Indoor Courts

[Prestige_Spin]

I was just wondering if anybody here has played in indoor courts. I live in a small town and were're lucky just to have any type of tennis court. Are the indoor courts are diffrent than the outdoor courts. Are they much better cuz the have AC and the sun doesnt hit ur eyes? Or do guys prefer to play outside???

 

[tennis-n-sc]

When we had them, they were not air conditioned. But they were great in the winter. It might get into the thirties with little heat, but no wind, rain, sleet or snow. Going back outside in the elements for spring leagues took some reconditioning. I'd rather be outside but the indoors are nice for winter. You can die in there in the summer.

 

[dakels]

I have played in several indoor courts and they tend to vary alot. Indoor courts are usually a hardcourt on cement, or this plastic type surface. (Oh I did play on one with a short astroturf carpet) Generally indoor does not have as bright light as outdoor daytime. The light consistency is different making it harder to see for some people.

Probably the most annoying part of indoor courts is the size. Often you have extremely little room on the sides (1-2 feet) limiting your movement to get shots off the court. Also ceieling height is often a problem with rafters and support beams fairly low limiting the hieght of lobs. All depends on the facility. In winter I play in a bubble dome which has great cieling height, the drawback is lights are only coming from the sides reflecting light up and around. It's generally a bit dim.

Indoor surfaces are generally not as good as outdoor newer surfaces. The plastic type is really slick. When swept and mopped properly its not a bad surface to play on at all but more often then not its dusty and the ball slides alot. The astroturf carpet ones are kinda strange but not bad. It slows the ball down a little but hard shots will slide a bit.

Overall its a great option if you can't play out doors due to the weather, but I love playing outside. So much so that I am one of the last players to stop before winter comes in. I have played outside in weather as cold as 30 degrees (it started snowing while we were playing). Also indoor is almost always fee based per hour. It can be really expensive in clubs with prices ranging from $40-60/hour or more depending on time and membership fees etc. Most people prefer to play outside unless its not an option like wintertime.

 

[playlikepros]

I play at indoor courts near me on rainy days and during the winter time for 14/hr (per court, so if you have two people it is 7 per person and doubles would be 3.50 a person). The courts are concrete and are kept very clean with a mini street sweeper made for courts that they drive every other day or so. There are nets up between every court to block balls, but as mentioned before it causes a lack of space for you to chase down wide shots. Lobs usually aren't a problem there for the general topspin lob, and the only times you will really hit something is if you hit one of the lights hanging down. The courts have heat but no ac so in the winter time it is quite nice at around 70 degrees. There is free water in coolers on every court, along with benches and a nice air conditioned pro shop and such. Overall it is a very nice option for a year long tennis experience.

 

[GOOOOOGA]

indoor courts are only as good as the facility.

for me, my indoor courts are amazing- 8 hard carts, 4 hartru, alot of room. the club's just great.

people like indoor because it has ideal conditions- no wind, no glaring sun.

but players who get too used to indoor courts have problems outside because: they cant serve in the sun, they cant handle high winds, they dont get to hear their shots as much. your massive groundstrokes and huge shanks echo indoors, so you know exactly what you're doing wrong.

 

[Crichton]

We have like 70 indoor courts, some surfaces are faster than others, some have better lighting than others. I prefer an outdoor hard court, but we're able to play year-round without any problem

 

[Matthew]

The indoor courts I play on are extremely fast and are actually being totally resurfaced in order to make the courts slower so its more "accomodating". Personally I love playing indoors.

 

[zAllianceBmx]

i love indoor courts.

 

[Exile]

If it's for training, then outdoor, if a tournament, then indoor all the way.

 

[ibemadskillzz]

indoor courts around me are airconditioned and it's nice. The balls move slightly faster because the courts are cleaner. no dust like outdoor.

 

[chrisab508]

The club I play at has 18 indoor courts, and 3 platform tennis courts. The cielings are slanted so right over the net is the highest point, so lobs aren't a problem. The room from side to side does get a little tight but not that bad. All of the cielings are white, and all of the lights are angled upwards (white light) so you don't have to look into the light, and there aren't any shadows. There is free water in water coolers at every court. My club has been rated the number one club in the United States by the USTA twice in a row. It is a very nice club. I however, do not have to feel the brunt of the membership fees because I am a junior member. Junior members (18 and under) get it very nice. It is $50/month, and no court fees ever, just play when you want, when there's an open court.

 

[Cobrien]

Only really play indoor. Too wet outside. (Scotland)

 

[timmyboy]

my club puts up a dome around their hard courts for winter, and they leave their clacourts there.