Are some balls better for cold weather than others?

[time_fly]

I just played a friendly match on an indoor hard court. The building was a little cool, and of course indoor courts tend to be a little smoother and faster than outdoors. I brought a fresh can of Pro Penn Extra Duty balls from a case that I have been using since summer. They didn’t feel soft and I didn’t have much issue with how they responded off the strings but the bounce was driving me crazy. I felt like I was playing pickleball on a tennis court, or maybe even hockey. I felt like 75% of the incoming shots were sliding around at or below knee level.

is there a type of ball that plays closer to “normal” in these conditions? Maybe these Penns are optimized too much for slower outdoor courts.

 

[Injured Again]

There are two things causing that - the rubber being less pliable and the internal air pressure being reduced - both caused by the lower temps. You can partially solve the problem by pre-heating the balls before playing with them. I've stuck a can of balls on top of a forced air heating duct for an hour or so before play. The balls will gradually cool but you'll have at least 45 minutes of fairly normal play.

The other alternative is to use a pressureless ball. They do seem to be affected quite a bit less. I've used Triniti balls in temps close to freezing and they still bounce nearly as high as in warmer temps, and higher than a cold pressurized ball. Unfortunately, the cold also makes them pretty unpleasant if you mis-hit.

 

[Bagel Boy]

My 2 pennies, FWIW.

2 years ago, outdoors around 0 degrees - balls were fine out of the can, but played poorly noticeably quickly. Wilson US Open and Penn ATPs later and I'm crying at the weather, when hitting buddy asks "youwannatrythese?" while pulling out a 4 can of (not new) Dunlop Fort. "Gross.. whattaheck, let's hit them."

Played as "normal" as you could have hoped for, I remember being a little stunned. Repeated this a few days later (other balls first) and it held up.

Now, I remember the can being red and a search indicates those are clay court. The only other one I think it could be is the all court, but definitely a Fort.
I know this is half bunk information, so take from it what you see fit.

 

[travlerajm]

I’ve been using a 3-ball saver can, augmenting the pressure by filling most of the interstitial volume with scraps of bungee rope and frequent venting. This quickly transforms once-used balls so that they bounce 5-10% higher than a fresh ball. Great for cold tennis.

 

[socallefty]

The low bounce in cold weather is due to the lower pressure inside the balls as @Injured Again pointed out. I open a can every set instead of using one can for a match. If you use heavier balls like Dunlop ATP Extra Duty, it can feel too heavy in the cold. Penn Tour ED is a good ball for cold weather hard court play, but ProPenn is fine too.

Another problem where I live is that it is much more windy in the Winter and the outdoor courts can get very dusty if not washed often. The dirt removes the fluff of balls quickly and after 3 or 4 games, you have balls that bounce high, but don’t take spin well anymore - they play like a compromise between new and old balls. It becomes harder to generate hard topspin and you have to hit flatter or just moon ball at lower pace - I hate that more than just playing with lower pressure balls in the cold.

To play well in the winter, you have to become comfortable with a lower contact height and it is good if you also have a decent slice.

 

[Devil_dog]

Played outdoors with temps below 50-deg F. The balls played like they were DOA. Today, played on same courts with temps near 70 and balls played just fine. They were a combination of Penn Champs and Wilson Champs heavy duty balls.

 

[Polotechnics]

Wilson Triniti help in cold and wet weather. I live in Wales, UK and we play outdoor right down to minus 3 sometimes. We have very high rainfall too and play many winter league matches in the rain.

Triniti isn't perfect, but definitely helps. Dropping tension also helps a lot.

 

[GrilledBurgers]

I’ve been using a 3-ball saver can, augmenting the pressure by filling most of the interstitial volume with scraps of bungee rope and frequent venting. This quickly transforms once-used balls so that they bounce 5-10% higher than a fresh ball. Great for cold tennis.

Which one do you recommend? A lot of the ones I've read reviews on have bad reviews sparsed in.

 

[travlerajm]

Which one do you recommend? A lot of the ones I've read reviews on have bad reviews sparsed in.

I currently have the yellow one. The gamma one worked the same.

The problem is they don’t really work well as designed. I bought a 42” bungee cord, chopped it into 7” segments, and then use these 6 segments as rings to fill up space. This allows balls to recharge fast. Venting the pressure frequently to recharge it after air is pushed into the balls helps a lot too.

My yellow one worked great for 6 months, but now the O-ring is getting worn, and I need to order replacements.

 

[norcal]

I recently ordered a case of Diadem balls. They have plenty of bounce in cold weather and not a hard feel at all (this was outside, 40-50 degree weather). Compared to Penn Tour which felt firm but had a very low bounce.

Also if you are using a case that 's been sitting 6 months+ the balls will be getting soft.