Played as a sub in a 3.5 league.

[dman72]

I've been playing as a hack on and off for about 15 years. This was my first time ever playing organized or indoors. Took me long enough.

It took me awhile to get used to springy Deco Turf and the southpaw I played, but after playing this guy, I'm confident that I will be competitive in a 3.5 league. I looked at the other guys playing on adjacent courts..all older than me, no big serves, no real weapons. The guy I was playing hit maybe 4 balls past me the whole match..most of his points were on my errors. Typical for me. I had many service winners and he could not get to my well struck forehands in the corner. I lost a few service games due to double faults and trying to kill some of his fluttering duck returns and sending them just long.

I felt like I was auditioning for something, and lost the first set from jitters. Then, I got angry with myself and won the next set 6-3, ended the third set in a tie because 2 hours were up (this guy was kinda sucking wind and stalling, mostly sending moon balls to me to catch his breath. I'm used to playing 4 or 5 sets so I wasn't tired, but the moonballing was frustrating me a bit..it's very effective on decoturf, I can imagine how effective it is on clay).

I guess I've been underrating myself, or these guys are all overrated, because he has a winning record in the league.
I just wish it wasn't so damn expensive! If anyone is wondering why tennis is declining is popularity..it's because it's too expensive to become anything other than a weak amateur, at least in cold weather climates. Every league in my area will basically cost you $700 and up for 12 singles matches. I'm doing doing fine financially, but convincing the wife that I should spend that..."can't you just wait for the spring?"

But, I'll never get better if I take 2-3 months off every year.

[Ash Doyle]

Originally Posted by dman72

Every league in my area will basically cost you $700 and up for 12 singles matches.

WHAT!? I have never in my life heard of such a high price for league. In my area, it costs about $15. If you are saying that club membership is needed, then I didn't know the USTA allowed that. Around here you do not have to be a member of the club hosting the league team to be on the team at any of the league clubs I know of.

[dman72]

Originally Posted by Ash Doyle

WHAT!? I have never in my life heard of such a high price for league. In my area, it costs about $15. If you are saying that club membership is needed, then I didn't know the USTA allowed that. Around here you do not have to be a member of the club hosting the league team to be on the team at any of the league clubs I know of.

This is indoor. $15 is the guest fee that tack on to 24-30 an hour for indoor court time here..$15 per person.

[raiden031]

The league I just joined requires club membership. In addition to club membership, each person on the team is spending $100 for the season in court fees.

[dman72]

Originally Posted by raiden031

The league I just joined requires club membership. In addition to club membership, each person on the team is spending $100 for the season in court fees.

How much is your membership? The memberships here run around $400 per year. The one I played at last night is $59 PER MONTH during the tennis season!! So, you pay $230+ for your membership, a $59 activation fee, and then something like $300 for the league.

So, I was wrong, $600 and up.

There is another place that has 1.5 hour league, 30 weeks, $900!! What a bargain!!

This is the part of the scam that I love....the fall league starts in September, and the spring league ends in May.


Who the hell needs to be playing indoors during September, October, the 2nd half of April, and May in New York? There are good lighted public courts where I live...3 or 4 places that you can usually find an open court. The indoor league should be ONE season from November to March or something.


Tennis: a rich persons game.

[raiden031]

Originally Posted by dman72

How much is your membership? The memberships here run around $400 per year. The one I played at last night is $59 PER MONTH during the tennis season!! So, you pay $230+ for your membership, a $59 activation fee, and then something like $300 for the league.

So, I was wrong, $600 and up.

There is another place that has 1.5 hour league, 30 weeks, $900!! What a bargain!!

This is the part of the scam that I love....the fall league starts in September, and the spring league ends in May.


Who the hell needs to be playing indoors during September, October, the 2nd half of April, and May in New York? There are good lighted public courts where I live...3 or 4 places that you can usually find an open court. The indoor league should be ONE season from November to March or something.


Tennis: a rich persons game.

I don't know what it costs to be just a tennis member at my club, but I pay $75/month for access to tennis as well as swimming pools, weight rooms, and cardio machines. Its run by this homeowner's association where I live and some of the funds come from everyone's association fees. I think they said if you are not a local resident, it would cost $150/month for the total package I have.

Even with being a member, if I want to just use an indoor court for my own personal use, its $30/hour. Outdoor courts charge no court fees though to members. So yeah its a very expensive sport in the winter. I will probably suck it up and just play my league (~6 matches) and thats it until I can play outdoors again.

