Clay court stories
Six tired courts, one long summer of work, and a surface reborn — the story of our clay renovation.
Our clay courts were the club's soul — and by 2023, they were showing every one of their twenty years. Uneven bounce, bald patches, drainage that gave up in April. Members loved them anyway. We decided they deserved better.
The challenge
Rebuild six courts to tournament standard without losing a full clay season. That meant phased work across spring, temporary relocation of 200+ weekly junior hours, and keeping the dust — literally — away from the neighboring hard courts.
The approach
We stripped to the base, re-graded for drainage, and laid fresh crushed brick over new irrigation lines. A specialist crew groomed daily while our own grounds team trained on the new maintenance rhythm — brushing, watering, rolling — that keeps clay honest.
The new clay plays slower, truer, and kinder on knees — junior enrollment on clay doubled within a season, and our autumn clay classic sold out for the first time in club history.
6
Courts rebuilt
2×
Junior clay enrollment
0
Weeks of season lost
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