Finding ways to be active at home is more popular now than ever before. Luckily, there is a wide variety of sports you can play from the comfort of your own home, such as tennis. Constructing a tennis court will add class and luxury to your property and is a fun way to exercise outdoors. However, one of the most important pieces of knowledge you need to have before installing one is how to choose the best tennis court surface.
Consider Speed
The material chosen for tennis courts determines the speed at which the ball moves after bouncing on the ground. In other words, it determines whether you want to play a fast- or slow-paced game. If you like to play tennis at a fast pace, grass tennis courts are the best because of their slippery nature. On the other hand, clay and Har-Tru courts enable a much slower-paced tennis game, with clay typically seen as the slowest surface material.
If you’re looking for a court that will provide you with a happy medium, you’ll want a hard tennis court. A hard tennis court is typically made from either concrete or asphalt, with an acrylic coating (coating materials can vary, but acrylic is the most common). This material makes hard courts more diverse in terms of the pace at which you prefer to play.
Consider Bounce
The surface material chosen for home tennis courts also determines how high the ball will bounce after hitting the ground. Grass courts will provide tennis balls with a low bounce, which helps keep that pace so fast but also makes it more difficult for newcomers to the game. Clay and hard courts provide players with higher ball bounce, making for a more accessible play style for casual tennis fans.
In regard to hard courts, the level of bounce they provide depends on the amount of sand in the upper layer. The more sand there is in the upper layer of the surface, the slower the ball bounce will be.
Consider Comfort
Not only should you optimize the court for your play style, but you should also optimize it for your comfort. This is because different surface materials vary in how they affect your body. As balanced as hard courts are in terms of gameplay, they are the least comfortable court to play on because, as the name suggests, the surface is very hard. Har-Tru, grass, and clay courts, on the other hand, are much softer and therefore more comfortable to play on. Har-Tru courts in particular have a reputation for placing very little strain on the players’ knees and ankles because of Har-Tru’s shock-absorbing qualities.
Knowing how to choose the best tennis court surface is important because surface material is one of the biggest factors in budgeting for a tennis court installation project, as are the maintenance requirements, additional accessories, and site prep work. By taking all these factors into consideration, you can ensure you’ll construct the right tennis court for your comfort, play style, and maintenance requirements.
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