Different Types of artificial turf for tennis courts
How much do you know about the different types of artificial turf for tennis courts?
Artificial turf for tennis courts comes in various grades, each with their own characteristics including weight and thickness, in turn creating a multitude of advantages and disadvantages when it comes to the useability of the court and gameplay.
From names like Supercourt to Pro Tennis, artificial turf for tennis courts may feel like a mine field of facts, figures and surface construction, but it doesn’t have to be! Let’s serve up the info on each turf grade and talk about what works, what doesn’t and see which one aces it for you.
Different types of artificial turf grades
Here at Ultracourts, we roll with Supercourt, Ultra Pro, Top Court, Top Serve and Pro Tennis for our artificial turf. Let’s highlight some of their features and where they might work best.
- Supercourt – Denser grade (19mm) yarn weight of 834 gm/sqm
Due to its dense structure, this turf has a more durable nature and is ideal for sports that are medium to high impact. It’s also a highly cushioned surface making it more comfortable for players and creates a surface for greater ball control. One of the down sides is the higher cost outlay due to the structure of the turf compared to lower-graded options.
- Ultra Pro – Commercial grade (16mm) yarn weight of 1260gm/sqm
An extremely durable surface ideal for heavy commercial use which sees a lot of foot traffic. It’s fast-playing surface is great for tennis and other high-speed sports. It’s easy to maintain so requires minimal brushing. It does have less cushioning so may have more of an impact during play.
- Top Court – Commercial grade (15mm) yarn weight of 1054gm/sq
With little need for maintenance, it’s a cost effective surface for courts in a commercial setting. The 15mm pile height ensures an even and smooth playing experience, which is ideal for fast-paced games. It’s commercial-grade durability allows it to handle frequent use and harsher weather conditions. Due to its short pile height, it may not provide as much cushioning for players and depending on how often it’s used, it may need the occasional infill. - Top Serve – Commercial grade (19mm) yarn weight of 1155gm/sq
With a taller 19mm pile, it offers better cushioning than shorter pile turfs. It holds up well to high traffic movement so is great for busy sports settings.
It does require more regular maintenance and comes with a higher initial cost.
- Pro Tennis – Commercial grade (15mm) yarn weight of 1220gm/sq
This is a faster playing surface with excellent ball control and surface consistency. It has less cushioning so may lead to higher impact on the body during gameplay. It’s not the best court for all-purpose use.
