Alright, so this whole “masters court” thing started, honestly, because my regular weekend tennis games got screwed over. The courts at the park were always packed or getting resurfaced, you know how it goes. Felt like half the town suddenly decided tennis was the thing to do on Saturdays.
The Idea & Getting Started
Got really fed up one Saturday, came home all grumpy, stared at my useless backyard. Mostly weeds and that sad patch of dirt where the grass refused to grow. Lightbulb moment. What if I just… made my own court? Right there. How hard could it be? Famous last words, right?
First thing Monday, I started digging. Like, literally, just grabbed my old shovel and started hacking at the dirt. Had no clue what I was doing. Dug out a big rectangle, maybe about half the size of a real tennis court. Figured small was better for my first try. Arms were burning by lunchtime. Dirt was everywhere.
The Messy Middle
Okay, the hole was dug, now what? Felt kinda dumb just standing in a hole. Needed a surface. Went down a deep internet hole searching “DIY backyard tennis surface”. Found folks talking about this fancy “post-tensioned concrete” thing. Sounded expensive and way outta my league. No way.
Then I found some forum posts about crushed stone. Seemed cheap enough. Ordered a ton of it – literally, like 2000 pounds – got it dumped in my driveway. Almost broke my back shoveling and wheeling that gravel into my giant dirt hole. Used a cheap metal garden rake to try and spread it level. Took me two entire weekends just to get it sorta flat. My back still hates me for that.
Problem was, the gravel kept shifting. Hitting a ball meant scuffing through rock immediately. Not good. Read more. Apparently, it needed a binder? Found some posts about using this liquid polymer stuff you mix with water and spray on. Bought a few gallons – smelled like pure chemicals, seriously nasty. Mixed it in my old weed sprayer and just soaked the entire gravel pit. Had to do this a few times over a week, hoping it would harden up. Waited… waited some more… kicked it with my boot. Meh, felt a bit firmer. Not great, but maybe playable?
Finishing (Sort Of)
Real courts have lines, right? Didn’t want paint running everywhere on my “gravel-gunk” surface. Bought some heavy-duty white contractor’s chalk. Got my tape measure out, tried to remember court dimensions, gave up and eyeballed a rectangle. Staked some string lines and snapped the chalk. Instant lines! Felt like a genius… briefly.
Got my buddy Dave over to test it. We hit some balls. The bounce was… weird. Definitely not like a real court. It was slow and kinda low. Had to bend our knees more, felt like playing on sand. Surface was uneven in spots, kept kicking the ball unpredictably. We laughed a lot, mostly because it was so ridiculous. Served okay, though. Rallying was tricky but kinda fun in a messy way.
The Brutal Truth
- It works? Technically, yeah. Ball bounces.
- It sucks? Oh yeah, absolutely. Played maybe three times since finishing it.
- It looks janky? Totally. Like a failed construction zone project.
- Regrets? Sometimes, staring at the dead spot it created.
But here’s the kicker: my neighbours’ dang dog? Loves it. Thinks it’s the world’s biggest, coolest pee spot. Smells awful after it rains. Every single morning I see that mutt proudly marking its territory all over my “masterpiece”.
So yeah, built my own “masters court”. It’s a gravel pit with chalk lines that doubles as a neighborhood dog toilet. Cost me a pile of cash, a mountain of sweat, and my weekend back for a month. Worth it? Honestly? Not really. Feels kinda cool saying I have a court, though. Mostly just pisses me off when I see that dog out there.