[dman72]

Originally Posted by raiden031

I don't know what it costs to be just a tennis member at my club, but I pay $75/month for access to tennis as well as swimming pools, weight rooms, and cardio machines. Its run by this homeowner's association where I live and some of the funds come from everyone's association fees. I think they said if you are not a local resident, it would cost $150/month for the total package I have.

Even with being a member, if I want to just use an indoor court for my own personal use, its $30/hour. Outdoor courts charge no court fees though to members. So yeah its a very expensive sport in the winter. I will probably suck it up and just play my league (~6 matches) and thats it until I can play outdoors again.

Yeah, I'm just basically looking to not have to shake off the cobwebs in the spring like I do every year..which is what keeps me from improving. I figure if I play every other week indoors with some wall hitting every week, I'll be ok.

[d wayne]

During indoor season, I find it best to play in a block time doubles group. The court time is split 4 ways and it guarantees playing once a week. I usually end up subbing with other groups 1 or 2 times a week, so that gets some free tennis.
It may not be the same as singles, but it keeps you somewhat sharp year round.

[goober]

I just paid $28 for my winter league. If I had the time I would sign up for 3 or 4 different leagues, but for now I just get once a week.

BTW club leagues often are much weaker than USTA tourneys/leagues at the same NTRP level.

[Caswell]

Originally Posted by dman72

Tennis: a rich persons game.

Really depends on where you live and how you do it.

In the warmer parts of the country, competetion among clubs for membership keeps the rates down. I pay $600 a year to play at a very nice club with nine clay courts and four hard courts, fitness center, and a staff that has never failed to arrange a match for me when I give them a time I want to play.

USTA league play is around $14 a season, and the local leagues are $10 a season. Usually get five or six matches per league per season.

I string my own racquets, wear C9 clothes from Target (if it's good enough for Davydenko, it's good enough for me), and usually pick up enough money from stringing my friends' racquets to cover my own string.

I've got more money in one of the surfboards hanging on my wall than I do in a year's worth of tennis, and I've got more than one surfboard...

[heycal]

[quote=goober;1108063]I just paid $28 for my winter league.[ QUOTE]

28 bucks? Man, it must be nice to live in Mayberry, Goober... In the northern suburbs of New York City, an indoor league can cost 900 bucks for a once a week match, which comes out to over 30 bucks a match for a 27 match season or thereabouts.

[SteveI]

Originally Posted by dman72

How much is your membership? The memberships here run around $400 per year. The one I played at last night is $59 PER MONTH during the tennis season!! So, you pay $230+ for your membership, a $59 activation fee, and then something like $300 for the league.

So, I was wrong, $600 and up.

There is another place that has 1.5 hour league, 30 weeks, $900!! What a bargain!!

This is the part of the scam that I love....the fall league starts in September, and the spring league ends in May.


Who the hell needs to be playing indoors during September, October, the 2nd half of April, and May in New York? There are good lighted public courts where I live...3 or 4 places that you can usually find an open court. The indoor league should be ONE season from November to March or something.


Tennis: a rich persons game.

"Who the hell needs to be playing indoors during September, October, the 2nd half of April, and May in New York? There are good lighted public courts where I live...3 or 4 places that you can usually find an open court. The indoor league should be ONE season from November to March or something."

Hey man,

I live near Buffalo and we play all our USTA indoors.. even in June, July and August. The main reason I will not play USTA ever! I wait all winter to get back on the outside courts.. then play USTA indoors in July??? Maybe if I move to a warmer section in my older age.. I might consider it.. then there are the AHoles (Sandbaggers/Cheaters) to deal with

No way!

Steve

[Voltron]

Originally Posted by Caswell

Really depends on where you live and how you do it.

In the warmer parts of the country, competetion among clubs for membership keeps the rates down. I pay $600 a year to play at a very nice club with nine clay courts and four hard courts, fitness center, and a staff that has never failed to arrange a match for me when I give them a time I want to play.

USTA league play is around $14 a season, and the local leagues are $10 a season. Usually get five or six matches per league per season.

I string my own racquets, wear C9 clothes from Target (if it's good enough for Davydenko, it's good enough for me), and usually pick up enough money from stringing my friends' racquets to cover my own string.

I've got more money in one of the surfboards hanging on my wall than I do in a year's worth of tennis, and I've got more than one surfboard...

Ok then, that sounds creepily like my tennis club. Same price, same courts, yeah.....

[Venetian]

You guys have really hit the nail on the head here. It just costs way to much to play during the winter. I live in Colorado Springs (a fairly large city), and the clubs around here are virtually empty even at peak times during the winter. About the only time they really fill up is when there's a USTA tourny going on. There are just so many other fun things people can find to do during the winter that either have no cost or cost much less. I realize that it costs a lot to maintain an indoor facility. But just because the cost is justified doesn't mean people are willing to pay it.

