lordjohn
2006-10-23, 14:48
Here in UK most clay/shale courts have plastic lines which are stretched then nailed to the surface. This is done each year if frost has lifted the lines and since 3000 nails or more are hammered into the court this takes a considerable time i.e. 20 man hours. I note that on the continent there are nailless lines produced by the Czech company, Novotech. Two types appear to exist (1) semi-flexible lines which are attached to embedded anchors in the subsurface of the court, "Geniala" (2) rigid 1.6m sections which are locked together to form a framework of lines....ingenious if it works.
Use of either of these lines would reduce significantly the setup time of courts (I restore 3 courts each Spring). I note the first lines are available in Germany (abt 250 euros per full set) and were used in the recent GB v Ukraine Davis cup match so they are used at the highest level.
Has anyone any firsthand knowledge of the stability of these lines and any drawbacks?
Use of either of these lines would reduce significantly the setup time of courts (I restore 3 courts each Spring). I note the first lines are available in Germany (abt 250 euros per full set) and were used in the recent GB v Ukraine Davis cup match so they are used at the highest level.
Has anyone any firsthand knowledge of the stability of these lines and any drawbacks?