Maintaining Your Residential Tennis Court

Maintaining a residential synthetic turf tennis court is a lot like servicing a car. It only needs a good service once a year or so, but there are little things that you can do when you notice them to keep it in excellent shape in between services.

Back in the day, before synthetic turf, tennis courts were “difficult to maintain” grass or “hard on the joints” asphalt or concrete.  While asphalt is a little easier to maintain, it still requires some maintenance and isn’t the best for impact on your joints (or, let’s face it, when you fall over diving for the ball!).

Synthetic turf provides a versatile, high-performance surface for game-play.

If you’re hesitant to use synthetic turf for your residential tennis court, don’t be: we’ve created a list of dos and don’ts so that you can maintain your court with ease.

Do: Get the foundations right

You can clean and maintain your artificial tennis court all day, but it won’t mean much if the foundations are wrong.

Before you install a synthetic court, make sure that the surface is properly prepped, and that you have the right base layer, or sub-base, underneath. Good drainage is essential, as is making sure that there is nothing under the surface that may disrupt the life of your turf, like tree roots or underground infrastructure.

Do: Remove leaves and debris

When debris is left on your synthetic court surface, it will break down and decompose, eventually staining the sand infill and compromising the quality of your turf. The surface may become slippery underfoot and/or compacted creating a “glazed” effect which is not ideal. Leaving leaves and detritus on your turf will definitely damage it and result in costly restoration which should be avoided.

Do: Sweep and brush regularly

On a regular basis, and when required, give your court a sweep and gentle brush to dislodge any debris that sits on the surface of your turf.  Keep it clean or it may end up like this…

Do: Use approved products and trust the experts

Your turf supplier will recommend certain cleaning products approved for use if you are a home handyman type, or alternatively offers a regular maintenance service to keep your surface looking perfect all year round.

Foot traffic is wonderful in assisting to keep moss growth under control – the more use the surface gets the better! You can be forgiven for thinking that your surface won’t need maintaining if it’s not being used, however the reality is the exact opposite!  If your court is not being utilised regularly, maintenance is even more important to assist in keeping organic growth under control.

Don’t: Use a water blaster

A water blaster or pressure washer will damage your turf and is not recommended!   This aggressive cleaning can damage your sub-base, compromise the adhesives on the seams, create uneven sand levels (and in some cases remove it completely), not to mention damage your pile so it’s best to avoid this process!

Don’t: Ignore seasonal differences

You’ll care for your tennis court differently in the summer than you will in the winter. Depending on where you live, you may be subject to bitter temperatures, snow, ice, or frost during the cooler months, meaning that your court will require a little more TLC (and a little more leaf removal!).

Don’t: Leave it unmaintained

Finally – and this is really what we’re getting at – regular maintenance adds up over time to keep your tennis court in excellent condition.

The cost of not maintaining your court surface

If you don’t maintain your asphalt or hard tennis court surface properly, over time it will become damaged and need replacing. The same is true for synthetic turf. No matter what surface you have, it’s going to cost much more to restore or replace it, than it will to have it maintained properly.

Need a hand with your tennis court?

Talk to us. With years of experience and commitment to the highest standard in synthetic turf, we’re always here to help.