Artificial Grass with Sand Surface...
- Thread starter ChaelAZ
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Cashman
Hall of Fame
Laver Cup.
Lots of thing a trippy in Iceland ))
Volcanic deposits are porous material, pretty much the same properties as crashed brick , only black. They would work for a clay court - hold water and keep the surface wet
dominikk1985
Legend
In Germany there area lot of artificial grass/carpet with rubber granules. Those courts play a bit like clay albeit not as slow, pretty good to play and much healthier on the joints than hard court or regular carpet.
BlueB
Legend
Ah, thats how they do soccer fields here.
5 more days and I'll be playing on the fake grass and clay every day!
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tennis4me
Hall of Fame
I've played several times in artificial grass before (in different countries). So far, the courts that I played bounced higher than real grass and not as fast. It played more like a faster, lower bouncing clay.
The sands will get in the shoes, can get annoying if you're not used to tiny sands inside your shoes.
I'm guessing like any other surfaces, there are artificial grass that plays fast/low and they're are some that bounced higher.
I do remember it being quite easy on the knees. And it dries up very quickly after the rain because it had very good drainage underneath.
The sands will get in the shoes, can get annoying if you're not used to tiny sands inside your shoes.
I'm guessing like any other surfaces, there are artificial grass that plays fast/low and they're are some that bounced higher.
I do remember it being quite easy on the knees. And it dries up very quickly after the rain because it had very good drainage underneath.
ChaelAZ
G.O.A.T.
Lol, I learned about this the hard way. I had not noticed while playing but with how hot and sweaty it was, when I got home i. The house and took off shoes and socks...sand everywhere! Swept up and learned I will have to dust iff after playing it.
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MikeMechanic
Rookie
Plenty of courts with this surface in my country.
For singles I dislike it. The ball will have a very low bounce. This means you have to go low when hitting, not my strongest skill, especially not during mentally killing matches. Totally different then clay or hardcourt.
For doubles it is allright.
For singles I dislike it. The ball will have a very low bounce. This means you have to go low when hitting, not my strongest skill, especially not during mentally killing matches. Totally different then clay or hardcourt.
For doubles it is allright.
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WYK
Hall of Fame
It is a common surface in Europe, especially UK and Ireland as well as Japan. What you see in the vid above is how much sand they are meant to have. But they almost never have that much on them in practice here(looking at YOU tennis clubs in Ireland).
I would consider it a fast surface that gets faster as the sand wears away. Decent bounce when properly sanded and newish, which goes away in about a month or two depending on play. You can slide a bit on it if you are so inclined. But Omni shoes can be grippy if an omni court is not sanded well. In other words, you need to use omni shoes to take advantage of a healthy Omni court. I play with clay shoes in summer to slide a bit better. I made the mistake of using clay tread in winter and tore my MCL. I wear braces any time I am on synth grass now. It's just too unpredictable a surface depending on the maintenance.
I think my negative experience is mostly about the fact that the courts near me have no maintenance being done and the sand is basically completely absent from the playing area. there's only a moderate amount off to the sides in some areas of the court which is of course where you will slip.
WYK
Hall of Fame
The courts still 'work' when the sand is gone(it compacts into the carpet). It's actually decent when it's in great condition. Now, if you'll permit me to whinge a bit...
But the bounce goes way down after a couple of months, and the speed(which starts fast) goes up shortly afterwards if it isn't retreated again soon. This is how they tell you to prep the courts - sand them and then let the players grind it into the pile, and then yer ready. But clubs usually let them go as long as possible before resanding(and it rains here a LOT, so the sand gets washed out of it over time). It is a terrible surface overall if you ask me, and completely banned by the ATP along with non-sanded carpet, btw. And for good reason. It's unpredictable if not perfectly set up. It can grab your shoes, and alternately cause you to slide. I played tennis on hard court and clay for decades with zero injuries. In 8 years in Ireland I've seriously injured myself on 3 seperate occasions due to sliding, or my shoes being grabbed by the carpet/synthetic grass. One was a concussion, one was a shoulder injury that lasted 9 months, the last one was a torn MCL which I still am not fuly healed from. The last time, I was only just warming up and not pushing myself at all, but the court was cold and synth grass becomes very slippery when cold. Even with that in mind, I still injured myself because it grabbed one of my shoes, but let the other slide. I have also variously injured my ankles, but have since started using braces or shoes with them built in. I have resigned myself to just not being fit enough to push myself on the stuff, and now mostly do doubles.
