Home » TI magazine » Courts/Lighting » Distinguished Facility-of-the-Year Awards: Soft Focus

Distinguished Facility-of-the-Year Awards: Soft Focus

These outdoor facility winners are excellent examples of soft-court construction.

By Peter Francesconi

There were 14 outdoor tennis facilities that took honors in the Tennis Industry/American Sports Builders Association Distinguished Facility-of-the-Year Awards for 2013, and six of those are soft-court projects. Unlike in previous years, which have been dominated by soft-court facilities located in Florida, this year, only two of the six are in the Sunshine State — the mix includes projects in Virginia, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Tennessee.

The Belmont Recreation Center in Henrico County, Va., involved tearing out six clay courts and two asphalt courts, reconfiguring the layout, then installing six new Hydrocourts and two new Decoturf cushioned courts. The contractor had to stabilize bad soil with fabric and additional stone, then adjust a stone retaining wall to a higher elevation to allow proper drainage around the project.

The four-court project at the European Tennis Academy at Parkland (Fla.) Golf & Country Club included building two new HydroGrid sub-irrigated courts and one asphalt court, and installation of lighting and fencing on all courts, along with the construction of two 10-foot by 20-foot shade shelters.

The Executive Health and Sports Center in Manchester, N.H., has four new, sub-irrigated, lighted courts. Half of the area was an old parking lot, which was pulverized and used as fill in deep areas; the rest of the excavation included tree and organic soil removal.

Lake Jeanette Swim and Tennis Club in Greensboro, N.C., converted two existing clay courts to Hydrocourts and added two new Hydrocourts. Because of the minimal amount of space available, the contractor had to move the two existing courts, add upper and lower retaining walls, remove a parking lot and some trees, add dirt to fill, and reshape a grass swale.

The eight courts at the Memphis (Tenn.) Country Club were upgraded to HydroGrid sub-irrigated courts, and arranged as two three-court batteries and one two-court battery, all with new fencing. Flooding conditions required temporary drainage during construction.

The largest project of this group is the 13-court Players Club & Spa at Lely Resort in Naples, Fla. After the owner completed the site work, the contractor had to adjust for the very rocky sub-base by bringing in additional fill and grading to allow for proper installation of the subsurface irrigation system. The new construction, which included lighting, was part of a major renovation at the club designed to build more courts for the growing membership. A custom-designed fence system for the stadium court can be retracted to open up the court for spectator events.

Players Club & Spa at Lely Resort

Naples, Fla.

(Nominated by Fast-Dry Courts Inc., Pompano Beach, Fla.)

Architect/Engineer/Contractor: Fast-Dry Courts Inc.

Number of Courts: 13

Surface: Har-Tru Sports HydroBlend

Lights: LSI Courtsider

Court Accessories: Fast-Dry Courts Inc. and 10-S Tennis Supply

Belmont Recreation Center

Henrico County, Va.

(Nominated by Tennis Courts Inc., Aylett, Va.)

General Contractor: Tennis Courts Inc.

Number of Courts: 8 (6 Hydrocourt & 2 Decoturf)

Surface: Tennis Courts Inc.

Nets: Har-Tru Sports

Posts: Edwards

European Tennis Academy at Parkland Golf & Country Club

Parkland, Fla.

(Nominated by Welch Tennis Courts Inc., Sun City, Fla.)

Contractor: Welch Tennis Courts Inc.

Number of Courts: 4

Surface: Har-Tru Sports

Subsurface Irrigation: Welch Tennis Courts HydroGrid

Nets, Posts, Windscreens: Welch Tennis Courts Inc.

Executive Health and Sports Center

Manchester, N.H.

(Nominated by Boston Tennis Court Construction Co., Hanover, Mass.)

Number of Courts: 4

Surface: Har-Tru Sports Hydrocourt

Lights: Har-Tru Sports

Nets, Posts, Anchors, Line Tapes: J.A. Cissel

Lake Jeanette Swim and Tennis Club

Greensboro, N.C.

(Nominated by Court One, Youngsville, N.C.)

Contractor: Welch Tennis Courts Inc.

Number of Courts: 8

Surface: Har-Tru Sports

Subsurface Irrigation: Welch Tennis Courts HydroGrid

Nets, Posts, Windscreens: Welch Tennis Courts Inc.

Memphis Country Club

Memphis, Tenn.

(Nominated by Welch Tennis Courts Inc., Sun City, Fla.)

Contractor: Welch Tennis Courts Inc.

Number of Courts: 8

Surface: Har-Tru Sports

Subsurface Irrigation: Welch Tennis Courts HydroGrid

Nets, Posts, Windscreens: Welch Tennis Courts Inc.

For details on the 2014 Outstanding Facility-of-the-Year Awards, contact the ASBA
at 866-501-ASBA or info@sportsbuilders.org, or visit sportsbuilders.org.

See all articles by Peter Francesconi

About the Author

Peter Francesconi is editorial director of Tennis Industry magazine.

From the April 2014 issue
Permalink