Synthetic Turf with sand courts

[netman]

Anybody out there play on or manage tennis courts surfaced wth synthetic turf and sand like the Kramer Court surface? If so, what are the pros and cons. Any durability or maintenance concerns?
I've heard they are very easy on the joints and back and require no more maintenance than hard courts.


Thanks.

[NoBadMojo]

those type of courts are just aweful IMO. or at least they have been in the past. the ball stays very low and skids so i think it is actually very hard on your joints (especially your back). and lunging for balls because of erratic bounces isnt really good for your joints or muscles IMO. unless you keep the right amount of sand in there and have it swept in uniformly, you have a court that plays inconsistently. it plays alot like the grass courts of old, but you can slide on it like clay. it's pretty weird. my .02. Ed

[aceindahole2K5]

its just not pleasant

[netman]

Thanks for the responses. I actually like the thought that it plays like grass. Sounds like you have to stay on top of sanding though. May be too much work for our facility,

[Ben42]

I haven't played on one for a long time, but I hated them when I did.

They are slippery like clay, but not in clay's controllable way. You can't actually slide because at some point during the slide the court will suddenly grip your shoes and stop you.

The ball stays nice and low and would be nice for s&v, but the footing is so bad that it's hard not to be tentative in your split steps.

I've never met anyone who really liked the surface.

[tennisnj]

Ghetto, that's what comes to mind when I see those courts in my area. A few high schools that I coach against have Astroturf & it leads to them having a distinct home court advantage against their opponents no matter how awful of a team they have. There are seams at the back of the court, past the baseline in which people can twist an ankle, or break a leg. Sure upkeep is cheap, there is none. Haven't seen the surface anywhere else where I live, however I have played on it in the southern part of my state.

[Deuce]

Ben is right - these courts are very slippery. You simply cannot get your footing if you have to move or pivot quickly. It's easy to hit passing shots when your opponent is coming into net because he cannot move to reach the shot while running in. He can run straight ahead, but cannot change direction. It's the sand that does this. The slipperiness is the primary deficiency of these courts.

A second drawback is that these courts are too quiet. Because of the carpet's insulating properties, one doesn't hear the sounds as loudly. I refer most particularly to the sound of your opponent hitting the ball. Most people don't realize the importance of sound in tennis. Combined with the visual element, the sound of your opponent hitting the ball will aid in determining the strength with which the shot was hit, as well as the spin.

The ball bounces fine on these courts - very predictable. It is nowhere near as fast as grass. It's not even as fast as a normal hardcourt. The speed more resembles clay than any other surface, although the bounce is not as high as on clay.

Because the surface is soft, balls and shoes do not wear very much on this surface.

[lanky]

I play on these type of courts a lot . They are durable easily maintained and soft on feet. The amount of sand is critical -they often have too much and become very sliipy.The sand also needs to be replaced -I think every few years but not sure .This is not often done and surface becomes slippy.With the correct amount of sand and minimal maintenance they play nicely low bounce moderately quick.

[baseliner]

I've played on these courts and the general consensus is negative. You have to maintain the right amount of sand. One club that has them (I play them in a league) uses soccer shoes! They say it is the best footing on them.

[netman]

So it sounds like the sanding is the key to keeping them in good playing condition. This would still seem to be considerably cheaper and less labor intensive than clay.

[ambro]

Originally Posted by Ben42

I've never met anyone who really liked the surface.

I love it. Or maybe I'm just used to it too much. It is basically all I play on, but occasionally I play on hard court, and I can't win on it unless I play someone way worse than me. I'm prtty good on turf. Only part I don't like is when there is too much sand on and the ball seems to go slower and bounces higher, and the sand goes on your heel and in your shoes when you run and I have to empty my shoes of the sande at the middle of every set. And it takes like 10 minutes to clean it all out of your socks/shoes.etc. Very annoying.

[Phil]

I played on it all last summer, alternating with hard courts, and coincidently, played for 4 hours on it last Saturday. The thin layer of sand on the surface is useless-not sure why it's there. The surface plays like clay-slows everything down, neutralizes a hard, flat serve. I just serve like I'm playing on clay, using a lot of spin. I would much prefer to play on hard or clay courts, but I don't always have a choice where I live. Most of the public courts in the suburbs here are synthetic turf.