Project Overview
Heatherdale Tennis Club is located in Mitcham in the middle of the Eastern Suburbs. The club was established in 1968, with two En Tout Cas courts, of which the community have been very happy with.
However, to maintain a good playable surface for En Tout Cas, the courts need to be watered before and after each set, which uses approximately 400,000 litres of water per court each year. This high cost of water usage and the need to save water was of great concern for the club along with cost of maintenance. In addition, after every heavy rainstorm major works would be needed to restore the courts to a playable condition, as the En Tout Cas court surface would be washed away into the local waterways, which in itself is another key environmental consideration for looking at alternatives.
The Heatherdale Tennis Club began a search for a court surface that had the same playing characteristics as En Tout Cas but had low water usage requirements, low maintenance and reduced run off of court material into the adjacent waterways. The investigation resulted in finding a relatively new and untried surface called ‘Classic Clay’.
The primary focus of the Classic Clay system is the mineral infill or ‘artificial clay’ covering the entire surface area and is responsible for the clay-like characteristics. The Classic Clay mineral infill requires a specialised ‘binding’ layer to contain and hold the infill at a particular depth and in one place. It has proved to be low maintenance and has virtually no water needs and with easy installation. This type of surface not only benefits the clubs and players but the environment too.
