2007 - a rather wet summer!
continue to perform on specific courts until the end of the Championships. Along with carrying out your given tournament tasks (mowing, line marking, string man) there are many other projects taking place. Hard courts are stripped down for the construction of hospitality marquees and temporary seating, courts are edged, canvas is positioned round the courts and any weeds are removed from paths and court surrounds. The whole site gets a general fine-tuning in readiness for the thousands of visitors and millions of TV viewers. Final preparation of the courts begins
around two weeks before the Championships. This is the period when the rootzone is slowly dried out to achieve the required surface hardness. As Wimbledon is a members club the courts are generally in use at this time; competitors begin using the courts on the Wednesday prior to the Championship fortnight. The drying of the rootzone is a weather dependant operation and, once the decision is made to begin court covering, the work load increases dramatically. Before the covering occurs a
preventative fungicide is applied as climatic conditions change dramatically under the covers making the courts more susceptible to disease. At this time courts are then covered at the end of each playing day, sometimes as late as 9.00pm. If, during the course of the day, it begins to rain all courts are covered and then uncovered when conditions allow. Any moisture required by the plant is added by the irrigation system, as this can be controlled accurately. Once the tournament practice begins the buzz around the place is like nothing I have experienced at any golf event in the world. Film crews and press begin to litter the site, along with players, coaches and thousands of staff. On the first Monday of the Championship we arrive for work at 7.30am ready to start at 8.00am once the covers have been deflated and removed by approximately 160 court covering staff. The Centre Court cover is operated
Any moisture required by the plant is added by the irrigation system
solely by the groundstaff; fifteen full time and approximately ten seasonal. The seasonal staff are brought in from Myerscough College and abroad. Having removed the covers the daily
routine begins. Each person completes his-her given task on the given courts and then heads for breakfast. On mornings when the weather requires the covers to remain on, the courts can be mown and marked inside the covers whilst they are still inflated, or raised in the case of Centre, No.1 and No. 11. During the day we are always on call in the event of rain. There is also a dedicated person for the changing or provision of towels, and in case there is any problem such as a damaged net or net post. At the end of the day’s play the courts are inspected and the base lines generally cleared of any loose plant material and rootzone. This is carried out using a Billy Goat vacuum. Once this is completed the decision is then made as to how much water to apply; if there is a possibility that the court will not be dry for when the next day’s play is due to begin then none will take place. The courts are then covered, inflated and it’s off to bed. Occasionally, we’ll head to the bar to unwind but, as this is often after 10.00pm, we don’t stay too long!
During the night a team from Stuart Canvas will be inspecting the covers to ensure there are no deflations, tears or other issues. This pattern continues for the duration of the fortnight, which is the noticeable difference between tennis and golf events. It is amazing to experience the buzz of the place 24-7 for the two weeks of the Championship and the practice week.
During the tournament we also have a team in from the STRI who test the courts and collect data for surface hardness. Using a Clegg impact soil tester, they test for vertical ball bounce which is compared to that of concrete by percentage, cracking and live grass cover. All the figures are analysed and then produced in a report to asses the performance of each individual court. There are 41 grass courts at the club and consistency is very important. As well
as the grass courts we have five indoor courts, two acrylic courts, five Har-Tru courts and one clay court. Following the Championship it is a huge task reinstating the outdoor hard courts once all the hospitality and seating has been removed. This is done as quickly and efficiently as possible to get the courts back in play for the members. It is also at this point that the renovation programme begins. Renovation is carried out using two slightly different techniques depending on the timescale and conditions of the courts. Work begins firstly on Centre Court. Initially, the courts are irrigated to assist the mechanical operations. The soil is aerated using a Soil Reliever to a depth of 100mm minimum. The courts are then fraise mowed using a Koro Field Topmaker; the condition of the court, poa annua content and thatch level dictates the depth of the operation. Once the courts are stripped of vegetation a pedestrian Graden is then used to ‘fluff ’ the soil so it can be levelled accurately. Having produced a good level seed bed the courts are then seeded at a rate of 35g/m2
. A pre-seed
fertiliser is applied and the courts are covered with germination sheets. This process continues until all Championship courts are complete. However, 2007 also brought us the Davis Cup in September, so Courts 1, 18 and 19 were scarified, overseeded and maintained in the usual way until the end of that event.
Once the courts have germinated, been uncovered and mown at around 12- 15mm they are then topdressed. This is carried out using compatible rootzone containing 21% clay, 15% silt, 10% coarse silt, 29% very fine/fine sand and the remaining 25% spread between medium to coarse sand. The topdressing is dragged across the court to ensure any minor dips or hollows are levelled out. At the same time as the renovation
process is taking place we also have 22 practice courts in play at various times for member play and other tournament events. Once the season begins to slow down these courts are then renovated whilst keeping some courts in play until
Any moisture required by the plant is added by the irrigation system as this can be controlled accurately
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