February 1, 2010

Charlottesville, VA – Lee Tennis Court Products (LTCP) is providing players in the northern and southern California markets a chance to play tennis longer and smarter.  Coinciding with the Road to Roland Garros (April through June), LTCP will team up with facilities and clubs to provide members with a unique playing experience through PLAY ON CLAY. PLAY ON CLAY provides players the chance to play on clay court surfaces at selected clubs in California. The competition doesn’t stop on the courts; clubs and facilities hosting these games also get the opportunity to compete and to potentially win a Claytech court for the 2010 Road to Roland Garros.

Slide comfort, slower surface, and solid transferrable skills are many of the benefits of playing on clay courts. Director of sales at Lee Tennis Court Products Pat Hanssen said, “Playing on clay court surfaces results in players who are able to play tennis longer, smarter and stronger and to be more versatile.” Hanssen added. “Clay courts provide junior tennis players with the vital balance, footwork and shot skills necessary for long term success.”

Investing in junior player development and establishing good playing habits and techniques are crucial to the future and growth of LTCP and the industry as a whole. “Clay is one the best tools to develop players at a young age,” noted John Welborn, Director of Business Development for Lee Tennis. John only recently returned from China where he spoke to members of the Chinese Tennis Association about how developing players on clay allows countries to get more top players to the elite level.  According to a recent article on Bloomberg.com, most top European players learned the game on clay and “their games have developed rapidly,” said Craig Tiley, Tennis Australia’s director of player development.  Australia has developed a plan to train on clay at their national training centers.

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) along with other industry organizations and clubs across thecountry are increasingly focused on player development realizing that to attract and retain players, the United States needs to have an elite group capable of winning Grand Slam tournaments.  This group is the engine that inspires play all the way down the ladder to the grass roots level.

Central to the LTCP campaign, and perhaps the growth of tennis, is the California market.  Despite having arguably the most active and dynamic tennis community in the country, California has dismally few clay courts.  “Less than 1% of all the tennis courts in the state of California are clay courts” says Tim Beyer, new markets manager for Lee Tennis.  This compares to approximately 50% in the nation’s other primary tennis market of Florida and about 15% of courts nationwide.  

“We saw an opportunity to partner with clubs in northern and southern California to provide their members with a new perspective on the game through a clay court experience.” Beyer commented. “PLAY ON CLAY is designed to bring a sense of excitement, competition and learning to all involved.” Experiential learning and LTCP’s love and appreciation of the game will drive PLAY ON CLAY events, which will start in April and last until June. For more information visit www.leetennis.com

About Lee Tennis Court Products:

An affiliate of Luck Stone Corporation, LEE Tennis has played a vital role in the development of the HAR-TRU tennis court. Having 40,000 Har-Tru courts, Lee Tennis has been the mainstay on the clay court business in North America since 1964. Lee Tennis’ dedication to quality and refinement has made LEE's HAR-TRU surfacing the number one selling clay type surfacing material. To support surfacing, Lee Tennis manufactures a full line of quality maintenance equipment and accessories, and provides expert technical consulting and customer support. Lee Tennis is represented by some of the leading tennis real property contractors in the U.S., and its products are sold in many countries around the world. 

About Luck Stone Corporation:

Luck Stone Corporationis one of the largest private, family-owned and operated aggregates suppliers in the U.S. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, Luck Stone is the 9th largest producer of crushed stone in the nation. It operates 17 crushed stone plants in Virginia and North Carolina, 2 sand and gravel operations, 6 architectural stone centers and 2 granite fabrication facilities. The company’s real estate arm, Luck Properties, strives to develop real estate that is community- and environmentally-friendly. Luck Stone also owns Lee Tennis/HAR-TRU®, the world’s most popular type of clay tennis court and a leading supplier of court accessories. Luck Stone is committed to environmental stewardship and community involvement and has been recognized nationally for its conservation and community relations programs. Please visit www.luckstone.com for more information.