[eunjam]

i'm just lucky i live in so cal.

and yes....i've heard of $45/hr in manhattan.

i play regularly with a guy who moved from there and is never moving from so. cal.......just because of that!

[heycal]

Originally Posted by Venetian

You guys have really hit the nail on the head here. It just costs way to much to play during the winter. I live in Colorado Springs (a fairly large city), and the clubs around here are virtually empty even at peak times during the winter. About the only time they really fill up is when there's a USTA tourny going on. There are just so many other fun things people can find to do during the winter that either have no cost or cost much less. I realize that it costs a lot to maintain an indoor facility. But just because the cost is justified doesn't mean people are willing to pay it.

People are willing to pay it here in New York. The club I mentioned above is nearly always full.

And 45 dollar an hour in Manhattan would be on the cheap/off peak side. Some are 70 dollars or more an hour. Google Midtown Tennis or Sutton Eastside Tennis and other Manhattan clubs and check out their rates -- unbelievable. (Prices are a little better in the outer boroughs though.)

[arnz]

I see you made the jump to club playing, I'm in the same boat as you, I never played in club leagues either because of the expense. It just never made sense to me to spend that much on a hobby, but now I'm reconsidering since I've reignited my love for tennis this past year.

I too live in Long Island, my quick internet inquiry to the closest club to me(Eastern Athletic Club in Blue Point) and your figures turn out to be right, around 700 for membership +league/ladder play. On the other hand they include a nice gym for use also, so it might be worthwhile. Plus I imagine the structured competition would be fun, bragging rights and so on if you win

[dman72]

Originally Posted by arnz

I see you made the jump to club playing, I'm in the same boat as you, I never played in club leagues either because of the expense. It just never made sense to me to spend that much on a hobby, but now I'm reconsidering since I've reignited my love for tennis this past year.

I too live in Long Island, my quick internet inquiry to the closest club to me(Eastern Athletic Club in Blue Point) and your figures turn out to be right, around 700 for membership +league/ladder play. On the other hand they include a nice gym for use also, so it might be worthwhile. Plus I imagine the structured competition would be fun, bragging rights and so on if you win

I am equi-distant from 4 clubs: Eastern in Blue Point and Dix Hills, Sportime in Hauppauge, and World Gym in Setauket. They are all around the same price..I'm actually sitting here doing "bang for the buck" calculations as we speak. "Let's see, this league is 2 hours, guaranteed 12 matches, this one is 1.5 hours, 15 matches"

I am looking the structured competition..I've been playing the same 2 guys for the past 4 months and they are both 4.0's who kill me..I've won maybe 6 sets off of them since September. I'm looking at playing in the league I subbed in to work on strokes in match play..the guys I saw don't hit very hard, so they cannot exploit my pathetic backhand as much as the 4.0's...I could run around almost every shot the last guy I played hit.

[maverick1]

Originally Posted by heycal

And 45 dollar an hour in Manhattan would be on the cheap/off peak side. Some are 70 dollars or more an hour. Google Midtown Tennis or Sutton Eastside Tennis and other Manhattan clubs and check out their rates -- unbelievable. (Prices are a little better in the outer boroughs though.)

Yeah, Manhattan is expensive. The best deal I have (in a suburb on other side of you unfortunately), is at the Princeton university indoor courts. They are open to the public for $12 per person per hour. This Friday night, the courts weren't full and I managed to play 2 hours for 12 bucks.

Have you checked out colleges near you? You may find such deals. At Rutgers, I heard guests of students/alumnii pay only $5.

[heycal]

Originally Posted by maverick1

Yeah, Manhattan is expensive. The best deal I have (in a suburb on other side of you unfortunately), is at the Princeton university indoor courts. They are open to the public for $12 per person per hour. This Friday night, the courts weren't full and I managed to play 2 hours for 12 bucks.

Have you checked out colleges near you? You may find such deals. At Rutgers, I heard guests of students/alumnii pay only $5.

I'm actually an alum of two different colleges in Manhattan, but I tend to play at the places in the outer boroughs that are both cheaper and open until midnight, like Stadium Racqeut Club in the Bronx or Flushing Meadows in Queens. I generally start playing at 10pm when the rate is 32-40 bucks an hour, which you can often stretch to two hours. (I also signed up for a half share in the league at that nearby club here in the northern 'burbs becaue I was dying for some regular competition.)