Profile of the game rises

On January 25th, 1936 George Trevor (1892-1951), remembered as one of the best sports writers in the business, began an article on Platform Tennis as follows:

Paddle Tennis Gains Place as Winter Sport

Look! That’s the answer to the riddle that has been puzzling the winter-bound business athlete for generations. It solves the problem of how to get outdoor exercise in a competitive game when snow covers the ground and the thermometer is down around the freezing mark. Incidentally, this new game will mean financial salvation for many a country club that needs an appealing winter pastime to bring in revenue during the dead months.

Trevor gave his impressions of the exhibition match he had watched (Charley O’Hearn and Jim Hynson vs. Kip Couch and Ed Grafmueller):

The writer was impressed by the rapid-fire tempo of the game and the skill of the players. Charley O’Hearn’s cannon ball service and overhead kills at the net rattled the backstops with a stark intensity worthy of a Red McLoughlin. Kip Couch’s effortless strokes, as fluent as Tilden’s, caught my eye. Couch is the stylist of the paddle tennis realm. O’Hearn’s thunderbolts finally prevailed after three hotly fought sets. “Whew!” gasped Charley as he warmed himself before a cozy fire in the snug little clubhouse. “This game is almost as hard on the wind as hockey. You’ve only got to try it to be converted. I wish we could get more of those shut-in squash players to taste this open-air cocktail.”

Source: Fessenden S. Blanchard, Platform Paddle Tennis, 1959; The New York Sun, January 25, 1936

Non-slip court surface developed

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