What is LED Tennis Court Lighting?

LED Lights for tennis courts are powerful, bright sports lighting solutions and provide a high-quality light source. Tennis lighting is a specialized solution designed for both indoor and outdoor facilities, offering advanced features tailored for sports venues. LED tennis court lights are available for both indoor tennis courts and outdoor tennis courts.

Indoor tennis court lights are typically ceiling-mounted and shine down. Secondly, some upshine models point the light upwards and reflect off a highly reflective roof.

Outdoor tennis court lights are typically pole-mounted fixtures. They are either shoebox fixtures (the most common fixture) or floodlights. Shoebox fixtures with Type III optics work well for outdoor tennis courts.

LED tennis court lights can easily replace metal halide lights. They produce high-lumen, high-quality lighting. They turn on instantly and are virtually maintenance-free. Their energy efficiency results in lower energy costs and reduced maintenance costs compared to traditional lighting options. When replacing metal halide lights, it's important to consider the total cost of ownership, including the initial investment, ongoing energy savings, and lower maintenance costs over the lifespan of the LED fixtures.

All drivers automatically adjust to incoming voltage from 100 to 277 Volts or 277 to 480 Volts.

The most popular color temperature for tennis courts is 5000K, which is an excellent choice for metal halide replacement. 4000K is a good choice for fluorescent lighting replacement. If you can't decide, we offer fixtures that are toggle adjustable, where you can select the color temperature after installation.

No one optic meets all needs when choosing the best optics for lighting. Based on our 17 years of experience, we can make recommendations for beam angles. However, we typically create lighting plans to select the best optic option. A lighting plan will sort that all out for you. A lighting plan will detail the fixture, wattage, lumens, optics, number of fixtures, and where to point them. Tennis court owners should consider key factors such as optimal visibility, sufficient illumination, and the right lighting setup to meet the needs of their facility, especially for larger courts.

We outfitted this indoor tennis court and sport court with our wattage adjustable 100 / 120 / 150 / 200 Watt Adjustable UFO Fixture | 14000 to 28000 Lumens

What are the Benefits of Using Our LED Tennis Court Lights?

LED tennis court lights offer numerous benefits, including energy efficiency, lower energy costs, and reduced maintenance costs compared to traditional lighting options.

• Optimal Visibility: You get crystal clear court visibility at every skill level. Players track the ball better under proper LED lighting. This translates to fewer missed shots and reduced injury risk.
• Glare Free Lighting and Reducing Glare: Your eyes stay comfortable during extended play sessions. Players can focus on the game instead of squinting. Quality optics prevent harsh light spill that causes eye strain.
• Energy Savings: You slash energy bills by 50% to 75% immediately. Your monthly operating costs drop substantially. LED technology uses less power while delivering brighter output than old metal halide systems.
• Powerful lighting: You get superior light quality that surpasses metal halide performance. LEDs deliver consistent brightness across the entire court. Players experience better depth perception and ball tracking under LED illumination.
• Lower maintenance costs: You eliminate bulb and ballast replacements. Maintenance crews spend time on other facility needs. LED fixtures operate for years without any component failures.
• Slow lumen depreciation with LED: Your lights maintain brightness for decades. Metal halide lamps lose 30% of their output within the first year. LEDs keep consistent light levels throughout their extended lifespan.
• Instant On: Courts light up immediately when you flip the switch. Players start games without waiting for warm-up periods.
• High-quality lighting: You get professional-grade illumination that lasts for years. Colors appear natural and vibrant under LED light. Court surfaces show true colors without the yellow tint of old lighting.
• Great Fan and Player Experience: Everyone enjoys games under superior lighting conditions. Spectators see all the action clearly from any angle. Professional-quality lighting elevates the entire tennis experience.

We outfitted this backyard court with 300 Watt LED Shoebox Area Light | 48000 Lumens. Lighting is bright and balanced.

Energy Savings and ROI Calculations

Let's examine the real-world energy savings when replacing 20 fixtures of 400-Watt Metal Halide with 150-Watt LED fixtures. Running 12 hours daily, 365 days per year, at $0.13 per kWh, the calculations show significant savings.

Metal Halide consumption: 20 fixtures × 400W × 12 hours × 365 days = 35,040 kWh annually, costing $4,555 per year. LED consumption: 20 fixtures × 150W × 12 hours × 365 days = 13,140 kWh annually, costing $1,708 per year. This results in annual energy savings of $2,847 or 62% energy reduction.

