The addition of a lighting system to your tennis court, whether it is a tennis club facility or just a home court, can be a great value to all players. Club managers will find that a lit facility will recieve more business and be able to operate more efficient hours. Obtaining memberships with other nearby competing clubs around can be tough, but with lit courts you have an edge on the competition. Players love to play tennis after work, but in the off season the daylight hours can be short. Adding lights to a single court for a home owner is an easier task because the scale of the operation is much smaller. The benefit is largely the same though, lights will be a great convenience for all different types of players.
Choosing a Good Tennis Lighting Solution
To choose a good lighting system, it’s best to check with experts. The most important parts of the system are the design, layout, and amount of lighting. The professionals go by the ITF lighting standards to decide what constitutes a well-lit court, but for recreational play these standards are really just an ideal. Trying to model your system loosely after these standards is a good idea. It’s also important to know that the best lighting systems will provide uniform light throughout the court. For players to effectively see the ball at all times there cannot be any major dark spots. Dark spots on the court will keep the player from seeing the ball well. The most common mistake in a lighting design is to not implement lighting in the back court. Extending the lighting system all the way through the back court will light the ball as it approaches the player. This will help with uniformity and overall luminescence.
The ITF standard for a professional environment is 70 foot-candles. This measurement must be taken at 14 different locations across the court and then compared for uniformity. In general, the average should remain close and consistent to 70, but slight variation is fine. Courts designed entirely for home use do not need to worry as much about this standard. Only facilities that intend to host high profile tournaments should really spend extra resources to insure compliance with the standard.
Checklist for a Lighting System
When building a quality lighting system you should make certain to check with all these experts to insure safety.
- Construction – Mounting the lighting system on poles or ceiling fixtures. Poles can either be mounted into the ground or a small enclosure of cement will be poured to hold them in place.
- Electrician – Wiring and power consumption of the lights. The wiring will almost always be underground and out of sight, but it’s important to make sure the system adheres to all electrical safety standards
- Safety – Poles must be safely mounted and able to withstand environment conditions like wind and all electrical concerns should be dealt with.
A great tennis court lighting system is an invaluable tool to a club owner and a great addition to any recreational player’s home court. Add some extra playing hours to your day and enjoy tennis after dark. For more information about additions to make to your tennis court, check out TennisShoeView.
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