Never-Before Hydroponic Grass Tennis Courts Debut at The Breakers Palm Beach

The Breakers Palm Beach is making tennis history. The luxury South Florida resort recently opened its fully renovated tennis and racquet facility with 16 new courts, including the first-ever hydroponic grass courts. The turfgrass selection for this revolutionary new court technology is Platinum TE Paspalum.

The $12 million redesign of this world-class complex now showcases three sports – tennis, pickleball, and padel – on three surfaces (grass, clay hydro, and cushioned hardtop), providing the resort’s guests and club members with an unparalleled range of offerings. Every aspect of the renovation conveys The Breakers’ dedication to balance preservation and modernization. This is most dramatically illustrated in the four new grass courts, which 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’ innovative new grass tennis courts. Primary uses for CapillaryFlow are golf greens, tees, and 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 & 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. In addition, Reid valued Platinum TE’s shade tolerance, as sections of the grass courts fall in the shadow of the resort’s Golf & Racquet Clubhouse. Platinum TE’s lower fertility requirements and disease resistance, combined with the significant water savings provided by the hydroponic system, make the new grass courts at The Breakers highly sustainable, which is greatly valued by the organization.

The new courts also meet the high 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 consistent moisture control of the CapillaryFlow system 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 Georgia-based turf farm Pike Creek Turf, 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.”