So yeah, I avoid it except when it is in perfect condition and the weather is good. It's not as enjoyable to play on as hard court, anyways. A low bounce and fast surface means folks do a lot of slicing and hitting the ball up. It's like the opposite of clay. Indoor carpet is a bit better. But like I said - it's banned from the ATP for good reason. Even when perfectly cared for in a tournament environment, they caused injuries and played very fast.
Hell, even some of the 'hard' courts here have no bounce. I think it may be because of the ubiquitous Tretorn Micro X tennis ball.
But the bounce goes way down after a couple of months, and the speed(which starts fast) goes up shortly afterwards if it isn't retreated again soon. This is how they tell you to prep the courts - sand them and then let the players grind it into the pile, and then yer ready. But clubs usually let them go as long as possible before resanding(and it rains here a LOT, so the sand gets washed out of it over time). It is a terrible surface overall if you ask me, and completely banned by the ATP along with non-sanded carpet, btw. And for good reason. It's unpredictable if not perfectly set up. It can grab your shoes, and alternately cause you to slide. I played tennis on hard court and clay for decades with zero injuries. In 8 years in Ireland I've seriously injured myself on 3 seperate occasions due to sliding, or my shoes being grabbed by the carpet/synthetic grass. One was a concussion, one was a shoulder injury that lasted 9 months, the last one was a torn MCL which I still am not fuly healed from. The last time, I was only just warming up and not pushing myself at all, but the court was cold and synth grass becomes very slippery when cold. Even with that in mind, I still injured myself because it grabbed one of my shoes, but let the other slide. I have also variously injured my ankles, but have since started using braces or shoes with them built in. I have resigned myself to just not being fit enough to push myself on the stuff, and now mostly do doubles.
So yeah, I avoid it except when it is in perfect condition and the weather is good. It's not as enjoyable to play on as hard court, anyways. A low bounce and fast surface means folks do a lot of slicing and hitting the ball up. It's like the opposite of clay. Indoor carpet is a bit better. But like I said - it's banned from the ATP for good reason. Even when perfectly cared for in a tournament environment, they caused injuries and played very fast.
Hell, even some of the 'hard' courts here have no bounce. I think it may be because of the ubiquitous Tretorn Micro X tennis ball.
ChaelAZ
G.O.A.T.
Almost like playing pressureless balls.
tennis4me
Hall of Fame
Good for training to bend your knees on low balls. Except ... ALL balls are low-bouncing balls in this case!
The majority of courts here are still syn grass. As mentioned its a fast surface, where a good slice shot can be quite penetrating. The ball tends to skid and depending on the surface and moisture levels it can do so unpredictably. Drop shots and volleys die fairly quickly and so can be quite effective.
WYK
Hall of Fame
And it makes playing tennis a chore instead of a joy.
I've been sticking to doubles. F-off, synthetic.
Keendog
Professional
Never used to like it cos the old buggers would slice low on it over and over but used to it now. They are good and quick, soft on the knees compared to hard court and when it rains you can often still get out there as soon as it stops. Also easy to maintain compared to clay, clubs just cannot maintain clay like courts properly and they don't re-lay them often enough.
One thing I don't like about hard courts around here is they always have a very close back fence, as soon as someone hits with decent topspin the point is over because you just cant backup
One thing I don't like about hard courts around here is they always have a very close back fence, as soon as someone hits with decent topspin the point is over because you just cant backup
This is a massive plus. In fact, I find they often play better just after rain.
McGradey
Hall of Fame
I've grown up with this surface and still play on it 3x a week at my club. I'm a fan; it's pretty quick, doesn't bounce too high and isn't hard on your joints.
It rewards big serves, mean slices and hitting hard and flat. It doesn't reward heavy topspin as much as clay.
One thing I found playing on clay and hard after spending so much time on synthetic grass; I found it easy to time the ball well because it bounces higher on clay/hard. I also like to hit with a lot of spin so it's nice to see it kick up more when I play on clay.
It rewards big serves, mean slices and hitting hard and flat. It doesn't reward heavy topspin as much as clay.
One thing I found playing on clay and hard after spending so much time on synthetic grass; I found it easy to time the ball well because it bounces higher on clay/hard. I also like to hit with a lot of spin so it's nice to see it kick up more when I play on clay.
WYK
Hall of Fame
How do you hit heavy topspin when the ball bounces below your knees?
