As play improved, balls were occasionally bounced over the 12-foot wiring, ending a rally and making it necessary to chase the ball for some distance. This was corrected when the APTA adopted a rule regarding balls bouncing over the backstop:

“A ball which lands in court of play and bounces up and over side or back walls should be considered a ‘let ball’ and the point replayed.”

The early court construction had been greatly helped by the efforts of Henry B Eaton who was working for a lumber company in NYC. In the late 1930’s, the lumber company was liquidated, but fortunately the work Eaton had done in providing an easy and convenient way for clubs and individuals to obtain platforms inspired one of the company’s employees, Joseph Russhon, to take over its platform tennis business and he continued operations as the Gates Sports Platform Company.

Thanks to Eaton and Russhon, the early development of the game received a considerable boost, and many platforms were set up. Some of these platforms were erected on top of tennis courts in the fall, and then taken down and stored in the spring. Later, clubs began to find it too expensive and hard on the platforms to put them down and take them up each year and permanent courts came to be the accepted practice.

Source: Adapted from Fessenden S. Blanchard, Platform Paddle Tennis, 1959

Historical Factoid: Eaton was President of Fox Meadow Tennis Club in 1936. His wife, Jean Eaton, was the winner of the Women’s Doubles and Singles Nationals in 1935 (the inaugural tournaments) and the Women’s Doubles in 1936.

The members of the Tremont Place Paddle Tennis Club of Orange, NJ, developed the textured court. Sprinkling beach sand into the freshly painted deck before the paint dried produced the non-skid surface. When properly applied, the sand prevented both players and balls from skidding in wet conditions. The surface also eliminated glare from the reflection of a bright sun.

Source: Adapted from Fessenden S. Blanchard, Paddle Tennis, 1944

The APTA gave the following information to its members in its 1936 report:

“An improved court surface has been developed at the Tremont Place court in Orange, thanks to the research of Richard Grant, Herbert Pease and others.

This is accomplished by sprinkling about 40 pounds* of fine beach sand on the platform as it is painted and while the paint is wet.

This gives a less slippery surface, enabling the court to be played upon even when slightly damp or soon after a rain.

It also eliminates glare on a bright day. In view of the enthusiastic reports of our Orange members on this type of surface it is recommended for consideration of our other members when painting their courts in the fall.”

*Later revised to 100-180 pounds

Source: Fessenden S. Blanchard, Platform Paddle Tennis, 1959

In the early stages of the game, players used the lightweight, solid, rectangular shaped paddle (The Paddle Tennis Company’s standard paddle), but it was too light for a fast game.

At the request of the Old Army Athletes The Paddle Tennis Company¹ modified the shape of the paddle to a more oval design and added holes (the Tennette paddle) but this also proved to be too light and the edges tended to chip as there was no protective rim. A perforated, oval, mahogany stained paddle with a metal binding around its edges proved to be the answer and was first introduced in the late 1930s. It became the standard for the next four decades despite several efforts by the APTA to investigate better alternatives.

After the 1930s, the history of the paddle gets a little fuzzy. Apparently, the Reverend Frank Beal, who had invented playground paddle tennis, had a son who was living in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, area. This son met a local woodworker named Jankus, who could make paddles. Young Beal arranged to have Jankus produce paddles for both platform and paddle tennis. Reverend Beal would place an order through his son and Jankus would assemble them. Beal’s son would then load his car and head for Manhattan. It was a “catch as catch can” operation, according to Clint Sekol Jr., whose father bought the Dalton Manufacturing Company (the Jankus-Beal business) in 1950.

Source: Adapted from Fessenden S. Blanchard, Paddle Tennis, 1944, and Platform Paddle Tennis, 1959; and an article by Jim Tate in Platform Tennis News>and in the 1991 National Championship Tournament Brochure pp 18-19

In the 1970s and early 1980s new materials (fiberglass, foam composites, aluminum honeycomb,etc.) and construction techniques spurred a series of innovations which has continued unabated.

One of the most notable early innovations came in 1981 when Rich Maier, a multi-time APTA National Champion, formed Advanced Recreation Design with Andreas Schuler and introduced the Skymar paddle based on patent they had obtained.

Note 1: The Paddle Tennis Company was formed in 1922 by Rev Beal and Frank Contessa. It was sold in 1926 to the G. Lynn Sumner Company, a Madison Avenue advertising firm – see Frank B. Contessa