New Lano Clay Tennis Courts for a Suffolk Club

New clay tennis courts place Suffolk club amongst best in the region

There is no doubt that 2020 has been a year full of challenges for all sports clubs! Yet, despite the Covid pandemic, local sports venues are working hard to weather the storm. And, for many, a quiet year has offered the chance to improve their facilities. For our team at ETC Sports Surfaces, it’s great to see our customers going all out to continue serving their local communities. So, when Newmarket Lawn Tennis Club asked us to upgrade three of their outdoor clay tennis courts, we were only too delighted to help.

Founded in 1948, the club offers a total of seven indoor and outdoor courts. Over the years, they have undertaken tennis court resurfacing of four asphalt courts. Now, they have boosted their offering to members even more by asking us to lay new clay courts for outdoor use, all year round.

The club is a not for profit organisation, run by volunteers. So, they worked hard to win grants from the National Lottery and Sport England to finance 50 percent of the tennis court resurfacing project. The other half of the budget was contributed by Newmarket Town Council, Suffolk LTA and the club’s own patrons. That means that we had a huge responsibility to help the club find the best clay tennis court solution, to strike the balance between value for money and enduring quality.

Why did Newmarket LTC choose artificial Grand Clay courts?

We identified the Grand Clay system, manufactured by our friends at Lano Sports, as the ideal choice for this club. The company specialises in artificial grass installations. However, they also offer Grand Clay surfaces for clubs that want the traditional feel of clay, but with the modern benefits of all-weather drainage and easy care and maintenance. Plus, Grand Clay offers a stable surface underfoot, which helps to perfect play and prevent injury.

Club committee member, Phil Eaves, recently spoke to Suffolk News about the benefits of the new clay tennis courts for members. “It is probably the biggest project at the club in the last 20 to 30 years,” he said. “It’s a competitive market out there. A lot of clubs exist in the area and as players, you compare the amenities that each is able to offer. Now, we have all-weather clay courts that will allow play for longer and more frequently. Also, it is great for our junior members that they will get to experience the clay.”

A tennis court resurfacing project completed in a tight time scale

We always aim to deliver an outstanding service for our customers. For Newmarket Lawn Tennis Club, that meant providing top quality synthetic clay courts within a tight time scale and budget. We started the resurfacing project on the 16^th September, completing in less than a month. What’s more, Phil says, our on-site conduct met all their expectations. “ETC Sports is a professional company who take pride in their work and value client relationships,” he said when reviewing our tennis court resurfacing work on Yell.com. He also told us recently that “we are extremely satisfied with all aspects of our relationship with ETC. The project implementation was professionally managed and the quality of workmanship impressive.”

That’s the kind of feedback we love to receive, and we are so proud to have helped this wonderful club breathe new life into their clay tennis courts. We wish all the members of Newmarket Lawn Tennis Club years of enjoyment playing on their new clay courts!

Are you considering clay tennis courts for your club?

There are numerous options for tennis court surfaces, including artificial grass installations and porous asphalt. Since tennis is a sport that depends on speed, precision and bounce, your choice of tennis court resurfacing is an important one. So, how do you choose?

Well, you can find out much more about the different types of surface on our tennis court construction page. Generally, though, clay courts are considered a “slower” surface. You’re in good company if you choose this surface. It most famously features at the Roland Garros French Open. It is a favourite of Rafael Nadal – who is generally considered the “champion of clay”. That’s because he’s a strong baseline player, so the properties of clay tennis courts (slower, higher bounce, suitable for aggressive topspin and easier to slide) suit his game exactly.

Traditional clay courts can be tricky to maintain. But, with modern tennis court resurfacing techniques, surfaces such as Grand Clay can take all the punishment of the modern game, heavy usage and all weather demands without buckling under the strain. That’s certainly true at Newmarket Lawn Tennis Club, which is now regarded as one of the best clubs in the region thanks to its upgraded courts and overall facilities.

To find out more about clay surfaces, visit our artificial clay tennis courts page.

Or, you can contact ETC’s friendly, professional and highly skilled team  and we’ll be happy to discuss your requirements and help you move forward with your tennis court resurfacing project.

Connect with our project partners

Newmarket Lawn Tennis Club: @NewmarketLTC

Lano Sports: @LanoSportsUK

SAPCA: @SAPCA