Girls, it’s MAKE anything Thursday and another rainy, cold day in London. That means the grass is growing down the street at Wimbledon, where we took in The Championships last July.
This past weekend, Sally, Mom, and I did the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum and Tour. One of the more fascinating parts of the tour is learning how the famous grass is made. The grass is surgically removed from each court as soon as the tournament finishes, though the soil underneath stays in place. The ground is then treated to remove any unwanted pests and aerated and tilled before the new seed goes down. Wimbledon has its own unique mix of perennial ryegrass, which is used with a controlled-release fertilizer to speed up the development of the grass.
Some courts need more natural sun in the maritime climate of the British Isles. The solution? Artificial lights are rolled across courts by the grounds crew.
Notice the center court scoreboard still showing last year’s champion, Novak Djokovic.
As you would expect, the tour and museum are incredibly well done. You learn about the tournament’s history, the uniqueness of the All England Club, and how the broadcast is served worldwide.
We also chuckled as our guide showed us the gate where Roger Federer recently had trouble getting into the club because he did not have his membership card!
Check out this video for a good laugh:
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| Talking to the press after our match!
Other Nuggets about life in The Kingdom:
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