Things YOU must avoid when owning a synthetic grass tennis court

Having a new tennis court built can be incredibly rewarding and give many years of enjoyment. Correctly done, a synthetic grass tennis court will not only look sensational but add value to your property, putting your property amongst the prestige properties in your area.

Unfortunately many tennis courts do not perform for the many years they should due to oversights in the planning stage and poor quality of materials or workmanship during the installation stage. Sportzing Court Care Services has exceeded 25,000 tennis court services over the past 25 years which gives us an incredible insight into many of the problems that can happen with a synthetic grass tennis court.

Having said this, it is of our opinion that a synthetic grass court, properly laid and maintained, will give you decades of pleasure, lasting longer, performing better and is visually more appealing than any other sport surface used as a surface for a tennis court.

Here are the 5 Most Common Mistakes:

1. Poor quality materials and workmanship, including no seam tape used on joins on a concrete base. We see this problem regularly during tennis court maintenance, with joins coming apart sometimes after just 5 years due to the joins being fixed directly onto concrete instead of using seam tape, or else poor quality of workmanship during fixing. Answer: Use a reputable company at the time of new court construction or replacement and ensure quality materials and methods are used.
2. Synthetic grass laid on a poor base generally a concrete base under a synthetic grass court is the best but also the most expensive. A majority of synthetic grass courts are laid on road base. Properly prepared road base courts will give a good level surface to lay the synthetic grass court surface over, however a poorly prepared base will cause the surface to become uneven over time making playing and servicing the court more difficult. The court can also become more susceptible to compaction in the hollows as a result of this.
3. Lack of regular tailored maintenance (USING HIGH PRESSURE WATER CLEANING WILL DAMAGE YOUR COURT). It is the belief of some court owners that synthetic grass courts are maintenance free, like all surfaces this is not the case. With a proper maintenance programme a synthetic grass court will maintain its consistent bounce and easy playing surface. Do not use high pressure water blasting on your court as it damages the fibres in the mat (we have seen this too many times). Here are some of the things a regular maintenance programme should cover:
   • Control compaction levels
   • Remove unsightly mould and algae growth
   • Surface strata fibre cleaning and grooming
   • Accurately correct sand levels
   • Minor repairs if needed
4. Drainage of nearby lawns and gardens onto the court (including irrigation systems). The sand that is used on a synthetic grass court is graded to a specific size and cleaned to become free of contaminants. During rain events if nearby lawns or gardens allow water to flow onto the court this will contaminate the clean sand and over time encourages the growth of mould and algae. The fine nature of dirt and contaminants also leads to a build-up of compaction in the mat that if unchecked can cause severe glazing and the eventual demise of the tennis court. A regular tailored maintenance programme should keep these problems in check and possibly even reduce the problem.
5. Trees too close to the court causing root problems. This can be a big problem with many tennis courts across Australia whether concrete or road base. Tree roots seem to find their way underneath the base of the court looking for moisture and can popup along the edge of the court extending onto the play area of the court. These look unsightly, affect play, and cause trip hazards to players. These can sometimes be fixed by using root barriers along the side of the court but it is important that the choice of trees being planted, and the distance that the trees are from the court, is taken into consideration to save many thousands of dollars down the track.