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Newly resurfaced tennis courts in Holmen's Deer Wood park are getting their first major test this weekend, with the Holmen Park and Recreation Department in the midst of hosting a youth tennis tournament through Saturday.

The $80,000 project was completed in mid-May. The formerly hardcourts were resurfaced with Mateflex, an interlocking plastic surface placed over the top of the existing courts. Mateflex is based out of Utica, N.Y.

“The resurfacing was based on need,” Holmen assistant Park and Rec director Brad Reinhart said. “We had some cracking a couple of years and did some traditional resurfacing then, but it needed to be redone again.”

The project was paid for as a village capital budget item. The contractor for the project was Valley Sealcoat of Appleton.

With the United States Tennis Association going to blue courts over green courts at the U.S. Open a year ago, Reinhart opted to go with the same color scheme. While the first tournament on the courts is being played this weekend, Reinhart said initial feedback to the courts has been positive.

“It really dresses up the area,” Reinhart said. “The players who we've talked to like the footing and traction. They've said there's not too much difference as far as playability.”

Holmen High School's teams used the Viking Elementary Courts in the 2007-08 season. Those two sets of courts are the two most visible and most used sets of courts in the village.

“I think the quality of the courts is the same,” Reinhart said. “Traditionally you have to do a resurfacing every five years. The tennis purist will probably still prefer the traditional hardcourts, but this fits our needs and is a great solution for the problems we were having.”

The next significant tournament on the new courts takes place July 31 through August 2, the second Herb Wunsch youth tournament. That tournament will feature 18- and 14-and-under divisions.