A GRANULAR LEVEL OF ACCURACY
To deliver this level of pace precision, the type and blend of sand used in the court surface is critical. The specific angles of the grains and how they interact with the grains around them determine the levels of friction between the ball and the court, rendering them agents of pace.
As Wesley Baum, R&D Chemist and Technical and Field Support Manager for Laykold explains:
“Our proprietary blend of sand goes through gradation analysis to test its sieve curve. The tighter the curve, the lower the chance of deviation to court speed, ensuring consistency of surface pace and speed of play which is a major factor in pinpointing the level of pace accuracy that Laykold courts can now achieve.”
SETTING THE PACE FOR THE COURT SURFACE INDUSTRY
Ensuring accuracy across the different courts (43 in total) is all part of Baum’s job:
“The way that the U.S. Open is set up, there are 13 practice courts and they’re used by the public across the year, so the pace for those courts is set at medium. However, a medium-fast pace is required for the U.S Open so we need to adapt those court speeds for the tournament as well as dialling in exact pace ratings across all of the main tournament courts. It is a very tailored and meticulous process which has taken years of trial and expertise to optimise.”
Baum will be with his crew at Flushing Meadows from the first week of July for five weeks to install the surface to the U.S. Open’s exacting standards. The precise pace they request remains a well-guarded secret, but the Laykold crew will hit it within 0.5 of a point. Their experience, backed by 25 years of R&D, is setting a new pace for the court surface industry.
Watch the video of the Laykold USO Time-lapse Full
Australia
Hong Kong SAR
Indonesia
Malaysia
New Zealand
Philippines
Singapore
