Tennis Courts - cost of a personal court

[JeffCyner]

I am going to purchase a property in Sydney within the next 12 months and I will make sure the backyard can accommodate a Tennis Court. For me the best surface is clearly artificial grass as I am going to add some golf holes. In this way I will be able to use the court as my personal putting range. Also I want to be able to raise the net so the court becomes a volleyball court. Or I can remove the net and the court becomes a mini soccer field. Of course you can do this with other surfaces but I don't want my future kids running and falling on a hard court or clay court.

The thought of playing tennis at night is not appealing so I will not install lighting. As for fencing I like the idea of using drop fencing which is so much cheaper and I think looks nice if done correctly. I will not skimp on the rest of the court. Hopefully I can get my wish list done for about $AUD45,000 (about $USD37,000).

[volusiano]

Originally Posted by Serve 'em hard

I don't notice the hard courts in the Northeast having cracking problems, and unlike clay/har tru, you can play them on them all winter long as long as there isn't snow or ice on 'em. Never seen anyone play on har-tru in the winter, but people, myself included, play plenty of outdoor tennis on the warmer days on public hard courts. (Thank God for global warming!)

Hard court's tougher on the body though....

You meant "Thank human for global warming!"??? lol

[soyizgood]

What's the going rate for a court with carpet?

[Serve 'em hard]

Originally Posted by soyizgood

What's the going rate for a court with carpet?

I don't know. But I question the validity of your signature regarding women.

[austro]

Originally Posted by JeffCyner

I am going to purchase a property in Sydney within the next 12 months and I will make sure the backyard can accommodate a Tennis Court. For me the best surface is clearly artificial grass as I am going to add some golf holes. In this way I will be able to use the court as my personal putting range. Also I want to be able to raise the net so the court becomes a volleyball court. Or I can remove the net and the court becomes a mini soccer field. Of course you can do this with other surfaces but I don't want my future kids running and falling on a hard court or clay court.

The thought of playing tennis at night is not appealing so I will not install lighting. As for fencing I like the idea of using drop fencing which is so much cheaper and I think looks nice if done correctly. I will not skimp on the rest of the court. Hopefully I can get my wish list done for about $AUD45,000 (about $USD37,000).

What is 'drop fencing'?

[slice bh compliment]

Classic Clay sounds really good. Does it really 'slide' like real clay?
ANyone here know?

[classic tennis]

Originally Posted by ironicqueery

I'm interested in having a tennis court built in my backyard. Does anyone have experience building their own court (either yourself, or having a company do it for you)?

If so, what did you use, costs, etc?

(i hope a tennis court counts as equipment...wasn't sure where to put this thread)

Contact Har - Tru they are great to deal with.

[JeffCyner]

Originally Posted by austro

What is 'drop fencing'?

It's also known as Draw Curtain fencing. If done correctly it can look good and is cheaper than traditional fencing. Another benefit is that it can be drawn open. If you have a dog in back yard though probably not a good idea. http://www.multisports.com.au/upload..._Draw_Nets.jpg

[raspell38120]

Originally Posted by slice bh compliment

Classic Clay sounds really good. Does it really 'slide' like real clay?
ANyone here know?

Slice, I am in the process of putting in a court south of Cancun. I was all set to go clay even though the maintenance, language barrier and periods of non-use is a problem. I talked to a pro today who has one Clay Tech court in Georgia and is taking out two courts that he was originally going to go to Hydracourt but instead is using Clay Tech. He says he waters them 4 minutes at night, adds magnesium which really seems to keep them moist. He gave a lesson to a guy from Florida who didn't realize until after the hit that the court was not real clay. That's actually hard to believe. I'm going down to play it May 23.

there are other brands coming to America also. One is NovaCourt and I forget the other one that is from Australia. These courts have been out about 10 years and are catching on. I have not priced it yet but will have in 3 weeks. In a perfect world I would just put down clay. Most people say this new court is a little faster and bounces lower. This pro did not agree with that. He couldn't have been more pleased and talked of groups that prefer it over real clay. The other advantage is the 2 months of winter they have to shut down for freezing. There don't shut down for that. I also talked to a pro at Boulders north of Phoenix. He had good things also to say.

As to court cost, my court in Mexico will cost right at $45,000. That does not include fencing as I am doing something other than fencing included in my home price. Obviously labor is cheaper down there but cost of materials are more expensive. it is somewhat of a trade-off.

[slice bh compliment]

raspell, that's a nice testimonial, man, thanks. Definitely keep us posted. I am really, really interested in this. Now to just convince my wife that we do not need a pool.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Serve 'em hard

Why didn't you just cut the grass to save on the cost of the concrete and have yourself a fancy grass court instead?

Why don't people build more private grass courts? Anyone know the economics and logistics of that?

Back in the 'old days', when my mother was growing up in Queensland, despite a serious lack of funds, it seemed as though every other property had a tennis court. All it required was a bit of ingenuity, some hard work and a willingness to take functionality over aesthetics. I see no reason why you couldn't do the same today.

