Laykold is marking its 100th anniversary on one of tennis’ biggest stages, returning as the Official Surface of the US Open for the 2026 tournament and highlighting a century of development in hard-court technology.
Founded in 1926, Laykold has served as the US Open’s official court surface since 2020. The AstroTurf company supplies the playing surface across 42 courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where maintaining consistent pace and bounce between practice and competition courts is critical for the world’s top players.
That consistency has become increasingly sophisticated. Drawing on more than 25 years of surface testing, Laykold has developed a formulation database that allows its technical teams to tailor surfaces to approximately 0.5 of a Court Pace Rating point. According to the company, that represents a level of precision 10 times tighter than the industry’s standard classification range.
The technology relies in part on proprietary sand blends, formulation expertise, testing and tightly controlled installation procedures. At the US Open, those processes are designed to ensure players encounter comparable playing characteristics as they move among the facility’s numerous courts.
The centennial also provides Laykold an opportunity to highlight how hard-court technology has evolved alongside tennis itself. Since its beginnings, the company has introduced developments ranging from colored court surfaces and recycled materials to force-reduction systems and technologies designed to reduce court temperatures and environmental impact.
“Better courts make better tennis,” said Luke Burden, Laykold’s Head of Events, noting that predictable court performance allows players to focus on executing their skills rather than adjusting to inconsistencies in the playing surface.
Laykold’s footprint extends well beyond Flushing Meadows. Its surfaces are now used at more than 50 professional tennis events worldwide, including the BNP Paribas Open, Miami Open, Abu Dhabi Open, Wuhan Open and Mexican Open. The company manufactures its court products in the United States, Australia and Germany and operates as part of global sports-surfaces company Sport Group.
As Laykold enters its second century, the company says its development efforts will continue to focus on court consistency and pace precision while addressing emerging priorities including player welfare, surface temperature and environmental performance.
