Lighting Question: My tennis court is on a hill. One side is 4’ higher than the other because there is a 4 foot retaining wall. I prefer to not cut holes in the tennis court for poles or to trench for wires on the court. Can I place the poles outside of the fence and what height should my poles be to light my tennis court?
Many people do not want to trench through the court surface or have poles inside the fenced area. Consequently the poles are frequently located just outside the fence. That works. Your situation is different as outside of the court means one side is 4 feet higher than the other side..
The most frequently used pole height for one court in a residential, hospitality or club location is 20 feet high. In your case that would mean the luminaires on one side would be at 20’ while the other side is 24’. That would not provide even lighting.
The solution is custom cut poles. Assuming there are three poles on each side for a total of six poles, we would supply three poles at 20’ and three poles at 16’, basically 4’ feet cut off the top of three poles. Mount the 16’ poles behind the 4’ retaining wall and all the luminaires will be at 20’. If by any chance the poles are too far away from the court there are extension arms that could move the luminaires closer to the tennis court side lines.
Contact an Access Fixtures lighting specialist to find the ideal solution for your tennis court lighting.