BY ADRIANA HERNANDEZ
Daily Post Staff Writer
Atherton residents want their city council to halt plans to replace a clay tennis court at Holbrook Palmer Park with a concrete court because it could lead to joint injuries.
Council is not set on discussing any changes to the courts at its Wednesday meeting, but residents wrote letters to the council asking it to intervene in the possible change.
Clay easier on some players
There are currently six tennis courts, but only one has a softer green-clay surface, which is in danger of being replaced with concrete. Residents oppose the change because they say it will prevent them from playing.
“Practicing on clay helps keep my old bones from hurting on the asphalt. Us older folks can’t run on a hard surface and clay helps my arthritis,” Mark Ho said in a letter to council.
The Atherton Park and Recreation Committee has been discussing how to improve court hours between tennis and pickleball players at Holbrook Palmer Park. Committee Member Don Keller said he supports the change because it would be the best use of town money, given the increase in court time over the past decade.
More residents use the courts
The number of residents who pay to have keys to the courts has increased from 99 in 2014 to 220 in 2025, according to Keller. The price for keys has also risen from $50 to $100, and the town needs to improve residents’ experience on the courts, Keller said.
Playing on clay allows the ball to move more slowly and bounce higher for people. It is beneficial for those learning to play tennis, Craig Sherman said in his letter to council.
But others think the change to a concrete court is a great idea because clay courts are hard to maintain. Pieces of clay land on other courts, Patty Boettcher said in her letter to council.
When people walk across the clay court, it leaves a mess and makes the concrete courts slippery and dangerous for players, Howard Field said.
Pickleball
Residents also feel a concrete court will be useful when all other courts are taken. Kathy Downing, an active pickleball player, said in her letter that it’s been hard to find a court in the afternoons.
“This conversion would create more quality court time for tennis and pickleball playing for Atherton residents,” she said.
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