Asking for input from everyone.

Curious E · 11-05-2012, 10:18 AM

Dear Talk Tennis-ers,

I hope that no one has an issue that my first ever post is one asking for help. Also, I am not sure if this is the correct section of TT, however this topic appears to be the closely related. I am currently an urban planning graduate student in Chicago, and hoping to write a proposal for a few well-placed clay courts throughout the city. I understand that this can appear a bit optimistic, however I believe with enough practical information there can be a realistic academic proposal created. It would be foolish to think about if the proposal could/would amount to anything after being written, rather than focusing on the task at hand.

When developing an outline for the proposal, it became very clear to me just how much research, aid, and advice I will need. Through a seemingly extensive search of the web, I have not found much outside of contractor pages in terms of red clay court construction. Simply searching for the raw materials needed has been a challenge. I am asking everyone at Talk Tennis for any resources they know of, and an open discussion. I admit that far from an expert on the topic and any (hopefully constructive) criticism about my method is more than welcome.

Without further ado, here is an outline of the topics I would like to discuss (In no particular order).

-CONSTRUCTION
- I intend to include a detailed description and steps of how red clay courts are constructed. From the base layer to the finished product.
- Construction specific to the local geographical area. Judging by the bit of information I have found, the different soil compositions in different locations determine how the courts are constructed.

-RAW MATERIALS
-Price: An estimate on the cost of raw materials will not get the job done. I would like to be as specific as possible.
- I believe this information will need to be sought out from various sources. Aggregates are priced according to many factors, I understand this, I am hoping that we can have a discussion regarding this topic.
-Amount: Amount per court, per site, and so forth.

-HEALTH BENFITS
-I was very pleased to find that there are many academic studies done on the impact of hard courts vs. clay courts.

-OTHER LOCATIONS NATIONALLY
- I have only been able to find 12 locations in the United States that offer red clay courts. I defiantly would like to dedicate a section to these.
- Of these 12 it appears that only two are in urban areas. Frick Park in Pittsburg and Riverside in NYC. As of right now these are most interesting to me in terms of funding, usage, upkeep cost, and public response.
-I plan to reach out to both these organizations sometime this week.
-Chicago does have 18 hard-tru courts in the city. Apart from not being red clay, I personally believe the layout, location, and pricing is less than idea…and is reflected in lack of use.

-CULTURALLY
- Without crossing the dangerous line of discussing politics, the Chicago’s mayors (Daley, Emanuel) have often spoken of Chicago becoming a “global city”. Along these lines, Chicago should offer the same tennis surface that can be found across the globe.

-URBAN PLANNING FACTORS
- I’ll spare everyone the snooze-fest of this discussion. If anyone is an urban planner or would like having the discussion, I will be happy to provide my email.

Above is what I have thus far, I expect topics to be added, cut, and completely changed. If you have a reputable resource, which I might be able to use (and hopefully cite) then I would appreciate a link. If you have an opinion, I would love to hear it. I have no intention of which way this process will go, throwing it out there and hoping to get any kind of feedback that comes back my way.

A huge thanks to everyone for the time!

Ciao,
E

r2473 · 11-05-2012, 10:57 AM

You are of course proposing a Blue Clay court?

Curious E · 11-05-2012, 08:28 PM

No, I don't want Novak to boycott the courts.

Sentinel · 11-05-2012, 08:59 PM

Is there a TLDR version for those of us with ADHD?

junbumkim · 11-05-2012, 09:09 PM

Cool idea.

There is actually a tennis club in downtown Chicago that has red clay courts. You could try them.

OW, the best way for you will be to contact one of the court construction companies or inquire a large tennis club down in FL. You might have to pretend to be a club manager to attract attention from the companies, though. Not everyone will be helpful, but I am sure you will find one who's willing to talk..

Red clay in Europe actually comes from crushed brick, but I have heard red clay in US (even in FL) usually are not.

Best of luck.

sureshs · 11-07-2012, 12:01 PM

http://www.racquetsportsindustry.com/

WWW.TENNISINDUSTRY.ORG

Curious E · 11-08-2012, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by junbumkim

Cool idea.

