Usually when people think of country clubs, an image of a rolling green-hilled golf course comes to mind. Golf has long been the primary attraction for country clubs, but it soon may need to share some of it’s spotlight with a new rising star: tennis. Over the last 10 years, tennis participation has increased by an incredible 45.7 percent according to research from the Physical Activity Council, which consists of the National Golf Foundation (NGF), the Tennis Industry Association (TIA), the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), and The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, (SGMA), among others.
Clubs and club members are looking at tennis as a key fitness activity and value added benefit. Tennis is considered by many to be easy to learn, easy to play, and fun. It’s also inexpensive in terms of equipment cost and doesn’t require a huge time commitment. Tennis provides an extensive cardio workout for players and is seen as a good way to remain physically fit. Clubs are jumping on the tennis bandwagon with full steam ahead—creating new initiatives and programs to help increase participation, encourage physical fitness and make tennis accessible to the whole family.
As golf participation has seen a slight decline in recent years, tennis has been steadily gaining in popularity—picking up both casual participants and serious players on its way. According to a recent survey of Americans by the National Golf Foundation (NGF) in conjunction with Golf 20/20, there was a net drop of almost one million golfers in 2010, even with 3.5 million golfers either first beginning or returning to the game. According to the 2011 Sports, Fitness and Recreational Activities Topline Participation Report conducted by the Physical Activity Council, though golf participation has slightly decreased (down almost four percent this year) tennis participation has slightly increased (up two percent in the last year). Participation in cardio tennis—a high-energy fitness activity that combines the best features of tennis with cardiovascular exercise—is also up an astounding 28 percent in the past year, and its pace isn’t showing any signs of slowing.
Club Director had the opportunity to sit down with United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) President Tom Daglis to learn about the trends and programs that are driving this growth.
CD: Our members and readers are very interested in learning how the game of tennis has grown and thrived during recent years. To what does USPTA attribute this growth in tennis?
TG: I attribute this growth to several reasons: First, tennis is considered to be consumer friendly. Tennis is a game that is relatively inexpensive to be involved with and the time commitment allocated to playing is extremely flexible—allowing one to easily fit tennis into a busy schedule. The second reason is the collaborative industry initiative that currently exists to bring new players to tennis and introduce more consumers to the sport, specifically within the 10 and under market. Finally, with the attention brought to the public domain regarding obesity, tennis is certainly an excellent ambassador for increasing exercise and benefiting one’s personal health, as demonstrated with USPTA’s Tennis for the Health of It campaign.
CD: Tell us more about the collaborative efforts within the industry to promote tennis.
TG: There is an industry-wide initiative to bring tennis directly to the tennis consumer through www.playtennis.com. This website was developed by cooperating industry partners such as USPTA (United States Professional Tennis Association, PTR (Professional Tennis Registry), USTA (United States Tennis Association) and the TIA (Tennis Industry Association). Consumers can enter a zip code to find clubs and facilities that offer 10 and under programs and also find the tennis teaching professionals who are coordinating the programs.
CD: How are clubs re-engaging those that previously played tennis and left the game for whatever reason?
TD: Clubs understand that time is a commodity imperative to the success of any programming. Offering activities and programs that fit members’ schedules translates into reviving their interest in the sport for a lifetime. Examples might include offering cardio tennis clinics periodically throughout the day; changing tournament formats so that competitions can be completed in shorter timeframes; and, emphasizing fun in all instructional programs so that teaching techniques become less regimented. Our sport recognizes that we compete with other activities that may be easier to access or require less of an investment, and, therefore, it requires a more creative approach.
CD: How are fitness and tennis and golf working together at clubs?
TD: As the economy continues to be a factor in the club business, clubs are forced to look for creative ways to help the bottom line in operations. With country clubs in particular, there seems to be a trend to combine or centralize departments specifically with tennis, fitness and aquatics and to share fitness facilities. Developing programs that overlap with each department is the wave of the future. One example is sharing technology to analyze mechanical techniques. For instance, Dartfish Software allows videos clips to be analyzed to help with tennis techniques or golf swings to improve performance. These clips can be compared on an individual basis or side by side with clips of the touring professionals. Many sports utilize this software and it has been used at the Olympic games.
CD: Do tennis programs drive membership at country clubs?
TD: Tennis cannot be disregarded at country clubs. While the most successful tennis programs will certainly drive membership, what becomes more important is the fact that tennis is essential to retaining membership. Every time a club member receives their monthly bill, the knee jerk reaction is to reflect on how many times the family unit utilized the club. Tennis is often a key barometer. As the entire family may be involved in the club tennis program, the number of touches generated increases and that gives value satisfaction to the member writing the monthly check.
