March 2009 Monthly Archive

Change for the Better

You may have noticed in our February issue a subtle redesign of some of our pages. Our intent was to keep things fresh in the magazine — while not changing too drastically the look and feel of our award-winning... (Click here to read more...)

Industry News

Information to help you run your business. (Click here to read more...)

All in the Details

With members, often it’s the little things that make the biggest difference. (Click here to read more...)

Fashion Focus

Apparel makers are hoping performance features, details and color will grab players’ attention. (Click here to read more...)

2009 Court Construction & Maintenance Guide

Whether you’re a contractor building or rehabbing courts, a park or club manager needing work done at your facility, or a teaching pro or coach interested in knowing how court construction can help your participation numbers, our annual guide... (Click here to read more...)

Trick Out Your Courts!

You can spruce up your facility in just a few days and make it even more appealing for players. (Click here to read more...)

Find the Right Fix

Whether you have hard or soft courts, they’ll eventually need work. How do you know what your courts really need? (Click here to read more...)

Your Court Maintenance Planner

Use this chart — put together by the ASBA and USTA — to help you keep your courts and facility in top shape at all times. Pre-season Court Surfaces (outdoor) Acrylic Power wash, clean & fill cracks Check for... (Click here to read more...)

Short Division

With permanent lines and courts for the QuickStart Tennis format, facilities will bring more kids into the game, and bring in more revenue, too. (Click here to read more...)

Cracking Up?

All hard courts will crack eventually, and when they do, have a professional evaluate the situation and suggest a remedy. (Click here to read more...)

Inside Information

Maintain your indoor courts properly and you’ll ensure that players will keep coming back. (Click here to read more...)

Building a Business

Certified Tennis Court Builders — or CTCBs — are becoming more and more important in the construction field. (Click here to read more...)

Money Markets

In this shaky economy, contractors need to protect themselves. A good contract goes a long way to making sure you get paid for your work. (Click here to read more...)

Playtest: Prince Premier LT

Prince Premier LT is a multifilament that advances the Prince Premier line with new features. The “LT” stands for Linear Technology, a reference to the parallel alignment of the 900+ fibers in the core of Premier LT. Prince tells... (Click here to read more...)

Tennis’ ‘Hidden Jewel’

An author and longtime tennis journalist says that on the pro and recreational sides, doubles is becoming more important. (Click here to read more...)

Comparing power ratings

Q: Please let me know how those power ratings from Prince compare to the USRSA ratings.... (Click here to read more...)

Tension and longevity

Q: How much do lower tensions relate to longevity, given a particular string? I've got a customer for whom I string 3-5 racquets weekly at 63 pounds. If I could get him to change to 58 or so, what would... (Click here to read more...)

EZ proportional stringing

Q: Does the USRSA make available the lengths of every main and cross string for those of us who want to do proportional stringing? It would be great to have accurate information so I won’t have to measure each string... (Click here to read more...)

Where’s my favorite string?

Q: I was surprised to see my favorite string was not included in the 2009 Members’ Choice Awards. I've found them to be just as good as comparable strings, but at much less cost. Everyone I have installed them for... (Click here to read more...)

Getting started with customization

Q: I’m having trouble finding information about how to customize racquets. Is there a book you can recommend, or other materials?... (Click here to read more...)

Tangle-free unwinding tool

The easy way to unwind a coil of string is to use this winding / unwinding tool, one could get it from most fly fishing tackle shops, around $17. 5 sets of Lightning XX 16 to: Sam Chan, MRT, Middlesex,... (Click here to read more...)

Wear is your stencil?

I always stencil the racquet logo on a new string job. Not only does it provide a professional finish to the restringing job, but also it serves as a kind of wear indication, showing how much the strings have been... (Click here to read more...)

Expect inspection

I had a racquet come into the shop for stringing. After an inspection of the hoop, I began to string the racquet. After completion of the mains, I noticed a crack just above the handle of the frame. As it... (Click here to read more...)

Spiffier demos

When I sell my demo racquets at the end of the year, I try to give the customer the best product I can. I do this by always putting an overgrip on demos when I first get them. When I... (Click here to read more...)

Reel substitute

Have you ever been frustrated taking string off a broken or cracked customer’s string reel? Simply remove the string completely from the reel and keep the coil intact using one or two re-usable Velcro wire ties. You can also take... (Click here to read more...)

Label preparation

I label customer racquets with the string type, tension, and date, as I’m sure many other stringers do, too. However, the ballpoint pen that leaves the best markings on the labels also has ink that doesn’t dry right away. This... (Click here to read more...)

ERT for QA

I check every racquet I restring for stringbed stiffness using an ERT-700. This device clips to the stringbed and, by analyzing the vibrations of the strings, determines the stiffness. The trick is that the ERT’s measurements are fairly sensitive to... (Click here to read more...)

Enlarging the starting knot

When using 17 or 18 gauge string, a normal starting knot is sometimes smaller than the grommet hole. A simple solution is to tie the normal starting knot and then add a standard tie off knot. This enlarges the starting... (Click here to read more...)