Maintenance cost savings over the LED fixture lifespan are substantial. With no bulbs or ballasts to replace, facilities save on replacement parts, labor costs, and equipment downtime. Traditional metal halide systems require bulb replacements every 2-3 years and ballast replacements every 5-7 years. Over a 10-year period, this eliminates approximately $3,000-5,000 in maintenance costs for 20 fixtures.

What are the Best Types of LED Tennis Court Lights?

Indoor Tennis Court Lighting

Indoor tennis court lights are typically ceiling-mounted LED fixtures. These lights shine directly down on the court of indoor tennis facilities, providing bright, high-quality, and uniform light distribution. These lights are similar to what you'd find in gymnasiums and indoor sports facilities. If you're concerned about glare, indirect lighting is a great option. These fixtures point light upwards toward a white, reflective surface. The light is reflected off the ceiling surface to light the courts below, providing glare free lighting that improves comfort and visibility for players.

LED indoor tennis court lights are durable and energy-efficient, requiring little maintenance. Many of our fixtures feature wattage and lumen toggle switches for easy field adjustment. With options for different wattages and color temperatures, there are many LED lighting system options to meet your needs and requirements. For indoor tennis facilities, optimal visibility and sufficient illumination are essential to meet both competitive and recreational standards.

Outdoor Tennis Court Lighting

Outdoor tennis court lights use pole-mounted LED fixtures installed around the perimeter of the court. These lights are typically shoebox lights or floodlights. Shoebox fixtures with Type III optics are a recommended choice for outdoor courts. They provide excellent light coverage and broadcast their light towards the center of the court. Floodlights are another option. They offer flexibility for pole placements or custom court layouts.

For larger courts, higher wattage fixtures and broader beam angles may be necessary to ensure sufficient illumination across the entire playing area. LED lights for outdoor tennis courts are built to withstand harsh weather conditions. They turn on instantly, operate efficiently, and require minimal maintenance when compared to traditional lighting. We carry all common mounting options and can match your existing mounts.

With a lighting plan, you can ensure the perfect optimization of fixtures, optics, and placement to achieve optimal light intensity and balance. Proper pole placement and fixture selection are also important for reducing glare, which helps minimize shadows and improves visibility during play.

Our pole mounted shoebox fixtures are perfect for sport court lighting

Smart Controls and Additional Features

We need to understand if you need motion sensors or photocells. Motion sensors are a great way to save additional money by automatically turning lights on only when the court is in use. Photocells always turn on and off the lights at the proper time of day, ensuring your courts are illuminated when needed.

As far as your current electrical infrastructure, LED lights will reduce your amp load significantly. There is no need to upgrade your electrical panel when switching to LED technology.

What are the Recommended Foot Candles for Tennis Courts?

Indoor Tennis Court Light Levels

• Recreational Level: 30-50 fc
• Club Level: 40-70 fc
• Competition Level: 70-100 fc

Outdoor Tennis Court Light Levels

• Recreation Level: 20-40 fc
• Club Level: 30-70 fc
• Competition Level: 60-100 fc

Using the customers existing fixtures, we supplied retrofit kits to convert their lighting over to LED

Certifications and Safety Standards

All our LED tennis court lights meet rigorous safety and performance standards. Our fixtures are UL Listed or ETL Listed for electrical safety compliance. Many models are also DLC Listed and DLC Premium, ensuring they meet the highest energy efficiency standards and qualify for utility rebates.

These certifications provide peace of mind that your lighting investment meets professional standards for safety, performance, and energy efficiency. DLC Premium qualification often unlocks additional utility incentives and rebates.

Warranty and Warranty Support

All our LED tennis court lights come with at least a 5-year warranty, and all warranty support is based in the USA. We take customer support seriously, and helping you with a warranty claim is important to us. Our dedicated support team understands the critical nature of sports lighting and works quickly to resolve any issues that may arise during the warranty period.

What's the Best Way to Design Tennis Court Lighting?

The best way is to determine your needs regarding light levels and any restrictions on light placement. From there, we recommend creating a lighting plan. A lighting plan will achieve many things:

• It will confirm light levels and light balance
• The right fixture with the right optic package
• total number of fixtures, and where they should be located

This essentially takes the risk out of choosing the right light and achieving the results you are looking for.

Outdoor sport court lighting - ceiling mounted - used our high impact UFO high bays

Common Choices and Recommendations Based on Our Experience

After 17 years in LED sports lighting, we've learned what works best for tennis courts. The most popular choice is 5000K color temperature fixtures with Type III optics for outdoor courts. Indoor facilities commonly choose 150-200 watt fixtures, while outdoor courts typically require 200-400 watt fixtures, depending on pole height and spacing.

