Pulastic (polyurathane) Courts

H

hard2explain

Rookie
My club's indoor courts are this unusual polyurethane surface, called pulastic

http://www.robbinsfloor.com/multi-purpose-systems/

Has anyone played on anything similar?

How would you characterise it?
Personally i think it's very fast (a lot of skidding on flatter shots) and medium bounce height (it's quite soft of on the knees etc).

What type of shoes would you recommend?
Unfortunately there's a climbing wall at one end, and the chalk dust falls on one of the courts. The courts aren't exactly well maintained and can be very slippy if they haven't been cleaned in a few days - think Madrid, you can barely push off quickly without losing your footing.
 
esgee48

esgee48

G.O.A.T.
Never seen this floor type indoors. Sounds more like a basketball surface than a tennis court surface.
 
kelkat

kelkat

Rookie
I've seen it and played on it once, a long time ago, in the old Great Western Forum in LA. This was the surface they used when showcasing the LA Strings back when they were still around for World Team Tennis. I participated in a clinic there.

The courts were as you described. I guess go for a clay court shoe of some sort? Why not call TW and get their recommendation for this kind of court condition?
 
F

floridatennisdude

Hall of Fame
Looking through their galleries, I can't imagine this stuff was designed for tennis. It reminds me of the rubberized surface that you'd find in elementary schools built before 1990 in the US. Great for games with rubber balls, but I can't picture being happy with a felt covered ball coming at me at 100mph on a serve...there would be little friction to slow down the ball off the bounce.

I'd find another club.
 
M

maggmaster

Hall of Fame
There is a college around me thats team practices on hardwood floors in the winter. I went over and hit with them one time by invitation, it was almost impossible to return first serves with anything but a chip.
 
H

hard2explain

Rookie
floridatennisdude said:
Looking through their galleries, I can't imagine this stuff was designed for tennis. It reminds me of the rubberized surface that you'd find in elementary schools built before 1990 in the US. Great for games with rubber balls, but I can't picture being happy with a felt covered ball coming at me at 100mph on a serve...there would be little friction to slow down the ball off the bounce.

I'd find another club.
Click to expand...

I'm currently an impoverished :cry: student, and they offer a great discount (it's only £15~$30/month) no court fees etc, up to 2hrs a day with a fellow member. The next proper indoor place is £90~$180, but I graduate this autumn, and if/when (shouldn't be that hard for an engineering student?) i secure a job I'll probably move there.

Kelkat, do clay court shoes generally have a softer rubber compound on the outsole?

Thanks for your response people.
 
F

floridatennisdude

Hall of Fame
I'd still find another club. Or play a different sport during bad weather and find outdoor courts on nice days.

It just doesn't seem like tennis on that stuff and it would throw off my game.
 
ollinger

ollinger

G.O.A.T.
Perhaps the most useful info you can get is from the people who actually play at your club, and I assume there's a good number of them, rather than from a bunch of people who mostly have never played on it. Do you talk to people there?
 
H

hard2explain

Rookie
It rains 150 (3/7) days a year here in sunny northern ireland, but I do play on artificial grass in the better months, and couldn't bare to not play tennis for more than a few weeks.

As to the people I play with, there's maybe ten, and would generally say they don't geek out over the gear etc like i do - most wear hardcourt shoes, propulses, kswiss big shots, CB 2.3s.
 
storypeddler

storypeddler

Semi-Pro
hard2explain said:
My club's indoor courts are this unusual polyurethane surface, called pulastic

http://www.robbinsfloor.com/multi-purpose-systems/

Has anyone played on anything similar?

How would you characterise it?
Personally i think it's very fast (a lot of skidding on flatter shots) and medium bounce height (it's quite soft of on the knees etc).

What type of shoes would you recommend?
Unfortunately there's a climbing wall at one end, and the chalk dust falls on one of the courts. The courts aren't exactly well maintained and can be very slippy if they haven't been cleaned in a few days - think Madrid, you can barely push off quickly without losing your footing.
Click to expand...

I play some matches/tournaments every year on some similar courts at a couple places here in NC. Not sure of the name, but it is a rubberized compound, kinda-sorta reminiscent of the rebound ace surface once used at the Australian Open. It is fast in that the ball tends to skid and not come up, and you have to learn to adjust a backswing and get ready a little earlier than normal. However, once you get used to it, it is definitely easier on hips and knees than a hard court.
 
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