I recently came across a sign at the Gstaad Palace in Switzerland illustrating how to sweep a clay tennis court and brush its lines. Do you have better methods?
I recently came across a sign at the Gstaad Palace in Switzerland illustrating how to sweep a clay tennis court and brush its lines. Do you have better methods?
Yes, there are two better ways to sweep clay courts. One is more thorough and one is more efficient. For a more thorough grooming that does not leave any piles or mounds of clay you want the broom to be pulled in a continuous motion without turning any sharp corners. To do this you need to start a circle and half-way across the court or middle of the court and pull the broom either horizonally or vertically. With each circle make sure you move outside the edge of the last and work your way across the court until complete. If you are grooming for tournament play or a more efficient way of grooming is needed, then you start at the end of an alleyway at the base of the court and pull straight to the net and curve to the middle of the court and back out the end at the baseline and then curve over to the other alleyway and towards the net and finish the areas not groomed inside the court. This way, others can be line brooming the lines of the alleyways until you are finished with the whole court and finish the outside court area with bigger circles after the inner court is groomed.