Building a tennis court in the countryside: is it a good investment?
A tennis court surrounded by open country is an appealing combination, and it is one of the few additions that can genuinely change how a rural property is used. If you are weighing it up as an investment, the court itself is the easy part. Getting the setting, the drainage and the orientation right is what decides whether it still plays well in five years.
The layout of a court is standardised, so there is almost no architecture involved in the court itself. The landscaping around it is where the decisions are. Groups of trees at a distance look good; low, dense shrubs at either end and along the sides do the most to settle a court into its surroundings.
Keep the large trees well back, though. Broken shadows are genuinely disruptive to play, because the ball disappears into them, and branches moving in the wind pull the eye away from the ball. Low shrubs planted close to the court do not have this problem, and they earn their place twice over: they read as a dark background against which the ball stands out clearly. Fence the court in, and put the drinking fountain and hose connections near the gates.
Orientation and construction
Low sun in the eyes is the other thing that ruins a game, and it is worst in the early morning and late afternoon. Work out when the court is most likely to be used, then orient it so that as little direct sun as possible reaches the players' eyes at that hour. As a rule, a court with its long axis running north to south is the safer choice.
Water drainage
Finish the court slightly above the level of the surrounding ground. That small difference helps the court drain and stops surface water from running onto it. On the uphill side, bury a line of drainage tile at a depth no lower than the level of the court, and fill the trench with rubble or cinders to within 15 to 20 cm of the surface, topping off the rest with soil. That trench will intercept water seeping down from higher ground, which would otherwise keep the court saturated for days after heavy rain.
Before the clay goes down, the drainage base needs to be properly settled, rolled and true to grade. Use a soil that is roughly one third clay, one third silt and one third sand; that mix gives the most durable and best playing surface. Wet the clay base down, settle it, tamp and roll it thoroughly, and check the grades again before the surface coat goes on.
Surface finishing
The surface layer should use the same material as the base. Apply a fine spray of water and roll it until it is solid. If it comes up sticky, dust it with sharp, fine sand. Any small depressions that appear after rain should be marked and then brought back up to grade gradually, with light topdressings of the surface mix.
Court surfaces are often coloured or tinted to cut glare from reflected light, which also makes the ball easier to follow. Dusting with calcium chloride binds the surface material and makes the court wear better, and it darkens the surface enough to reduce glare much as colouring does.
Fencing
Fence the whole court to a height of at least 3 metres. For the frame, 5 cm wrought iron posts about 4 metres long, set 1 metre into the ground in concrete, work well. Use galvanised wire with a 2.5 cm mesh.
Do not use wire to hold the netting down at the bottom, because it stretches sooner or later and then balls start escaping underneath. Use something solid instead, a 5 by 10 cm wooden sill or iron piping, running between the posts. Set it high enough for surface water to drain away, but low enough that a ball cannot pass beneath it. Put gates on every side, for the players' convenience, and paint the fence something that disappears into the background, such as dark green.
Tennis court builders in Portugal, near Porto
Alfa-tenis — see the exact location on maps
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