Court--Basically the Squash Tennis court is identical in specifications
to Squash Racquets; namely 18 1/2 feet wide, 32 feet long, and 16 feet
high at the front wall: The ceiling should be at least 18 feet 6 inches
high in order to allow for lights. Running along the front wall, 17
inches in height, is the "telltale" made of sheet metal. Hitting the
"telltale" is tantamount to hitting a Lawn Tennis ball into the net. The
front wall also has the front service line, which is 6 1/2 feet above the
floor. On the floor, 10 feet from the backwall, is the floor service
line extending parallel to the backwall and across the entire width of
the court. A line drawn from the floor service line to the backwall
divides the back court into two equal halves. Ideally (but not an
absolute necessity) the service line should also extend all the way up to
the front wall in order to divide the forecourt in two for service
placement. In other words, the service must land in the opponent's half
of the court in front of the floor service line and divided by the
extension of the center line to the front wall. The service court in
Squash Tennis, therefore, is actually 22 feet long, and bounded by the
center line, floor service line, side wall and front wall (rather than
back wall).
The backwall "out" line is 4 feet 6 inches above the floor, or 2 feet
below the present Squash Racquets' backwall out line.
Otherwise the rules in scoring are identical to Squash Racquets, even
though the style of play is, as you have noted, quite different. (For a
schematic drawing of a Squash Tennis court, see Figure 25 [Dimensional
drawing of a Squash Tennis court.].)
Equipment--The green felt covered ball is approximately 2 3/8 inches in
diameter, slightly smaller than a standard Lawn Tennis ball but
containing higher pressure. It is, therefore, lighter and faster. These
Squash Tennis balls are manufactured for the Association by A. G.
Spalding & Bros. They can be bought from any Squash Professional or
directly from the National Squash Tennis Association for $1.25 each.
Recent manufacturing improvements have extended the length of time you
can play with a ball without it wearing out or breaking.
The racquet has the identical size head to a regulation Lawn Tennis
frame, but the length, including the handle, should not exceed 26 inches,
which is 1 inch shorter and, therefore, somewhat lighter and more
wieldable than a standard Tennis racquet. Regular gut or nylon is used
for the string. A strong Squash Tennis racquet sells at a competitive
price to a Squash Racquet bat.