We all today know who Rodger Federer is and how prestigious it is to play at Wimbledon. For some, this passion for tennis became real and they started playing it themselves. However, club memberships are expensive and the competitiveness detracts from the pleasure of hitting the ball over the net.
That is why more and more people are adopting the idea of turning their gardens into tennis courts. Believe it or not, but this is not so hard to achieve. In fact, since a tennis court is in many cases comprised only of a net, the garden can be converted back to its original function in no time.
There are several steps on the road to turning your garden into a home tennis court and here are the most important ones.
Choosing the Location
Since a tennis court is on average some 24 meters long and 8 meters wide, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a flat surface of that area inside your garden. Flatness is the key factor when it comes to deciding on a particular spot you choose.
Regardless of the surface you choose, there shouldn’t be any bumps caused by roots or upturned turfs. The method for preparing the soil for surface laying can differ, but you can’t go wrong at this stage if you remove all rocks from the ground.
Marking the Court
Once you’re done measuring the sides, you can start marking the lines. This can be done by paint similar to the one you see on football pitches. If you don’t want to spend money on that or you feel uncertain if you will know how to mark the court properly, spray paint or chalk are neat solutions as well.
As an alternative, you can use a long and wide piece of white string and nail it to the ground using wooden pickets that will secure new lines in place. This method is useful if you ever wish to remove the court quickly because you need the garden space for something else, like a barbecue. It would be awkward to host your friends on a field with white stripes all over.
The Lighting
Since you’re already going through so much trouble to construct a tennis court, it would be a waste of space to use it only during daytime. Tennis matches can take a long period to finish so players might be forced to play at dusk. It would be nice to have some artificial light then, wouldn’t it?
Proper tennis court lighting is, therefore, more of a necessity than a luxury. Today there are companies who specialize in erecting lighting columns for backyard versions of pretty much any sport, so this installation would be hassle-free. Choosing the right surface might prove to be a tougher decision to make.
The Surface
Once the location for the court has been picked out, the next thing is to choose the surface. There are three basic ones, with grass being the easiest to implement. In fact, if your grass is well kept and you haven’t planned to spend any money on surface laying, you can just leave things as they are. Alternatively, you can plant new grass. This surface is soft and it will host a slower game of tennis.
The trademark surface of tennis is definitely clay. While it is easy to place it, since you just basically put it on the ground and distribute it evenly, clay is very hard to maintain. You would literally have to become the maintenance guy since these courts need constant watering during summer months. Otherwise, the clay just evaporates like any dirt would.
Finally, there are hard surfaces that are responsible for the fastest tennis matches. There are different finishes to them, like the acrylic one, but they all require you to introduce concrete in your garden. That is why they aren’t too comfortable to play on and they absorb the heat during summer, creating a greenhouse effect in the garden which is supposed to shield you from high temperatures.
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The Net
Beside racquets and tennis balls, the net is an essential element of the game of tennis. They are made from various materials, mostly rope or plastic, and they come in all sizes. Measure the length and height that matches your home court and shop accordingly. They can be found in pretty much any sporting goods store or ordered online for a bargain price. Actually, putting up the net is the cheapest item in the entire project.
In general, nets are kept in place by two poles that you would have to dig holes for. If you’re not happy to burrow through your garden, then one end can be attached to a tree or a washing line pole. This will give a homely look to your tennis court.
Out of all the sports venues that you can turn your garden into, tennis is the most rewarding. Not only will you be physically active, but you will retain the tranquil element that your garden offers. That is, if you opt to have a grassy surface
other valuable readings:
Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash
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