CD: What’s new in junior programs?
TD: Invest in your youth! Getting young players on the court by using the graduated equipment and courts will be the catalyst for the future participation. Once youngsters select tennis as a first choice in sports, it establishes tennis habits early in life—habits that carry through their club tenure. Build your programs from the bottom up, and you will always be faced with the wonderful problem of “how will I fit everyone on the court?”
Also, take advantage of the grants that are available to add court dimension lines to existing courts, where you can automatically transform your existing tennis courts to multi-use courts. The line painting grants for the 10 and under tennis program are being offered by the United States Tennis Association (USTA), where 50 percent of the cost is provided by the USTA National office, 25 percent provided by the USTA Sectional office and 25 percent paid for by the receiving facility. The number of people on the court is directly proportional to revenue generation.
CD: What types of family-centric tennis activities keep members engaged?
TD: The new “10 and under” equipment is excellent when involving the entire family on the court. With the use of graduated equipment—reduced court dimensions, smaller length racquets, and tennis balls that bounce in a more controlled manner —for young players, parents can rally and play tennis with their kids in a more fun and interactive way. Many clubs are utilizing the new decompressed tennis balls (red balls, orange balls, or green balls) in their parent/child round robin events, and it makes for a more evenly competitive and social tennis activity.
CD: What are some successful elements for tennis camp programs?
TD: Tennis camps serve more than one purpose. While they are a great way to develop day services for your membership, they may also be designed around themes. Tennis camps are not just for kids anymore. Consider specializing in women tennis camps, men tennis camps, senior tennis camps and weekend-only tennis camps. Cross-program your tennis camps—add a lunch component, a swim component, a golf component, and a computer component.
CD: How is USPTA using technology to serve its members? Are clubs utilizing mobile apps in their tennis programs?
TD: USPTA’s technology is cutting edge and is without a doubt one of the association’s greatest strengths. In addition to three new mobile apps that provide video drills from top USPTA pros and enable users to find USPTA-certified tennis teaching professionals in their area, USPTA members have access to the USPTA Tennis Resource Center and the Coaches Resource Center. Here teaching professionals can be introduced to or reminded of drills and tennis instructional information that he or she can immediately incorporate into their daily lesson plans and programs. Hundreds of drills are available, both by designs and video clips that allow a USPTA professional to maintain a fresh approach to teaching.
Our TV instructional series, “On Court with USPTA,” which can be seen on the Tennis Channel, covers a variety of tennis teaching topics that the consumer can incorporate into their games. I invite everyone to go to http://uspta.tv to view a wonderful short video on “Why I Teach” and see the passion of USPTA tennis professionals in the field and their commitment to their profession.
CD: What are private clubs doing to keep the momentum going?
TD: I believe clubs recognize that the tennis industry is morphing and there is substantial growth in this segment. Therefore, more clubs are budgeting to help their tennis instructors attend the many educational opportunities that exist for the teaching professional. The USPTA World Conference of Tennis is one of the top events in the U.S., where the teaching pros meet to increase their continuing education, network with other leaders in the industry and be introduced to all the latest and greatest innovations in tennis. USPTA’s democratic structure allows for educational opportunities at the division level, with each of the 17 divisions operating their own USPTA Division Conventions and providing more cost effective opportunities for education.
CD: How do clubs draw members to tennis activities in the club?
TD: A new and innovative way to involve club members is the use of the USPTA online website, www.courtsideusa.com. This all-in-one website is available to every USPTA member and can serve as an excellent communication tool and hub for all tennis activities at your club. Being able to publish tennis ladders, league schedules and results, tournament draws, court reservations and scheduling, lesson scheduling and club announcements online, allows the tennis professional to be in constant touch with club members whether they are on or off site.
The United States Professional Tennis Association is the oldest and largest association of tennis-teaching professionals. USPTA strives to raise the standards of the tennis professional while promoting participation and lifetime enthusiasm for tennis. For more information, visit www.uspta.org.
Tom Daglis is certified as a USPTA Master Professional, a certification that is shared with less than one percent of the USPTA membership worldwide. He currently serves on the USPTA Board of Directors as National President.
Tom has served as director of tennis at clubs such as Atlanta Country Club, Ga.; Concourse Athletic Club, Ga.; and Lakewood Country Club, Md. He is currently the director/assistant professor of Methodist University’s Professional Tennis Management Program housed within the Reeves School of Business. He can be reached at [email protected].