The process they followed was simple. They selected a suitable bit of land, mowed it and then rolled it. As they didn't have a proper roller (some people were able to borrow one from the local cricket club) they apparently used a large petrol drum filled with water. So, as they rolled the court they were also watering it. Fences were made out of chicken wire (still available and very cheap). Nets were made out of whatever they could find and, in one case, an old fence that had been cut down to size was used. I guess they used lime to mark the court.

Mainly they used dirt courts (it being very hot year round in Queensland) but the process was similar. Find a suitable spot, strip it, roll it, mark it and play.

Yes, the bounces wouldn't have been perfect but who cares? I'm sure most of us have, at one time or another, played on courts where the surface hadn't been laid properly, that were cracked or maybe even on a bit of an angle BUT we put up with it because we were just happy to be playing tennis.

Originally Posted by slice bh compliment

raspell, that's a nice testimonial, man, thanks. Definitely keep us posted. I am really, really interested in this. Now to just convince my wife that we do not need a pool.

If you're interested in the Classic Clay, have a read of equinox's opinion in this thread (post #26) http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showt...sic#post626324

As he plays mainly on en tous cart (Australian dirt courts), he has a very good base of comparison.

[tamdoankc]

How much to build an indoor airconditioned hardcourt?

How much do tennis bubbles cost?

[SalvadorVeiga]

Originally Posted by raspell38120

Slice, I am in the process of putting in a court south of Cancun. I was all set to go clay even though the maintenance, language barrier and periods of non-use is a problem. I talked to a pro today who has one Clay Tech court in Georgia and is taking out two courts that he was originally going to go to Hydracourt but instead is using Clay Tech. He says he waters them 4 minutes at night, adds magnesium which really seems to keep them moist. He gave a lesson to a guy from Florida who didn't realize until after the hit that the court was not real clay. That's actually hard to believe. I'm going down to play it May 23.

there are other brands coming to America also. One is NovaCourt and I forget the other one that is from Australia. These courts have been out about 10 years and are catching on. I have not priced it yet but will have in 3 weeks. In a perfect world I would just put down clay. Most people say this new court is a little faster and bounces lower. This pro did not agree with that. He couldn't have been more pleased and talked of groups that prefer it over real clay. The other advantage is the 2 months of winter they have to shut down for freezing. There don't shut down for that. I also talked to a pro at Boulders north of Phoenix. He had good things also to say.

As to court cost, my court in Mexico will cost right at $45,000. That does not include fencing as I am doing something other than fencing included in my home price. Obviously labor is cheaper down there but cost of materials are more expensive. it is somewhat of a trade-off.

What about europe ? does anyone know any companies that could install it in europe ? Can someone give us sites that carry classic clay other than classicclay.com ? Im really interested in it but I don't think there are companies here in europe than carry it...

[austro]

Originally Posted by JeffCyner

It's also known as Draw Curtain fencing. If done correctly it can look good and is cheaper than traditional fencing. Another benefit is that it can be drawn open. If you have a dog in back yard though probably not a good idea. http://www.multisports.com.au/upload..._Draw_Nets.jpg

Thanks for that! Interesting proposition: so you would plant trees all around the court and then put the curtain net in front? You might get a lot of debris blown onto the court, depending on the plant.

[austro]

Originally Posted by SalvadorVeiga

What about europe ? does anyone know any companies that could install it in europe ? Can someone give us sites that carry classic clay other than classicclay.com ? Im really interested in it but I don't think there are companies here in europe than carry it...

Try these guys, they do almost anything: http://www.schneider-tennis.at/

They have 30 different surfaces on their website. They are very professional and do all the courts for official torunaments in Austria. If they don't have it, they can probably direct further.

[PlayTheClay]

Har-Tru should run you 25 to 35k plus fencing and lights.

[PlayTheClay]

If you are looking for an alternative to Classic Clay, look at ClayTech or another one of the Tarkett line of tennis surfaces.

[soyizgood]

Originally Posted by Serve 'em hard

I don't know. But I question the validity of your signature regarding women.

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/iy2x/alb...60762323276502

I rest my case. Foreign women >>>>>>>>> American women. You can have all the 5'4" 162 lb drama-filled, wasted goods, femi-**** American women you can handle. I have better taste.

[Clive Walker]

Originally Posted by Serve 'em hard

Why didn't you just cut the grass to save on the cost of the concrete and have yourself a fancy grass court instead?

Why don't people build more private grass courts? Anyone know the economics and logistics of that?

I have played on 2 home made grasscourts, both played as well as others I've played on that have been in situ for 80odd years.

They were both on rural farms (where they had the relevant machinery and resourcefulness)

[Serve 'em hard]

Originally Posted by Clive Walker

I have played on 2 home made grasscourts, both played as well as others I've played on that have been in situ for 80odd years.

They were both on rural farms (where they had the relevant machinery and resourcefulness)

interesting. Thanks. So much would it cost to buy a rural farm on which to build a grass court?