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Clay tennis courts outshine all others for lowering the risk of injury, maintaining a naturally cooler temperature, and slowing ball speed for a better game. Har Tru tennis courts are ideal for both standard tennis and pickleball. Pickleball is a faster paced but simpler game that can help you work on your speed and finesse in between tennis matches.

Whether you’re playing pickleball or tennis, you need to install your court properly and take great care of it. To do that, check for the best nets, posts, and clay tennis court rollers for sale. First, learn what goes into building and maintaining a clay tennis court:

Building a Har Tru Tennis Court

The first step is to decide on the perfect site. To do that, consider the following details:

• Size. Standard tennis courts are 78 feet long and 36 feet wide (including the doubles alleys) but with additional space for drainage, landscaping, and fencing, you need to add an additional 12-21 feet around the perimeter. Make sure you have an open space large enough for this.
• Orientation. An east-west court is difficult to play on during early mornings or late afternoons due to the sun. North-South is ideal to avoid direct sun interference throughout the day.
• Slope. While the ground should be mostly level, you do want a slight gradient around the perimeter to support drainage.

Getting the Right Tennis Equipment

Once you’ve got the court installed, all that’s left is to choose your equipment. In addition to your net, posts, windscreen, and other equipment, you also need to shop for important accessories like clay tennis court rollers for sale to keep your court in perfect condition.

First, you need a net. The tennis court net is one of the most important pieces of equipment you’ll be getting so it’s worth understanding the terminology as you shop for the perfect one:

1. Body: this is the main section of the net. The cord that’s used to make the netting will be measured in millimeters. A thicker cord size indicates strong netting which means it will last longer. Most cords range from 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm.
2. Headband: this is the band of material running along the top. You want to look for double layered headbands made from vinyl because it’s stain resistant and easier to clean.
3. Side and bottom bands: these are like the headband except, as you can guess, they run along the side and bottom of the net. The most important thing to look for here is strong stitching. There should be two or three rows, ideally using polyester thread.
4. Cable: this runs along the edge of the net and loops around the side posts to keep your net in place at 3.5 feet above the ground. Cables will be described in terms of breaking strength (typically around 2,600 lbs). The higher the breaking strength, the better.

The next piece of equipment you want to consider is a windscreen. A windscreen will do four things for you. It will cut down noise and visual distractions; reduce wind that could affect game play; provide shade but preserve ventilation; and, offer some privacy if your court is exposed to passing traffic.

Taking Care of Your Har Tru Tennis Court

When you first install your court, you need to roll it daily for about four weeks to recompact the surface and subsurface. For that, you absolutely need to find clay tennis court rollers for sale. This will prevent a gritty, soggy, and uneven surface.

After the first four weeks, keeping tennis courts clean just requires the following simple routine:

1. Remove debris and dust with a blower before playing.
2. Roll the surface with a clay tennis court roller each week. You want to look specifically for clay tennis court rollers for sale because this is one of the most parts of owning a clay court.
3. In the summer, water the court regularly to prevent cracks forming.
4. In the rainy season, keep the court covered when not in use

That’s it! It’s not that hard to maintain but that little effort invested will save you a lot of money down the road by ensuring that your court doesn’t dry out or get overrun with mildew and mold. Just roll your court and start playing!