Have you sat in front of your television screen in awe and envy of the grass tennis courts at Wimbledon?
The lawn is a quintessential British tradition and institution and over £400 million is spent every year - often in vain - on turf, seed, mowers, feed and pesticides trying to recreate the famous sward.
Here I take a little look at who and what it takes to make the championship turf so special.
Head Groundsman, Eddie Seaward has been in charge of nineteen courts (plus twenty two for practise) at SW19 since 1991 and oversees fourteen permanent staff. Total ground staff numbers swells by sixteen to thirty for the championships.
Eddie Seawards priority for the duration is consistency of bounce and making sure that the zone immediately beneath the grass roots is firm.
All Wimbledon courts are sown with 100% perennial ryegrass. A decision was taken in 2001, in conjunction with the Sports Turf Research Institute that perennial ryegrass should be used exclusively to improve durability and strengthen the sward.
Prior to 2001, the grass mixture was made up of 70% perennial ryegrass and thirty percent creeping red fescue. One tonne of grass seed is used every year.
The grass has been cut and maintained at a height of 8mm since 1995 and it is felt that this height offers the best potential for grass survival in the dry soil.
The playing characteristics are never exactly the same year on year and a lot depends on the weather and exposure to rain, wind and sun in the build up to play.
The extent of the bounce is determined by the compaction and condition of the soil beneath the grass and it is the skill of Eddie and his staff that balances the demands of play against the needs of the grass.
The grass court surfaces are rolled and covered and constantly tested for their firmness and speed. The head groundsman must decide at what point the water is turned off. If the surface is too damp and soft when play commences it will cut up, become unstable and cause the ball to bounce irregularly.
Playing characteristics of a grass court can change day to day and even through the day as humidity and temperature fluctuates. A maximum of 3,000 gallons of water is applied during the fortnight - weather permitting.
All courts are white lined, rolled and cut every day during Championships.
According to Mark Easton, the English lawn is in decline.
For more fascinating facts on Wimbledon grass courts - click here.
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