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Tennis & Courts | Pickleball on Clay
Pickleball on Clay
Keep your clay courts. Add pickleball.
Pickleball is exploding and facilities want to expand opportunities for their members to play. At the same time, more pickleball players are discovering the benefits of playing on clay courts.
For some facilities, this presents a solution to the lack of space and court availability: convert your clay tennis courts to clay court pickleball and experience a new way to play.
Depending on your court design, your contractor can transform one clay tennis court into three or four clay pickleball courts.
The benefits of clay
HAR-TRU clay courts are unlike any other surface. They play slower and softer than hardcourts, but faster and more consistent than European red clay. This leads to a challenging game that is much more forgiving on your body.
Pickleball on clay takes your game to a new level.
• Fewer injuries – play more
• Easier on the body
• Challenge your footwork and shots
• Up to 20 degrees cooler than asphalt
Clay is softer, safer, easier on the body, and cooler than asphalt and concrete surfaces. Pickleball players who play on clay develop a new set of skills in footwork, strategy, endurance, and shot selection.
Clay courts make the game more rewarding and satisfy an increasing demand for court space.
Members Will Thank You
Facility Decisions: Solutions for Your Court
Talk to your players to determine the best solution for your facility. When converting a tennis court to pickleball, we suggest three potential options:
Har-Tru is here to assist you with these options.
1) Designated Solution
This solution enables your facility to designate a single clay tennis court for conversion into four pickleball courts without the need for court demolition.
This provides a seamless transition without forfeiting the option to play tennis in the future. In fact, you can leave the tennis net and posts in place to create a barrier between pickleball courts and to reduce ball interruption.
2) Blended Solution
This solution converts and existing tennis court into two pickleball courts.
The blended solution accommodates both pickleball and tennis on the same court. The use of blended lines allows the court to be utilized for either tennis or pickleball play at any given time.
3) Temporary Lines
This solution enables your facility to designate a single clay court for both tennis and pickleball.
This is a fast way to introduce pickleball on clay to your facility. The temporary lines can be removed quickly, giving you flexibility in how to use the court.
How do you prepare a clay court for pickleball?
To optimize the bounce for pickleball on clay, you only need to take a few extra steps to prepare the court. The tools required are the same tools used currently by your facility to maintain clay tennis courts, so there is no need for additional maintenance equipment.
ROLL THE COURTS FIRMER than you do for tennis
- Keep the court firm by rolling it more often
- Maintain smoothness by regularly removing any “dead” material from the surface
- Manage moisture levels carefully, applying only the amount needed to keep the surface damp
A recommended morning routine should include surface grooming, rolling if required, and thorough removal of any foreign debris from the playing surface. This ensures the court remains in optimal condition for Pickleball play, by providing a more consistent ball bounce.
Maintenance tools: tennis court roller, drag brush for grooming and removal of loose material, line sweeper to freshen then lines, and an aussie clean sweep for debris removal. Depending on the level of play you may need to revisit maintenance later in the day.
USE THE RIGHT BALL
Balls designed with a slightly higher bounce are well-suited for softer courts. Various ball types have proven effective on clay surfaces. Among our favorites are the Onix Pure II and Onix Fuse G2.
How does this affect tennis play?
Because the court has been rolled tighter, the court will play faster. For tennis players on a blended court, this provides the same sliding and play they’re used to, but with a faster surface and tempo.
Make Room for Pickleball
Convert and Maintain
Convert your clay tennis courts for pickleball.
Install dedicated permanent conversions, blended courts, or temporary solutions.