The massive majority of tennis courts in the UK – in private residences, tennis clubs, leisure centres and parks – are hard courts. There is a good reason for this; hard courts are typically the cheapest type of tennis court to build as well as boasting excellent durability and longevity. So if you are thinking of having a court constructed either on your residential property or elsewhere, you might naturally gravitate to having a hard court installed.
But you might not be aware that it is actually possible to have a wide range of court types created for UK tennis courts. One that is gaining popularity quickly is the synthetic clay court and a number are springing up across the country. Let’s take a look at whether this could be the right choice for you.
The case for artificial clay
There are many good reasons to choose synthetic clay. Firstly, if you are put off by the idea of this type of court being challenging to maintain, it is important to stress that this is not a real clay court, and it doesn’t have the frustrating maintenance challenges that you might associate with it. Artificial clay is in fact a carpet-like surface that is designed to mimic the feel and bounce of playing on clay.
The advantage of this is that it is cheaper to build and far easier to maintain throughout the year. It is also all-weather surface, unlike real clay, so it can be used even after rainfall.
For a commercial court it can be attractive to offer something different from other sports clubs to catch the eye of users, while from a residential perspective, having your own clay court is something that not many people can say. The nature of the surface also means that it is less punishing to play on and suits a more relaxed style of tennis if you are just looking for a little exercise on your court.
