Richmond’s World Class Courts to Install Next Generation Technology
August 2, 2023
Richmond, VA – Performance Pickleball RVA has entered a partnership with industry leader Laykold, and Richmond-based World Class Courts, to install the revolutionary Masters Gel playing surface at PPBRVA. PPBRVA will be the first pickleball facility globally to feature the revolutionary surface, which provides a 17% force reduction on joints while also allowing for 70% energy restitution. Due to the application of a professional caliber top-coating system, it will provide those benefits while playing exactly like an outdoor court.
“The overall experience for our players, including their physical well-being, is of the utmost importance to us,” said PPBRVA COO Jon Laaser. “By bringing the most advanced court surface in the world to Richmond, we are able to deliver on providing our players the absolute finest playing experience currently in existence. Beyond that, it immediately makes the RVA the envy of the entire pickleball landscape. Getting to partner on the installation with Richmond tennis legends Tom and Matt Magner, and their company World Class Courts, is a really sweet icing on the cake!”
The installation of this state-of-the-art surface is a major investment for PPBRVA into not only the facility, but the RVA pickleball community as a whole.
“Laykold Masters Gel is a next generation paddle sports system, designed with both the player and the environment in mind,” said Laykold Technical and Field Support Manager, Wesley Baum. “Masters Gel is comprised of over 75% renewable plant-based raw materials, making it one of the most environmentally friendly systems on the market. In addition to being green-conscious, Masters Gel provides nearly 19% force reduction to allow players to play longer and safer with less wear and tear on their bodies.”
The color matrix for the competition courts are designed to provide maximum visibility during competition. The out-of-play areas will be silver, while the service boxes will be Pro Blue and the non-volley zones will be Arctic Blue. Combined with intentional coloring of facility walls in a Navy Blue, and an exhaustive lighting survey, PPBRVA will provide the most comprehensive visibility plan in the world.
“I have constructed or consulted on racquet club projects in the United States and internationally for over 35 years, and this is an incredible project,” said World Class Courts Consultant Chris Rossi. “To work with a team that not only understands, but is committed to, creating the ultimate pickleball facility is an honor and pleasure. The commitment by this team to provide the best playing surface available combined with first class amenities is unrivaled, and is the key reason why this will be the gold standard pickleball facility, not only for Richmond, but around the United States and globally.”
PPBRVA made the impactful decision to surface 25,415 square feet of the facility with the Masters Gel surface. This will encompass the entirety of the competition area, including all 12 competition courts and walkways between them. Additionally, it allows for a full-sized warmup court, also surfaced with the Masters Gel surface.
“The goal is not to provide the best,” said Laaser. “The goal is to raise the bar so high in every area, that the only way we will be topped is by ourselves. This is the first of what will be many examples of that.”
Laykold, the leading manufacture of hardcourt playing surfaces in the world, is the official court of the U.S. Open, as well as eight of the top 15 professional tennis tournaments globally. World Class Courts was founded locally in Richmond by Tom Magner in 1972. Magner is a multiple-time Richmond city tennis champion, continues to teach the game locally and was inducted into the Richmond Sports Hall of Fame. His son Matt, also a decorated tennis player in the area, took over the business in 2010 and has continued to position World Class Courts as the premier surface application operation in the region. World Class has been the official applicator for UVA’s Boar’s Head Resort since 2017, recently applied courts at Duke University and installed the courts fir the ATP Citi Open in Washington, DC, in 2022.
Memberships to Performance Pickleball RVA are currently available for reservation at PPBRVA.com
