is the weight in grams of 10,000 metres of yarn). Yarn Thickness The actual thickness of each blade of yarn. This is usually between 50 and 100 microns with the latter being preferred for overall strength Weights The same products can be described using several different definitions. i) Product or Backed weight: The weight of 1m2 of the finished product, this includes primary backing all yarn and secondary backing. ii) Unbacked weight: The weight of 1m2 of product prior to secondary backing. THE TENNIS COURT BUYERS GUIDE
iii) Yarn weight: The weight of 1m2 of all yarn used in the product. iv) Face weight: The weight of 1m2 of all yarn above the primary backing.
As you can see it can be very confusing comparing product specifications. One simple method is to:
i) Determine the denier; ii) Measure the pile height; iii) Measure gap between tuft rows; iv) Count the number of stitches per 10cm.
Many countries around the world produce synthetic yarn for tennis courts, from Australia, North America, Italy, Scotland, Holland and others. The old adage ‘you get what you pay for’ is fairly true.
The Polypropylene yarns from the USA appear to be superior to Australian made products yet slightly dearer. Further, the Polyethylene products, although dearer again, show far superior play and endurance qualities to any other yarn available today.
When looking at comparing products don’t be content to merely compare small samples. Remember you don’t play on ‘mock-ups’ or samples. Ask you contractor to show well ’played in’ courts of 3 or more years old. (Take your racquet and have a hit )! 15.0 - 18.5m (RECOMMENDED 16.2)
BACKSTOP
2.744m DOUBLES 10.973m 10cm Recommended 4.880m SINGLES 8.230m Recommended BASE LINE LINE WIDTH: 5cm WIDTH: LINE CENTRE MARK line width .05m wide 5.486m Note: Baselines can be 10cm wide Baselines can be 10cm Note:
SERVICE LINE SIDESTOP 6.401mm ALLEY ALLEY LINE LINE SIDE LINE SIDE LINE
.914m
NET NET NET 23.774m POST POST SIDE NET SIDE CENTRE SERVICE LINE CENTRE SERVICE 30.0m - 36.5m (RECOMMENDED 33.5m) - 36.5m (RECOMMENDED 30.0m RECOMMENDED 1.83m RECOMMENDED SIDE SIDE 6.401mm THE THE SINGLES SINGLES
SERVICE LINE
16.177m 5.486m DOUBLES CENTRE DOUBLES MARK
BASE LINE The Tennis Court Buyers Guide Buyers Court Tennis The 1% MAXIMUM 1% .10m SYNTHETIC COURTS SYNTHETIC
1.372m 4.115m 4.115m 1.372m SLOPE
END TO END TO END TRUE PLANE DIAGONAL
REQUIREMENTS SIDE TO SIDE TO SIDE 15.0 - 18.5m (RECOMMENDED 16.2)
BACKSTOP
2.744m DOUBLES 10.973m 10cm Recommended 4.880m SINGLES 8.230m Recommended BASE LINE LINE WIDTH: 5cm WIDTH: LINE CENTRE MARK line width .05m wide 5.486m Note: Baselines can be 10cm wide Baselines can be 10cm Note:
SERVICE LINE SIDESTOP Standard Court Dimensions Court Standard 6.401mm ALLEY ALLEY LINE LINE SIDE LINE SIDE LINE
.914m
NET NET
23.774m POST
POST SIDE NET SIDE NET SIDE NET CENTRE SERVICE LINE CENTRE SERVICE 30.0m - 36.5m (RECOMMENDED 33.5m) - 36.5m (RECOMMENDED 30.0m RECOMMENDED 1.83m RECOMMENDED SIDE SIDE 6.401mm SINGLES THE THE SINGLES
SERVICE LINE
16.177m 5.486m DOUBLES CENTRE DOUBLES MARK
BASE LINE 1% MAXIMUM 1% .10m SYNTHETIC COURTS SYNTHETIC
1.372m 4.115m 4.115m 1.372m SLOPE
END TO END TO END TRUE PLANE DIAGONAL
REQUIREMENTS SIDE TO SIDE TO SIDE THE TENNIS COURT BUYERS GUIDE
Court Lighting
Tennis Court lighting has advanced greatly over the past 60 or so years from little more than household incandescent lamps, to fluorescent side lighting, to high level Tungsten Halogen, through to Metal Halide ‘down lights’ and now the state of the art LED.
The aim of the modern light is three fold:
i) Gain good (high) light levels on the court; ii) Maintain uniformity of lighting on the court; iii) Restrict light spillage outside the court so as not to deminish the surrounding amenity.
The initial down lights or ‘shoe box’ fittings gave reasonable light levels on the court, however tended to fall down on points ii) & iii). This lead to a redesign of the reflectors within the fittings. More recent development of the reflectors have meant an asymmetric fitting can throw greater light over more of the court (thus more even levels) whilst restricting light spillage further.
These superior reflectors can now be sourced in 1500 watt fittings thus further increasing the overall light levels on the playing surface. These light levels can further be enhanced by fitting the light on an ‘outreach’ arm which principally means the focus of the light is more directly over the playing surface. (This method of lighting was installed at he National Tennis Centre Melbourne).
