Dalton Helps Ace Innovative Tennis Court Installation at Badminton & Racquet Club

Ribbon cutting celebrating the official opening of four, new tennis courts at Toronto's Badminton & Racquet Club. From left-to-right: Cory Anderson, Catherine Piekarz, Stephen Cameron Smith, Farid Mekhael, Raymond van Groll, Greg Turcot, Randy Dalton, Richard Phelan, Steven Diflorio, Coy Davidson and Dzifa Harvey.

The Badminton and Racquet of Toronto (The B&R) recently celebrated the opening of its new clay courts at a ceremony attended by club members, staff and the project team. The four, new courts—delivered on schedule by a project team that included Dalton—were eagerly anticipated by club members, who rely exclusively on the surfaces to play tennis year-round.

Club pro, Farid Mekhael, addresses B&R club members during the official ceremony.

The event involved numerous members participating in a spirited game of live ball—a continuous practice format where players engage in dynamic rallies—a ribbon cutting ceremony, a pro exhibition, and food and beverage service. 

B&R club members participate in a game of 'live ball' during the ceremony that allowed people to experience the new courts first-hand.

Several Dalton team members were in attendance, including President Randy Dalton, Project Manager Coy Davidson and Site Manager Steven Diflorio.

Dalton played a key role fast tracking the schedule by leveraging our considerable experience delivering private club projects and providing leadership and direction to specialty trades required to execute complex activities in a short period of time.

Delivering the project was no small feat. The club’s location in Toronto’s bustling Yonge-St. Clair neighbourhood in a compact property surrounded by residential high-rises and retail buildings posed challenges completing work on site. Other challenges included unforeseen subsurface conditions at the century-old club and accommodating club members using the B&R’s other racquet courts and facilities.

The club’s new tennis courts—manufactured by one of the world’s leaders in tennis court surfaces, HAR-TRU—are a significant upgrade from the aging claying surface that had reached its end-of-life cycle. Installed by Court Contractors, the courts also feature an innovative, self-regulating irrigation system that creates consistent playing surface, which will help the Club reduce court closures due to rain, lower maintenance costs and increase the longevity of their courts. The project also involved the installation of a new lighting system that allows members to maximize playing time when the sun goes down.

The new clay courts feature an innovative, self-regulating irrigation system designed to water courts from below the surface through cells buried below (shown above). This system maintains optimal moisture at all times - a key challenge involved in clay court maintenance - to mitigate court down time.

The new court is the second major project Dalton has completed for B&R following the successful transformation of the clubhouse after a devastating fire in 2017 damaged several areas in the club.

B&R Club's restaurant, The Phoenix, was constructed by Dalton as part of the extensive rebuild following a 2017 fire.

Watch this video to learn how our team approached the challenging task.