In order to fully utilize the tennis court, you will need to be able to see the ball. Having optimal lighting in place is key to a tennis game. However you look at it, you need to be able to see the ball (both as a participant and a spectator). So, we will talk about some of the most important factors for properly lighting a tennis court and what would be the most suitable options for you. So, let’s get right into it.
Field Size
After you have optimized your field size to best suit your needs, you will need to light it accordingly. Commonly, metal halide light bulbs are used for sports fields and large courts. Measure your field’s length and after you’re done you can start planning the lighting. The lighting should be made to light up the entire court plus around 6 cm outside the sidelines and around 25 cm behind the baseline.
Color Rendering Index (CRI)
CRI shows you how well a light source renders color compared to daylight. It compares only those light sources of the same color temperature. Generally, you want to aim for a CRI that is above 80, as it will render all colors accurately.
Maintenance
All lights should be cleaned from time to time in order to maintain optimal performance. This is especially important if the court is used to host tournaments. You need to periodically clean the lenses in order to get rid of any static electricity and dust.
Pro tip: Always wear gloves or use a paper towel when dealing with the light bulbs, as the natural oil and salts from your hands can shorten the life expectancy of the bulbs by causing the heat to concentrate (sometimes even shattering it).
Lighting Levels per Class
There are three levels of classifications for tennis courts, and knowing their class determines the recommended amount of lighting needed for them.
Horizontal Illumination Uniformity
- Class I 750 lux 0,7 E min/ E med
- Class II 500 lux 0,5 E min/ E med
- Class III 300 lux 0,5 E min/ E med
- Class I
Class I courts are the largest category and are meant to be used to host national and international competitions that can support an audience with long-viewing distances.
- Class II
Class II courts are the medium category, and they are used to host regional and local tournaments. So it can support an audience, but it does not offer anywhere near the number of seats required for an international tournament. Class II can be used by top athletes for training.
- Class III
Class III is meant to be used only for local and small club tournaments without spectators. It’s used primarily for training and recreational purposes.
LED Lighting or Metal Halide Lighting
A lot of people are split in between utilizing LED as their primary light source and metal halide bulbs. Both have their advantages and disadvantages so it really depends on the person and their goals for the court.
- Metal Halide
For ages, most professional tournaments used metal halide light bulbs as their main source of light (and still do). This is because they provide way stronger, and higher quality lighting with a 360° light area of effect. They are also more efficient than incandescent light bulbs. Their raw output is what made them such a strong favorite for so long with lighting sports fields and courts.
Their downside is the fact that it takes a long time for them to warm up (up to 15 minutes). This can be a nuisance as you would need to reach the field/court 15 minutes in advance and then wait around for it to fully power up. Their immense high-quality lighting is a double-edged sword, because they are needed to be replaced every so often and generally, do not last very long.
- LED Lights
LED lights are steadily growing in popularity as they are more efficient than metal halide lights. Even though they are more expensive, they also last far longer than any other source of light, resulting in them being a valuable investment. They are low-maintenance and waste very little energy when used. Their continuous decrease in price results in them becoming more and more of an attractive lighting source for large-scale events. Most notably, led flood lights are becoming a profitable trend for tennis courts.
Finishing Comments
This article doesn’t cover the legal aspects of owning and modifying a tennis court. With this said, consult your local authorities with the correlating laws regarding this in order to avoid any potential issues down the road with the legality of the project. This is because it could breach some local codes that can get you in trouble.