I mean, I am not a fan of clay either. I just want a 'decent' court. Synth grass is not decent, it is a compromise without any positive compromises.
I mean, when grass is slower, and causes less falls and injuries, there's something wrong.
I mean, I am not a fan of clay either. I just want a 'decent' court. Synth grass is not decent, it is a compromise without any positive compromises.
I mean, when grass is slower, and causes less falls and injuries, there's something wrong.
Cashman
Hall of Fame
If the ball is always bouncing below your knees, the court hasn’t been prepared properly.
Synthetic grass is a good court for people who don’t have access to other genuinely fast surfaces like natural grass. I wouldn’t recommend playing on it exclusively, but I wouldn’t recommend playing on any surface exclusively.
Exposing yourself to genuinely fast (and genuinely slow) courts teaches you a lot of useful skills. If you grow up playing exclusively on hardcourt, you have significant limitations that you probably aren’t even aware of.
Well, someone needs to tell the dude that maintains the artificial grass courts near me to get the sand out and start dumping it. Because they suck. It is so much different than hard or har tru when I played it, I see no benefit to playing on it at all other than novelty. As I said before, nothing about that ball bounce translates to anything you will experience at a club or USTA match anywhere around here.
FiReFTW
Legend
Cashman
Hall of Fame
Perhaps not, but you will still grow as a player and learn skills that will be useful in matches on all surfaces.
It’s also interesting and enjoyable to challenge yourself in a range of conditions. Playing tennis just to win USTA matches is a bit limiting.
WYK
Hall of Fame
How about any match on any court other than the synthetic grass court? On all of Long Island where I live, there is only one place with these type of courts that I know of (perhaps Jolly can correct me). Even the fastest hard courts in our area play nothing like these. It's a novelty here. Again..without the sand maintained. I'd love to play them when they are sanded correctly, if they do in fact play a bit more like clay. I'm guessing the sand at least slows the ball down, if it doesn't change the height of the bounce.
Cashman
Hall of Fame
An awful lot of tennis around the world is played on fast, low courts. In fact, the mother surface of the game is fast and low.
I grew up on carpet and natural grass, and the skills I learned regularly help me win matches on hardcourt and clay.
Fast hands, good knee-bend, sharp volleys, soft hands, aggressive footwork and many other skills are invaluable to tennis on any surface, and those players with regular exposure to fast courts will execute those skills better.
If you don’t embrace all surfaces, you will never really be a complete player.
WYK
Hall of Fame
Until you injure yourself on it. There's good reason it's banned from the ATP.
WYK
Hall of Fame
Nonsense.
When the AO switched from Kooyong to Melbourne Park, I would have voted for hard court over artificial grass .. but now I feel differently.
Plexicushion and now Greenset have been so slow and boring, the AO is just like any one of dozens of other slow, high bouncing hard court tournaments.
At least the artificial grass would have been different .. and variety is what tennis has lacked for well over a decade.
Where do I cast my vote to make artificial grass the new surface for tournaments across Australia?
Plexicushion and now Greenset have been so slow and boring, the AO is just like any one of dozens of other slow, high bouncing hard court tournaments.
At least the artificial grass would have been different .. and variety is what tennis has lacked for well over a decade.
Where do I cast my vote to make artificial grass the new surface for tournaments across Australia?
WYK
Hall of Fame
It's banned because it's dangerous - that's the statement the ATP made at the time.
Also, you are a moron.
joffa101
New User
I think that the artificial turf courts are popular in Australia because our tennis and tennis clubs are all geared to recreational tennis players It is a nice pastime for keeping fit and having a bit of fun. Almost nobody has a ranking. There are almost no “professional’ tennis clubs, they are all community volunteer run. These courts are the best surface for these types of players and clubs - all conditions playing, forging surface.
WYK
Hall of Fame
Hah, I assumed TW would delete that
(It's true, tho).I'll try to post more sober in the future, tho.
ChaelAZ
G.O.A.T.
Threadsurrection! lol.
Haven't played on the surface since this thread when meeting @Jimbud there. Still thought it was fun and would love to play it again. Have found a similar feel on public park and some High school courts still that are polished concrete with Arizona dust on them, where the ball skid much more than bounces lol.
Haven't played on the surface since this thread when meeting @Jimbud there. Still thought it was fun and would love to play it again. Have found a similar feel on public park and some High school courts still that are polished concrete with Arizona dust on them, where the ball skid much more than bounces lol.
