Thursday, December 15, 2011

How to Have After Hours Tennis Fun: Tennis Court Lighting Standards

By Damien Neckar


When you have a system of tennis court lighting you don't need to be limited by the hours of the day. In the summer you are missing out on a lot of hours of very nice weather that you could be playing tennis in.

You should try to capitalize on these hours by having a lighting system installed at home or the local club. Owners of club facilities can be convinced to add tennis court lighting because it can draw tournaments and paying customers.

When designing a lighting system it's important to achieve a certain level of the quality. The ATP has outlined some basic guidelines that all tennis court lighting implementations should try to come as close as possible to.

While the standards outlined by the ATP are fairly strict and not necessarily an end all for recreational players, it is much more important for tennis facilities. In order to host prestigious events, a tennis facility must have lighting up to a certain standard.

The most important of these standards is the uniformity of the light. If the ball is not lit from all angles of the court the player will simply not be able to see the ball well.

Achieving good uniformity is done through implementing a good design. Four light poles on each side of the court is generally the best strategy for an outdoor solution. Indoor courts may have lights mounted on something else, but they should be at least 20 feet off the ground.

Part of having a good design is considering the safety requirements. Lights are mounted as high as 60 feet of the ground and need to be secured firmly. Talk to a structural engineer about the proper method for securing the height of your light poles.

The other safety concern is the underground wiring that will feed power to the lights. Using underground wiring is both safer and more aesthetically pleasing for a facility. Have an electrician assist with the wiring and also verify the safety of the entire system.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts with Thumbnails