The Breakers Palm Beach installs new Platinum TE Paspalum tennis courts

(Photo: The Breakers Palm Beach)

The Breakers Palm Beach recently opened its fully renovated tennis and racquet facility with 16 new courts, including the first-ever hydroponic grass courts, according to the company. The turfgrass selection for this new court technology is Platinum TE Paspalum.

The $12 million redesign now showcases three sports — tennis, pickleball and padel — on three surfaces (grass, clay hydro and cushioned hardtop).

The four new grass courts were uniquely constructed using the proprietary technology of CapillaryFlow — a hydroponic system for subsurface irrigation and drainage.

Mark Reid, director of golf and grounds maintenance at The Breakers, has experience with both Platinum TE Paspalum and CapillaryFlow. Platinum TE is the turfgrass used for the resort grounds, as well as the fairways, roughs and tees of Ocean Course, while CapillaryFlow is utilized in each golf bunker.

Based on his experience with both products, Reid had the idea to incorporate the high-performance paspalum turfgrass with the hydroponic system, which created the design foundation for The Breakers’ new grass tennis courts. Primary uses for CapillaryFlow are golf greens, tees, bunkers, equestrian arenas, baseball diamonds and landscaping. The hydroponic grass courts at The Breakers are the first of their kind — a collaboration between Reid and Martin Sternberg, founder and CEO of CapillaryFlow.

“When the grass court option was first proposed, I knew there would be agronomic challenges with wear on the baselines,” said Reid. “We are a heavy play facility, so I started to think outside the box. I was aware of CapillaryFlow being used in other sports arenas and was intrigued by the idea of growing grass without overhead sprinklers. Being involved in this groundbreaking project has been incredibly exciting.”

CapillaryFlow is a closed-loop system consisting of an impermeable liner, drainage gravel, patented pervious cement, water basins with pumps and a sand layer over which natural grass grows. The system controls drainage and recirculates oxygenated and fertilized irrigation directly to the roots. The results are significant water savings, zero leaching of inputs and consistent moisture levels for reduced disease, greater wear tolerance and a firmer playing surface.

When selecting the turfgrass, Reid knew the attributes of Platinum TE would meet the challenges of the tennis application, as evidenced by its performance on the golf course and in the property’s landscaping. Known for its durability, wear tolerance and density, Platinum TE excels in high-traffic conditions, according to the company.

The new courts meet the standards of Ken Thompson, longtime director of tennis at The Breakers.

“I’m really impressed with how firm the courts are,” said Thompson. “The bounce is high, and the footing is great.”

The CapillaryFlow system’s consistent moisture control and paspalum’s waxy, dew-repelling cuticle help eliminate one of the challenges with grass courts: slipping.

“We are able to provide a safer surface,” said Thompson. “Keeping the courts drier through underground irrigation and paspalum’s ability to retard dew all help.”

The height of the grass influences playing conditions as well. Reid, whose staff will be responsible for maintaining the courts, has dialed in what he believes will be the optimal height of cut.

“We’re at 0.250 of an inch,” said Reid. “That’s right between our tee boxes at 450 and our greens at 125. The higher the cut, the better the wear tolerance, but also the less bounce. I think we’ve found the sweet spot.”

Reid will implement a rotation system with two of the four grass courts in play at all times. Rotation will be based on protecting the baselines where the majority of concentrated traffic will be. Due to extreme wear tolerance, he is confident that once Platinum TE reaches maturity after a full growing season, the courts will not require rotation as often.

“The Platinum TE has exceeded my expectations,” said Reid. “The grass courts are in the highest profile area of the facility and really provide a wow factor. The beauty of the grass — whether you are playing tennis or golf or looking out the hotel window — is stunning with the deep green color and striping. We’ve turned this place into Platinum TE Paspalum heaven.”

Reid sourced the grass from Pike Creek Turf, a Georgia-based turf farm, one of a limited number of licensed Platinum TE growers worldwide.

“As a renowned luxury resort, we want to work with best-in-class vendors, and when it comes to turfgrass producers, I put Pike Creek Turf in that category,” said Reid. “When selecting Platinum TE, I wanted to utilize a product that I was really comfortable with. I was confident Platinum TE was the right grass selection out of the gate. We wanted to set ourselves up to be as successful as possible. For anyone building grass courts, this combination — the CapillaryFlow system and Platinum TE — is the only way to go.”