MLTC Newsflash - New Tennis Courts
Dear Members,
By now you will be aware that work on our new tennis courts and fencing is almost complete. The contractor remains on track to finish the project tomorrow morning – Saturday April 18.
These two phases of the Project have been completed successfully, and the courts will be fully operational again from 2pm Saturday 18 April. This will also mean a return to normal operating hours and access to the club. The contractor’s equipment will remain parked in the driveway over weekend. The driveway will remain closed for the parking of cars until early next week – hopefully, this will be resolved by Monday.
Much has been achieved by the club over the last five weeks in relation to the commissioning of the new courts. Nevertheless, there are several follow-on items to be addressed.
1. How best to use these courts
· Court Brushing Etiquette: The new TigerTurf “Advantage Clay” tennis courts will play better once brushed with the drag mats. Players are encouraged to brush the courts before playing their match. In this way, each player will benefit directly from her/ his preparation of the courts. The courts cannot be over brushed. Therefore, players are welcome (but are not obligated) to brush the courts after their match too. This might be a kind gesture for example after club night, a group coaching session, or similar group activity.
· Court Brushing Technique: Each court is equipped with two drag mats – one for each half of the court. The basic idea is that a player uses the drag mat to brush her/ his half of the court prior to play (for example, once at the commencement of a one-hour playing session). This effort will only take a few minutes per player. Players can blend this effort into their warmup routine. Players may elect not to brush the courts before their game albeit the courts may not play at their best.
The technique for brushing any one half of a court is to begin by brushing the outer boundaries of that half of the court, move in a circular motion, and finish in the middle of that half of the court. Once complete, the drag mat should then be returned to its holder at the side of the court or at the end of the court, as applicable. This technique will ensure that the sand remains in the primary area of play on the court (best performance) at not at the extremities of the court (reduced performance). Please refer to the diagram below.
· Brushing the Lines: Players may elect to brush the lines after the courts have been brushed (the brushing of lines will be at the discretion of the players). This can be performed quite easily with the line brush (one per court). By design, these courts are heavily sanded at new. According to the manufacturer and the contractor, the sand will settle into place after a few weeks and the need to brush the lines will decrease. In the meantime, it may be necessary to brush the lines prior to each match (or once per one hour playing session). Do remember that the baseline on a tennis court is exactly two times the width of the tram lines. Therefore, the baseline will require two applications of the line brush whereas one application of the line brush will suffice for the other lines.
2. Finishing elements
· Court Side Equipment:
§ Orders will soon be placed with the suppliers for the following items:
o New court side seats
o Shoe brushes (to remove sand after playing)
o New wind screens (green mesh) for the perimeter of the courts
§ Drag mats and line brushes – permanent hooks and holders will be installed soonest to maximise their efficiency and practicality while minimising the visual impact of where they are located:
o at the side of the court for courts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6
o at either end for court 5
3. Club Night Event - Thursday April 30
Captains Noreen and Bill, together with the coaches and senior players, will host club night for the club members on Thursday April 30. The basic idea is that all six courts will be used to conduct fun drills to help people hone their skills on our new Advantage Clay courts. The coaches will also share their knowledge and help players get the best from their game on these new courts. Please come along and enjoy. More details to follow from captains Noreen and Bill.
4. General Coaching and League Updates on the new courts
· Summer League and Coaching: The DLTC summer leagues start next month. To prepare for summer league, captains Noreen and Bill, together with the coaches, will be in touch with details relating to coaching sessions.
· Junior Tennis: Please keep watch on the newsletter and other forms of club correspondence for information relating to junior tennis on the new courts at MLTC.
5. Formal Opening Event for the New Courts
MLTC will host an opening event for our new tennis courts later this year – most probably in September. More details to follow from the Executive Committee once planning is completed.
We are looking forward to the next few months and very much hope that you enjoy the new courts. Any suggestions, please contact the Executive Committee and/or the Courts Subcommittee.
Thank you in advance,
From Margaret Quinn (club president) and the courts subcommittee (Kevin Polley, Helen Bunbury, Jemma Houlihan, Fiona O’ Sullivan, and Declan Cotter).