Let’s face it, every sport has different lighting requirements. It is the reason why there is a wide range of field lighting options available. Tennis is one of the most commonly played and popular sports. It is played on a tennis court. There are different types of courts: outdoors and indoors; small, medium, and large.
If the lights are not properly installed, it might lead to poor playing experience and excessive energy bills. This is the reason why you need to invest in a quality and right tennis court lighting. To have the perfect lighting solution, you must have comprehensive knowledge about tennis court lighting.
In this post, we have highlighted everything there is to know about tennis court lighting. Have a look!
What is Tennis Court Lighting?
Tennis court lighting is the lights that are used to provide good illumination levels and distribute the light across the tennis court. The tennis court has lamp side lateral lighting on both sides of 
the court. In addition, in the long axis direction, two to three light poles are installed on both sides.
Irrespective of the event and crowd, the tennis court must have the right type of lighting. This is to make sure everyone gets a chance to clearly view what is happening. The ball should be clearly visible, no matter how fast or where it is.
The tennis field lighting will improve the experience of the fans and offers better safety. It enhances the vision of the players, ensuring they perform well.
Size of Tennis Court Lighting
The size of the tennis court is regulated by International Tennis Federation (ITF). Mostly, the court is 78 feet long and 27 feet wide for single matches and 36 feet for double matches. When it comes to installation, it is recommended the height of the poles should be no less than 8m. In case of official competitions, the height of the poles must be at least 12m.
Requirements of Tennis Court Lighting
The lighting of the tennis court is dependent on the nature of the court. the competitions are based on levels: Class I, Class II, and Class III.
1. Class I- National and International
For such competitions, 450 lux is required as the match is played on a high level.
2. Class II- Club Competition and Commercial
For commercial and club competitions, the illumination should be around 350 lux.
3. Class III- Residential and Recreational
It requires a low level of play, so 250 lux is more than enough.
LUXSUN offers a wide range of tennis field lighting to install in courts. No matter what the nature of your court is, you can find the perfect lighting for the tennis court.
Tennis Court Lighting Design
When the lighting solution for a tennis court is being designed, the requirements of lighting must be focused on. Here are some of the requirements you need to pay attention to.
1. Brightness
The first requirement of the tennis court lighting is the brightness. The court needs to be well-lit to ensure the proper vision for the players and spectators. There are many courts using HID floodlights to illuminate the whole space. They might be inexpensive but extra lights need to be installed.
The LED lights are a better option as they provide more brightness levels in comparison to HID lights. In the technical aspect, the maximum power of the LED lights in 10,000 watts while the power of metal halide can reach only up to 1,500 to 2,000 watts.
2. Efficiency
Another requirement for the tennis court lighting its efficiency. Since the light will be turned on for most of the day, it costs a lot on the energy bills. This is where LED lights come in handy; they are known for their energy efficiency.
For determining the efficiency of the light, luminous efficacy is used. The unit used to measure the efficacy is lm/W, where lm stands for lumen. Keep in mind, high the lumen, higher is the brightness.
LED lights have 120 to 150 lm/W, metal halide has 75 to 100 lm/W, HPS has 90 to 100 lm/W, and halogen has 10 to 20 lm/W. This shows for 1 wattage of power consumption, LED light will emit 150 lumens. So, LED lights will save more electricity than any other lighting solution.
3. Life Span
One of the most important requirements you should pay attention to is the life span of the light. Since the courts are open late till night, the lights must have a long service life. If the light has a short life span, it will lead to frequently replacing the lights. This not only increases the cost of maintenance and replacement but increases operation costs as well. The installation cost of the field lighting is high.
LED lights have a long service life as they can last for up to 100,000 hours. On the other hand, the halogen light will only last for 2000 hours while metal halide can last up to 10,000 hours. Hence, LED lights provide the best performance.
LUXSUN offers the best lighting solution that will last for a long time.
Things to Focus on When Buying LED Tennis Court Light
When it comes to buying the best LED lights for a tennis court, you need to focus on plenty of factors. Here are the things you need to consider.
1. Waterproof
One of the first things you need to focus on is the waterproof properties of the light. It is crucial for the light to be water-resilient and have at least IP64. In this way, you can use these lights anywhere. LED lights can have a waterproof function without any hassle because it doesn’t contain gas discharge, brittle glass, or filament.
2. High Luminous Efficacy
To reduce the maintenance cost, you must choose a durable and quality LED light. For choosing efficient LED light, you have to select luminary with high efficiency. This means it will use low power and less quantity of light.
3. Wide Range of Color Temperature
In order to buy the right LED light, you have to consider the color temperature of the lights. It is recommended to use cool white like that has 5000 to 6000K. Some tennis courts require warm light with a color temperature of 2800 to 3500K.
4. Anti-glare Feature
One of the most important features of the LED light is the anti-glare function. The glare is the strong light that causes irritation or discomfort. LED Lucky lights have an anti-glare lens that reduces the dazzling effect and makes it easy to see things.
5. Heat Dissipation
Another important factor is the heat dissipation. It is imperative for indoor tennis fields; this is because the life span of the light might decrease if the heat is trapped inside.
6. High Light Uniformity
To brighten up the tennis court, high light uniformity is critical. This shows the ratio between minimum lux to maximum lux. Mostly, 0.6 to 0.7 light uniformity is adequate.
7. Easy to Install
LED lights are easy to install as you will not need professional help or advance equipment.
8. Modularization Design
LED lights should have a modular design as it makes it easy to repair the light. You will not have to remove the whole light to repair any damage.
9. Warranty
Not many people focus on the warranty of the LED lights. This is a huge mistake. It is advised to look at the warranty offered by the manufacturer before buying. offers (mention the year) warranty for all tennis court lights.
Cost of Installing LED Lights in a Tennis Court
By now, you know LED lights are energy-saving and cost-effective. To understand the cost of LED lighting in the tennis court, you need to take a look at this example. For example, we use 35,000W LED light for illuminating a double tennis court. You will need a 70,000W metal halide for lighting up space.
In a day, LED lights are turned on for 8 hours a day and energy cost is $0.12. In such a case, the running cost of tennis court field light is 35000 x 0.12/ 1000 = $4.2 per day. For a month, it will cost $126. For metal halide, it will cost 70,000 x 0.12 / 1000 = $8.4 and for a month it will cost $252.
Moreover, the cost of the lamp depends on the size of the club, lux level, and pole height. For instance, the cost of lighting a single court is around $1000 to $3500 for recreational purposes. For commercial purposes, the cost will be nearly $5000 to $8000.
LUXSUN provides LED lights that are budget-friendly for both indoor and outdoor tennis courts. Kindly, contact the customer support service for more details.
Conclusion
Therefore, lighting is an imperative factor for tennis court as the ability of the players, experience, and safety of everyone depends on it. When it comes to choosing the best lighting solution, LED light is the best option. It offers the right level of brightness, uniformity, energy efficiency, and durability. LUXSUN lighting offers excellent LED lights to brighten up the tennis court. We have an array of LED lights that is suitable for all types of a tennis court. For more information, visit our website.