David's Best Tips:

• Planning permission may not be required for building a grass court in your back yard.
• Allthough the stipulated area for a tennis court is 120 feet by 60 feet, 110 by 55 is adequate for most people and can shave thousands off the cost.
• Putting fencing only around the backs of the court saves money and is visually less intrusive.
• Cutting the corners off at 45 degrees doesn't effect play but instead is visually more pleasing and it also trickles the balls to the centre of the court behind the baseline.

Click Play Button Now to listen to our Tennis Court Conversation

Did you ever pressure-wash your court?

No I didn't. But we hired people to pressure wash courts at Millfield so I know a little bit about that, and... the real reason that they bring in the people with the pressure jets is to try to get the spore of moss out and the dirt out of the little pores of the court.

Right.

And they never achieve it.

It still grows?

Oh, once moss gets into a surface you don't really get rid of it down. Keep it down, but you don't truthfully get rid of it. Having said that last year I laid some moss killer on a court that I use near Bridgewater at a place called Greinton. I use a court there, and I laid agricultural moss killer and it's done a wonderful job. This year, because I laid it last year, it didn't truthfully take effect until this last winter. It took... not a year... but it's really looking good. So my moss, I know it's down there... the little devils are down there.... the spores are down there, and they'll rear their ugly little heads sooner or later. But right at the moment I'm absolutely delighted and so is the lady that owns the court. She was ever so worried that the moss would get in there and ruin everything. Well it hasn't. So I've got it under control with this agricultural moss killer. You know... you want something that's good, you go to the farmers. The farmers don't put up with rubbish believe you me. If it's called moss killers for farmers then it kills moss.

Right.

You've got to careful you don't lay too much of it and break up the tar.

Would that be a good choice for someone with a garden? Because wouldn't the water run off damage the plants and flowers.

Well the answer to that is yes so you use it in a sparing way.

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