Toggle-adjustable fixtures are becoming increasingly popular because they offer flexibility. Customers can adjust both wattage/lumen output and color temperature in the field without changing fixtures. For mounting, we see most outdoor projects using 25-30 foot poles with 4-6 fixtures per court.

What's less common but often requested are photocell controls and motion sensors. While not every facility needs these features, they provide significant additional energy savings for recreational facilities with irregular usage patterns.

Need Help? Talk to an LED Tennis Court Expert.

With so many options and fixtures available, it's hard to decide which option will meet your needs and requirements. The sales engineers of LED Lighting Supply are experts in LED tennis court lighting. Use our experience and tell us your needs, and we will provide you with the best LED tennis court lighting options for your project or application. We can provide you with a free tennis court lighting plan to make sure the area is well-lit and the lighting is balanced.

LED Tennis Court Lights FAQ

What are the Best LED Fixtures for Indoor Tennis Courts?

For downward lighting, UFO high bay lights with frosted lenses deliver the best performance by minimizing glare while providing robust construction that withstands ball impacts. These fixtures typically range from 100-400 watts depending on ceiling height and court dimensions. For existing up-lighting systems, LED retrofit conversion kits offer a cost-effective upgrade path that preserves your current fixtures while achieving 60-70% energy savings. High-power flood lights work well for reflected lighting applications when properly angled.

What are the Best LED Fixtures for Outdoor Tennis Courts?

Perimeter-mounted poles require shoebox fixtures with Type 5 forward-throw optics that concentrate light on the court surface rather than spilling beyond the playing area. For poles positioned further back, LED flood lights ranging 150-600 watts provide the necessary reach and coverage. Standard parking lot optics won't deliver proper court illumination patterns. Slip fitter and straight arm mounts are the most common pole attachment methods for outdoor installations.

How Does LED Lighting Improve Tennis Court Play?

LED technology delivers superior light quality with 90+ CRI that enhances ball visibility and reduces eye strain compared to metal halide systems. Players experience consistent illumination without the flickering, warm-up delays, or gradual dimming associated with traditional lighting. Instant-on capability and stable light output throughout the fixture's 100,000+ hour lifespan ensure reliable performance for competitive play.

What is the Best Lighting Distribution for Outdoor Tennis Court Lighting?

Forward-throw optic packages provide optimal light distribution by directing illumination onto the court surface while minimizing light under the poles. This approach achieves uniform footcandle levels between the court center and edges, which is critical for player safety and performance. Indoor courts benefit from ceiling-mounted fixtures that naturally provide more balanced overhead lighting coverage.

What is the Cost of LED Tennis Court Lights?

Quality LED tennis court fixtures are surprisingly affordable, with UFO high bays starting around $150-400 and outdoor shoebox lights ranging $200-600 depending on wattage and optics. The real value comes from 60-75% energy savings and virtually zero maintenance costs over 15+ years of operation. Total cost of ownership typically pays back the initial investment within 2-4 years through reduced electricity and maintenance expenses.

What is the Best Color Temperature for LED Tennis Court Lighting?

5000K daylight white is the most popular choice for tennis courts as it provides excellent color rendering and visibility for fast-moving balls. 4000K neutral white offers a slightly warmer appearance while maintaining good visual acuity. Both temperatures work well for competitive play and meet most facility requirements.

How Many LED Lumens to Light a Tennis Court?

Rather than focusing solely on lumens, proper tennis court lighting requires achieving specific footcandle targets (typically 30-75 FC) with uniform distribution across the playing surface. A professional photometric lighting plan calculates the exact fixture placement, wattages, and total lumen output needed based on your court dimensions, pole locations, and mounting heights to meet USTA or local standards.

What Beam Angle is Ideal for Tennis Court Lights?

Wide beam angles (120-150 degrees) work best for tennis court applications as they provide better light distribution and coverage. Narrow beam angles are only suitable for stadium-style lighting from extreme mounting heights. Most tennis facilities achieve optimal results with medium to wide distribution patterns that ensure even illumination.

What are Common Tennis Court Fixture Mounting Methods?

Outdoor installations use slip fitter mounts and straight arm brackets attached to poles positioned around the court perimeter or behind the baseline. Indoor courts utilize ceiling mounting options including eye hooks for direct attachment, pendant mounts for suspended installation, and wire or chain suspension systems for flexible positioning based on structural requirements.

Does LED Lighting Improve Tennis Playing Experience?

LED systems dramatically enhance play quality through superior color rendering and consistent light output that eliminates the performance issues of metal halide and fluorescent lighting. Players benefit from reduced glare, elimination of flicker, and instant full brightness without warm-up delays. Properly designed LED installations provide balanced illumination that improves ball tracking and overall court visibility.