Review: The City of Owensboro’s New Outdoor Tennis Courts at Centre Court

My friend Craig called me early Saturday morning and said, "Hey!  How quickly can you be ready?"  I said, "For what?"  He replied, "There's a net up on one of the new outdoor courts over at Centre Court (off of Bittel Road near Shifley Park) and we can be the first people to play there.  Come on!"  So, I quit cheering for Serena Williams and turned off the French Open and flew on over.  And, on Saturday morning, June 6th, Craig Fort and I christened Owensboro's brand new outdoor courts.  And here's my full review!

Now, if you're not a tennis player, you can probably stop reading.  Some of what I have to say will make absolutely no sense to you and you'll have no frame of reference for it.   But thanks for checking out the blog anyway.  And, aren't the courts pretty?  And don't I look really sweaty???

In all seriousness, I think casual tennis players are going to love Owensboro's new outdoor courts.  By the way, Craig and I were referring to the courts as Moreland Park West, because our buddy Bill Henness, our local tennis pro and General Manager of the new indoor facility Centre Court, called it that and we thought it was hilarious.

So, here's the scoop on Moreland Park West . . .

There are nine brand new courts in three rows of three.  I can't handle distractions of any kind, so you'll likely never see me playing on a middle court.  Won't happen. And, by the way, the fences on the sides of each court are only about two feet high.  So, if you plan on playing there and you're a ball launcher, you're going to get on the nerves of the people trying to play beside you.  You're going to be jumping fences to collect balls.

But I have to give the contractors mad props for creating middle courts that aren't littered with light poles.  If you've ever been to the real Moreland Park in Owensboro and played on a middle court there, you know there are poles outside the doubles alleys that can turn you into a crash test dummy in an instant. It's fun to use angles on the court until you're wearing a light pole as a headband.

(Side note: The lighting at the court is US Open state-of-the-art).

As for the courts, and this is where we're going to get a little technical, they are slow.  In fact, the hard court surface is gritty and essentially plays like a clay court minus the sliding.  The surface is so gritty it literally will take the fuzz right off the tennis balls.  That's precisely why you're not going to have any trouble making proper line calls.  The balls really do leave a mark and you can see them.  Most recreational and tournament players are going to love that. And most recreational players are going to love the speed of the courts too . . . or, rather, the lack of speed.  These courts absolutely will slow down your game, so be prepared to bring strategy and touch if you plan on playing.

Now, I'll confess.  There is absolutely ZERO finesse in my tennis game.  Commentator Mary Carillo once coined the phrase "Big Babe Tennis" and that's exactly what I play.  My strategy, always, is to hit the ball as hard as I can.  The new courts absolutely absorb that pace and take the sting out of virtually every shot.  If you're a fan of the slick, lightning-fast surface at Moreland, you're going to be culture-shocked when you start hitting balls at Moreland Park West.  Like the red clay at Roland Garros, our new blue courts are the great equalizer.  If you're used to trying to hit winners, you're going to have to be prepared to hit a few more to finally win a point. You're going to need to juice up on HGH if you plan on hitting through an opponent on these courts.

And let's talk about the court surface's effect on the short court.  If you're a finesse player, you're going to love how the court just eats away at a drop shot or mid-court shot.  My personal strike zone is typically waist to shoulder high.  If I get a ball in that vicinity, watch out.  But our new courts actually absorb the pace and pull some of the bounce out of the ball.  When Craig and I played Saturday morning, I noticed that I was being forced to hit up slightly on nearly every routine swing of the ball.  And if Craig hit anything that landed in the short court, I was having to adjust for the fact that the ball wasn't bouncing back to me like they regularly do.  Again, the common thread here . . . the courts absolutely absorb pace.

And spin.  Craig and I both hit a lot of top spin on opposite wings.  Craig's cross court forehand is generated with lots of topspin and will typically pull me way outside the doubles alley on the deuce court.  My cross court backhand is a jumper.  And, if I have gotten a pretty good roll on it, the ball will bounce off the court and fly to at least head-level of my opponent.  On a normal court, both shots will force us to retreat beyond the base and sidelines.  But, the new courts absorb some of that spin like they do pace.  In fact, Craig and I both found ourselves having more time than usual to react to each other's shots.  We're both "big babes."  LOL!  We've been hitting partners for about 13 years and we generally know what to except from the other.  But Saturday morning, we both found ourselves adjusting to a new, slower rhythm.  The surface of the court was actually giving us both more time.  And that's not something we're used to.

One final note- the courts are beautiful.  And we had a blast breaking one in.  Bill came out and talked some smack while we were playing and we talked some smack back.  But the truth is, he knows the new court needed a dose of "big babe" action.  And we were glad to supply it.