How to Squeegee a Tennis Court
Captains,
Please pass the following information along to your team members. We have recently replaced all of the squeegees (they are pricey – over $100/each) so I would like to remind everyone how to properly care for and squeegee a court. I know, you are thinking “how hard can it be….?” Well guess what…. 90%+ of the neighborhood does NOT know how to do it and until recently, I was one of them.
FOREMOST –
DO NOT APPLY PRESSURE TO THE SQUEEGEES. This includes children riding the squeegee to add additional pressure. This bends the frame so that the roller does not have maximum surface to surface contact while squeegeeing. The squeegees are most effective once the roller is completely saturated, so roll it in a puddle first if you must, but please do not apply pressure to the point of bending the frame of the squeegee.
HANG SQUEEGEE UP IN PROVIDED HOOKS IN THE BOX. If the roller is left to the elements, it will rot. Thus creating a completely useless tool. Additionally, if it is left on the ground, it will create a flat spot on the roller, which will make the roller “jump” as you squeegee, again rendering the squeegee useless.
CORRECT OTHERS IF YOU SEE MISUSE. This is our neighborhood – our shared investment. If you see a squeegee in the wrong spot, move it to where it needs to be. I don’t care if you didn’t put it there – put it back where it belongs. You’ll feel good about it.
Finally, if you see something that needs to be repaired, please contact someone on the tennis committee (we are all CC:d). We are not on all the courts every day, so unless we hear from you - we can't fix it.
Thanks,
Lynn |
How to Effectively “Squeegee” a Tennis Court
- One of the most effective methods is to begin with your squeegee or roll dri on the junction of the service line and the center service line.
- Applying gentle pressure to the handle of the roll dri, begin to walk in a small circle to your right or left.
- As you complete the first circle and start your second circle your circle will get larger and larger and the water will be pushed quickly away from the center of the court
- Within a matter of minutes the playing surface will be free of standing water and nature can begin to start her part in helping to dry the court surface.
- You can continue to make the circle larger and larger well outside the court lines. Finally, there are only small triangle corners left to push the water off the back and side court areas
This method is much more efficient than pushing water back and forth across the court and allows the playing surface to begin drying much quicker. This process is extremely quick when another person is following behind the lead person making the circle. As a team they can double the speed of getting the water off the playing surface.
Once one half of the court playing surface has been squeegeed, move to the other half and remove standing water from the playing surface. Now that both playing surfaces are clear of standing water, both people begin to squeegee off the back and side court areas.
When you finish getting as much surface water off the court as possible, do not set your roll dri down on the roller. Doing so will create a flat part the will permanently create a flat spot on the roller. This flat spot will jump over standing water as it approaches it. |