Definition

Clay (Fast-Dry) is a porous tennis court material consisting of natural crushed stone, brick, or tile, that is ground, screened, well graded, and may or may not be mixed with a chemical binder to form a stable homogeneous mixture having an affinity for water.

Periodic reconditioning is important to both the performance and life of fast-dry tennis court. Proper maintenance, both daily and yearly, will maintain a tennis court in good playing condition and extend the useful life of the court. Reconditioning is the seasonal replacement of the surfacing material lost due to play, wind and water erosion.

An annual application of approximately 5 lbs/sq.yd (2.8 kilos/sq.m) of fast dry surface Material should be applied, depending on the type of irrigation system, intensity of play, and local weather conditions. 5 lbs/sq.yd. (2.8 kilos/sq.m.) represents 2 tons (1814.4 kilos) per court.

Preparation

In preparation for reconditioning, the fast dry court should be cleaned of debris, groomed by bushing, and then rolled. The rolling insures the bonding of all usable material. After rolling, the excess loose (“dead”) granules should be gathered into piles and removed from the court. Extra care should be exercised not to remove more material than necessary.

The loose granules may be used at a later time as top dressing material on bald, slick and wet areas, as well as on subsurface irrigated fast dry courts.

Correction of Depressions

The correction of a depression may necessitate the removal of portions of the line tapes. Ideally, the court should be relatively dry before applying new surfacing.

The depression should be scarified to a depth of 1/8" to 1/4" and filled with new fast dry material. The new surface should be spread and compacted in a dry state, then leveled to surface grade with a straightedge, scraping off any excess materials. The area should be watered to its full depth and compacted. After watering, light play may resume.

Correction of High Elevations

In areas where the base is high, to the extent that aggregate is exposed in localized areas, the surface and aggregate should be removed to 1" below surface and filled with new fast dry surface material. After the surface material is compacted and leveled, the area should be watered and rolled.

Installation of Top Dressing Material

After the loose material has been removed and the depressions filled and compacted, the appropriate top dressing material will be applied.

It may be necessary to brush, water and roll successively over several days to insure a bonding of the top dressing to the existing fast dry surface before resuming play.

The use of High-Tech Laser Controlled Resurfacing

Clay (Fast-Dry) courts that have lost their original slope and planarity may be regarded using laser controlled equipment, returning the court’s proper slope and planarity. Prior

to determining the amount of new fast dry surfacing required, the court or courts should be surveyed on a 20’ grid, recording the surface elevations and the depth of the surface material. After regarding, a minimum of 1” of compacted fast dry surface should be maintained throughout. Line tape needs to be reinstalled to finish the complete court project.

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American Red Clay Courts

This material combines the elegance and tradition of European Red Clay
with the durability and stability of Har-Tru.

(See Construction-Clay Courts for more details)

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Clay-Tech Courts

A new clay surface that blends the sliding feature of clay with the easier, more
cost-effective maintenance feature of a hard court. Available in red or green,
ClayTech is the best of clay and hard courts rolled into one.

(See Construction-Clay Courts for more details)

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Har-Tru Courts

Har-Tru is the most popular clay court surfacing material in America and
is the surface used in almost every clay court event in the U.S. It is made from
billion year old metalbasalt green stone which is extremely hard and angular,
creating, a more stable playing surface.

(See Construction-Clay Courts for more details)

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Hydro Courts

Hydro Court is a self-regulating irrigation system that waters the court from
below. Each court is constructed with six, fully lined, individually controlled cells.
Each cell is monitored by a water control box allowing adjustments to fine tune to
player’s preferences.

(See Construction-Clay Courts for more details)

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Advantages of Clay Courts

Reduce Injuries
More Frequent Play
Longer Rallies
Rapid Drying Time
Courts that could last longer over Time
Easy to Move

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Disadvantage of Clay Courts

Over-all Daily & Yearly Maintenance

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Weather its construction, resurfacing or just providing clay court equipment/supplies, NRSM, INC. can do it all!

Please contact us at our office in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for more details.