October-November 2005 -- If you are a pro at a club in the Northern states or anywhere where it freezes in the winter, you know what happens to the lines on clay courts. They are forced up by a freeze and often come up completely out of the ground. At most clubs the lines are replaced every year at considerable cost. The solution is really very simple: Cover the lines with either wood or metal so that they can’t pop up. The cost of buying the wood (best is 1 by 6s) or metal (steel strips measuring 1/16 of an inch thick and 20 feet long) is equal to approximately the one-year cost of replacing the lines with a professional court company. Now, you could do it yourself with a little help, but it’s still a major pain getting the line straight and tight.
So why not just cover the lines? I discovered this at a club I worked for in Middletown, Ohio, where they hadn’t replaced the lines for six years. I have eight courts and decided to replace two of the courts each year with new lines, which cost the club about $800. So by covering the other six I am saving the club $2,400 a year once I made the initial purchase of the wood or metal. Lately metal has gotten a little expensive; so you might want to go with wood, however, metal lasts forever (needs painting to keep the rust down). If you use wood, it doesn’t hurt to put some bricks, rocks, or weights on the ends of the boards to keep them from warping. Finally, once you take the wood (metal) off in the spring, just roll the lines down, and then do your scraping off of old material. The good thing when you add new material is that your lines will be a little low, which is a nice thing to have. It’s really a no-brainer. If you want to save money and the environment (throwing away your lines each year), cover your lines over the winter. I think your manager will thank you and maybe he’ll even give you a little of the money you saved the club. If you live in Florida, Texas or California, thanks for reading this, but don’t worry about it.
