Wimbledon and Grass Tennis Courts

1
Wimbledon and Grass Tennis Courts

• By William Haselbauer

2
Wimbledon

• Wimbledon (All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet
  Club) consists of 19 grass courts

3
Grass Court Construction

• First the ground is dug 18 inches deep plus the
  additional depth for the drainage pipes
• A grid system of drainage is used
• 4 inch main drain
• 3 inch lateral drains

4
Grass Court Construction

• Drainage Layer
• 6 inches deep
• Consists of dust free hard stone about 5/16 3/8
  inches in size
• Should lock together well to form a firm but
  still well drained layer

5
Grass Court Construction

• Binding layer
• Above drainage layer
• 2 inches in thickness
• Made of sharp grit
• So top soil does not drain into drainage layer
• Should be lime free so it does not affect soil
  layer above

6
Grass Court Construction

• Top Soil
• Loamy soil with 20 clay
• 10 inches deep
• Laid 2 inches at a time, leveled and compacted
  twice

7
Grass Court Construction

• Turf
• Sod
• Much quicker
• Soil might not be compatible
• Can cause movement and breakup
• Seeding
• No soil problems
• Takes one year to produce playable surface

8
Court Maintenance Spring/Summer

• Rolling
• Required in early spring to re-firm the top- soil
• Roller weighs from 550 1000 pounds
• Not usually done during the summer unless a
  tournament is coming up

9
Court Maintenance Spring/Summer

• Scarification
• Should be performed regularly
• Reduces thatch which would cause a slower playing
  surface and inconsistent bounce
• Only done during times of good growth

10
Court Maintenance Spring/Summer

• Mowing
• With predominantly rye grass cutting height
  should be ¼ - 5/16 in. in height
• During good growth grass should be cut 2 - 3
  times per week

11
Court Maintenance Spring/Summer

• Irrigation
• Done at night and courts must be dry before being
  played on
• Court Rotation
• Rotation of court use allows for courts to
  recover
• Also allows restoration work to be done

12
Court Maintenance Autumn/Winter

• Scarification
• Much more intense session of scarification
• Blades must penetrate deeper into ground
• Time must be left for turf to recover before
  winter

13
Court Maintenance Autumn/Winter

• Aeration
• Will improve air and water movement through the
  soil
• Should not be done after February

14
Court Maintenance Autumn/Winter

• Renovation
• Worn areas develop because of concentrated play
• Bare patches are hand cultivated raked and
  compacted, they are than reseeded to be ready for
  next spring

15
Court Maintenance Autumn/Winter

• Top Dressing
• A loam top soil with about 20 25 clay is
  used
• 3 4 lbs per square yard
• Done after aeration
• Preserves the level surface and maintains a good
  turf

16
(No Transcript)
17
My Challenge To You
18
References

• http//www.accuratetennis.com/construction.html
• http//www.britishtennis.com/courtmakers/
• http//www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/index.html
• http//www.sportsgrass.com/tennis/