There is actually a tennis club in downtown Chicago that has red clay courts. You could try them.

OW, the best way for you will be to contact one of the court construction companies or inquire a large tennis club down in FL. You might have to pretend to be a club manager to attract attention from the companies, though. Not everyone will be helpful, but I am sure you will find one who's willing to talk..

Red clay in Europe actually comes from crushed brick, but I have heard red clay in US (even in FL) usually are not.

Best of luck.

Are you sure about the red-clay courts? I live downtown and only know of diversity clay courts (which are hard-tru) on the bay, East-bank is the private club downtown and it is only hard courts?

11-05-2012, 10:18 AM	#1
Curious E New User Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 0	Asking for input from everyone. Dear Talk Tennis-ers, I hope that no one has an issue that my first ever post is one asking for help. Also, I am not sure if this is the correct section of TT, however this topic appears to be the closely related. I am currently an urban planning graduate student in Chicago, and hoping to write a proposal for a few well-placed clay courts throughout the city. I understand that this can appear a bit optimistic, however I believe with enough practical information there can be a realistic academic proposal created. It would be foolish to think about if the proposal could/would amount to anything after being written, rather than focusing on the task at hand. When developing an outline for the proposal, it became very clear to me just how much research, aid, and advice I will need. Through a seemingly extensive search of the web, I have not found much outside of contractor pages in terms of red clay court construction. Simply searching for the raw materials needed has been a challenge. I am asking everyone at Talk Tennis for any resources they know of, and an open discussion. I admit that far from an expert on the topic and any (hopefully constructive) criticism about my method is more than welcome. Without further ado, here is an outline of the topics I would like to discuss (In no particular order). -CONSTRUCTION - I intend to include a detailed description and steps of how red clay courts are constructed. From the base layer to the finished product. - Construction specific to the local geographical area. Judging by the bit of information I have found, the different soil compositions in different locations determine how the courts are constructed. -RAW MATERIALS -Price: An estimate on the cost of raw materials will not get the job done. I would like to be as specific as possible. - I believe this information will need to be sought out from various sources. Aggregates are priced according to many factors, I understand this, I am hoping that we can have a discussion regarding this topic. -Amount: Amount per court, per site, and so forth. -HEALTH BENFITS -I was very pleased to find that there are many academic studies done on the impact of hard courts vs. clay courts. -OTHER LOCATIONS NATIONALLY - I have only been able to find 12 locations in the United States that offer red clay courts. I defiantly would like to dedicate a section to these. - Of these 12 it appears that only two are in urban areas. Frick Park in Pittsburg and Riverside in NYC. As of right now these are most interesting to me in terms of funding, usage, upkeep cost, and public response. -I plan to reach out to both these organizations sometime this week. -Chicago does have 18 hard-tru courts in the city. Apart from not being red clay, I personally believe the layout, location, and pricing is less than idea…and is reflected in lack of use. -CULTURALLY - Without crossing the dangerous line of discussing politics, the Chicago’s mayors (Daley, Emanuel) have often spoken of Chicago becoming a “global city”. Along these lines, Chicago should offer the same tennis surface that can be found across the globe. -URBAN PLANNING FACTORS - I’ll spare everyone the snooze-fest of this discussion. If anyone is an urban planner or would like having the discussion, I will be happy to provide my email. Above is what I have thus far, I expect topics to be added, cut, and completely changed. If you have a reputable resource, which I might be able to use (and hopefully cite) then I would appreciate a link. If you have an opinion, I would love to hear it. I have no intention of which way this process will go, throwing it out there and hoping to get any kind of feedback that comes back my way. A huge thanks to everyone for the time! Ciao, E

11-05-2012, 10:57 AM	#2
r2473 Legend Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 5,348	You are of course proposing a Blue Clay court? __________________ “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.”

11-05-2012, 08:59 PM	#4
Sentinel Talk Tennis Guru Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Shutter Island, unfortunately ... Posts: 23,336	Is there a TLDR version for those of us with ADHD? __________________ Nobody knows where you are, how near or how far.

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