LED lights come in all shapes & sizes. Many cheap imported fittings do not give the desired illuminance nor uniformity and many of these lights are no more than cheap "spot lights". Make sure you choose a tennis designed fitting from either U.S.A. or Europe, as per other aspects of the court you will only get what you pay for. THE TENNIS COURT BUYERS GUIDE
Standard Layouts SINGLE COURT 4 LIGHT SYSTEMS LUMINAIRE POLE AVERAGE TYPES/WATTS HEIGHT LUX 400W 6.5mts 140 1000W 7.0mts 400 1500W 7.5mts 564 LED 7.5mts 480
SINGLE COURT 6 LIGHT SYSTEMS LUMINAIRE POLE AVERAGE TYPES/WATTS HEIGHT LUX 400W 6.0mts 200 1000W 7.0mts 651 1500W 7.5mts 930 LED 7.5mts 820
These days we use an advanced graphical software package to produce easy to read lighting designs. The flexibility of this software allows accurate printouts to be produced in several formats and views including 3D. Indicating the actual luminaire positions and statistical areas on a drawing that can also include dimensions, text and other relevant information. THE TENNIS COURT BUYERS GUIDE
Amenities
When planning your new tennis court take a step back and evaluate what the whole project entails. Do you want to use the court for other activities, such as basketball, netball or golf, etc.
If you believe your court will be of greater value if one or more of these alternative sports are utilised it may be necessary to plan this prior to court commencement.
These areas adjacent to the tennis court are often as important as the court, when planning entertainment.
Again prior to commencement of site works, discuss the final adjacencies desired, i.e. should you be planning a gazebo, pool or paved outdoor area, now is the time to discuss timing etc. to avoid ‘double handling’ or ‘ land locking’. THE TENNIS COURT BUYERS GUIDE
Choosing a Contractor
Tennis court construction is a highly technical civil engineering discipline. Choosing the correct contractor may in fact determine the overall success of the project / investment.
Determining factors in choosing the right company:
1. The contractor should be a member of an accepted and recognised professional body, e.g. SAPIA. 2. The contractor should have extensive experience in constructing the type of court you want and in the area you want. 3. The contractor should be aware of state and local laws relating to the construction of tennis courts and subsequent lighting. 4. The contractor should hold all insurances to protect the client including- Workcare, Public Liability, Product Liability and Whole of Works. If you are not sure ask your contractors to show evidence of the same. THE TENNIS COURT BUYERS GUIDE
5. The contractor should provide sufficient guarantees for all work and products. Ask your contractor to explain who backs the guarantee and what will be done in the event of a claim being necessary. 6. The contractor should be licensed to carry out the appropriate works. Ask your contractor to show his relevant registration card. 7. Has the contractor won any industry awards for similar works ? 8. What projects has the contractor constructed in the past ? 9. Be certain that the contractor you choose is fully responsible for the entire project. Remember if the contractor suggests you handle any section or pay a sub contractor directly, then responsibility for the courts integrity may finish with you.
*Refer to checklist to assist in contractor choice. THE TENNIS COURT BUYERS GUIDE
Checklist
Bidding Contractors:
No. 1 Years in Business:
Type of Court: Acrylic Rebound Ace
Synthetic Grass Other
BUDGET: $ TIMING:
Member of Professional Bodies:
Previous experience: Previous awards: Type of lights: Type of surface: Base specifications: Fence specifications: Ancillaries & Options:
Base Warranty & Guarantees:
Price: $ Overall Professionalism: 1 2 3 4 5 THE TENNIS COURT BUYERS GUIDE
Checklist
Bidding Contractors:
No. 2 Years in Business:
Type of Court: Acrylic Rebound Ace
Synthetic Grass Other
BUDGET: $ TIMING:
Member of Professional Bodies:
Previous experience: Previous awards: Type of lights: Type of surface: Base specifications: Fence specifications: Ancillaries & Options:
Base Warranty & Guarantees:
Price: $ Overall Professionalism: 1 2 3 4 5 THE TENNIS COURT BUYERS GUIDE
Checklist
Bidding Contractors:
No. 3 Years in Business:
Type of Court: Acrylic Rebound Ace
Synthetic Grass Other
BUDGET: $ TIMING:
Member of Professional Bodies:
Previous experience: Previous awards: Type of lights: Type of surface: Base specifications: Fence specifications: Ancillaries & Options:
Base Warranty & Guarantees:
Price: $ Overall Professionalism: 1 2 3 4 5 The Author
This booklet was compiled by Sandy Lodge as a result of years of enquiries for an independant guide to designing a court and evaluating proposals.
Sandy has worked in the industry for over 40 years on local projects and around the world. He has held the position of President of the Tennis Court Builders Association on many occassions and has been called to mediate on contract disputes that may well have been avoidable if the correct advice was sought and given originally.
Sandy trusts that this booklet, together with any verbal advice he can give, will assist you in obtaining the finished product you require.
The best piece of advice that Sandy can offer is to check all aspects before you buy.
A.S. Lodge (Vic) Pty Ltd
Factory 14, 114 Merrindale Drive Kilsyth 3137 P 03 9876 8474 www.asltennis.com