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Court Construction
Well constructed courts and routine
maintenance can only enhance pitcher
enjoyment and tournament interest.....
The 4 primary elements of good courts are
Stakes - Pit Material - Platforms - Fencing....
Whether you, your club or your Parks & Recreation Department plan
to build or remodel horseshoe courts, good planning should be done
in advance...
Site selection and grading should call for reasonably level ground
with suitable drainage away from the pits and walkways.
The actual court "playing area" measures from the back of
the pitching platform to the back of the opposite pitching platform
at the other end of the court and the 6 ft width of the pitchers box.
Additional suitable space is necessary for safety...Space courts at
least 10 ft (preferably 12 ft) apart measured stake to stake... Construct
chainlink fencing across both ends of the
courts at least 8 ft (preferably 10 ft) measured from the stakes.
Backstops are often used for containment of loose pit material but
they also stop shoes which may have hit and bent the chainlink
fence.
Fence gates should be located between courts and if practical, located
every 2nd court to give pitchers a safe, direct exit from their court
without crossing adjacent courts.
Surrounding yard areas should be graded level with or slope away from
walkways to eliminate ledges and steps that may cause ankle injuries.
If practical, the paved pitching platforms should extend the full
length of the court as continuous walkways. The surrounding areas
may be gravel packed, seeded or paved. Construction joints in paved
walkways should be accurately positioned to act as foul lines or pitching
platform dimensions, otherwise painted lines will be necessary.
"In-ground" courts should have top of pit fill material
level with pitching platforms. "Portable" (aka
"temporary" and "raised") courts have a maximum
height limit of 7 in. above the pitching platform surface. Some portable
courts have a slight adjustment in the pitching distance to compensate
for the raised height of the pit and some portable courts eliminate
much of the front edge of the "box" which otherwise blocks
a view of the pit surface.
LIGHTING GUIDLINES Horseshoe court lighting should be uniform over
the playing surface and for a few feet outside the side lines and
backstops. Outdoor lighting offers no reflective background so all
light must be direct from the fixtures. For club/tournament play,
25 to 35 footcandles is recommended, and
for non-tournament play 15 to 25 footcandles
is sufficient. All the surface area should be evenly lighted. Lighting
fixtures should be placed outside of all courts so that beams are
generally aimed across the courts. No light sources should be located
directly behind the courts or at the back corners of courts if possible.
Quartz, metal halide, fluorescent, and high pressure sodium lamps
are all applicable to horseshoe court lighting. Poles should be 30
to 35 ft long, have cross arms at the top to which fixtures are attached,
and be capable of withstanding at least 100-mph winds. Fluorescent
fixtures should be mounted 14 to 16 ft above the court surface, outside
the lines and tilted inward. Pole mounted fluorescent fixtures may
be located 22 ft above the court surface. Poles should be primed and
painted a dark color. All wiring should be installed underground and
outside the court area. Basic design techniques are the same for almost
any type of field.
Horseshoe pitching tournaments normally have "class" sizes
of 6, 8, 10, 12 and 16 pitchers. Each "class" pitches a
"round-robin" schedule where each contestant pitches one
game against other in the same "class". Thus, a 6-man class
would need 3 courts; an 8-man class would need 4 courts; etc. Accordingly,
court installations should be constructed with enough courts to handle
the largest anticipated tournament. For example, if 40 entries were
expected they could be divided into five 8-man classes requiring 20
courts. Alternately, two 8-man morning classes and three 8-man afternoon
classes would require no more than 12 courts. (Suggested: minimum
of 18 to 24)
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