Any northern NJ leagues?

[strcmp]

Are there any northern NJ tennis leagues? Or good indoor places to play for the winter?
I found a USTA one, but it's way too expensive for me.

Thanks

[jj300]

where do you live? i know there is a plays in new brunswick that a lot of pretty good guys play at. the name escapes me right now. tenafly probably has one too but it might be pretty expensive

[strcmp]

I live in the bergen county area. New Brunswick is a little far as it takes about an hour each way not taking into consideration traffic (which there's always tons of).

Tenafly is really close to where I live. I guess one thing I should do is call all the racquet clubs near me to see if they have leagues?

Thanks

[palikero]

Strcmp -
I also live in Bergen County and am interested in joining a league.
I had heard that geting a USTA membership would open up some doors to entereing leagues and tournaments, but didnt have time to do so this year.
Hopefully next summer I will have time for tennis leagues.

What town do ou live in Strcmp? Maybe you'd want to hit around some time.

[tennisnj]

As an instructor at a few clubs in Bergen County, I can vouch for the ones I work at that they don't have leagues, mostly because indoor clubs would rather make more money from hourly rentals than collecting money for league matches. Plus, they don't have to give out cans of tennis balls (regardless of whether they pay for them or not) for each match if they have hourly rentals. During the spring, summer & early fall, the Van Saun Park Tennis Center in Paramus has organized USTA league play, with varying abilities available, but I believe the courts are closed for the season (although I believe the tennis shack is open). In Bergen County, a USTA membership is vastly underused & underapprecitated. Most of the 'local' tournaments are nowhere near here, & players have to weigh the decision to spend $35 or more dollars to travel an hour plus one way to play a tournament. Again, that's the indoor clubs cash vs. promotion mentality. They'd rather reserve a court for $35 or more an hour than the possibility of a tournament match running overtime. This isn't the case at EVERY club, but many that I've worked at.

[palikero]

Tennisnj-
How would I get into those tournaments at Van Saun Park??
Would I have to get USTA membership? Could I just walk-in and enter, or is there some sort of pre-registration process..

thanks

[Banger]

Nice. A few other Bergen County guys. I usually play at the Fairleigh Dickinson University courts in Teaneck or the other courts in Teaneck. I think it might be called Van Saun not sure though. The lights stay on until 10 at night. Any of you guys play there?

[Banger]

Originally Posted by tennisnj

As an instructor at a few clubs in Bergen County, I can vouch for the ones I work at that they don't have leagues, mostly because indoor clubs would rather make more money from hourly rentals than collecting money for league matches. Plus, they don't have to give out cans of tennis balls (regardless of whether they pay for them or not) for each match if they have hourly rentals. During the spring, summer & early fall, the Van Saun Park Tennis Center in Paramus has organized USTA league play, with varying abilities available, but I believe the courts are closed for the season (although I believe the tennis shack is open). In Bergen County, a USTA membership is vastly underused & underapprecitated. Most of the 'local' tournaments are nowhere near here, & players have to weigh the decision to spend $35 or more dollars to travel an hour plus one way to play a tournament. Again, that's the indoor clubs cash vs. promotion mentality. They'd rather reserve a court for $35 or more an hour than the possibility of a tournament match running overtime. This isn't the case at EVERY club, but many that I've worked at.

Hey Tennisnj, do you know any good and reasonably priced indor courts for the Winter?

[palikero]

Originally Posted by Banger

Nice. A few other Bergen County guys. I usually play at the Fairleigh Dickinson University courts in Teaneck or the other courts in Teaneck. I think it might be called Van Saun not sure though. The lights stay on until 10 at night. Any of you guys play there?

Do you mean the courts directly across the street from Farileigh Dickison.. the ones where you're supposed to pay for parking?
Or do you mean the courts on the Hackensack side, on Hackensack Ave somewhat across from Sears??
I'm in that area a lot so I've played at both, they're pretty good.

[palikero]

TennisNJ-
I am also in search of cheap indoor courts..I'm on a tight budget, so the cheaper, the better.

thanks.

[Banger]

Originally Posted by palikero

Do you mean the courts directly across the street from Farileigh Dickison.. the ones where you're supposed to pay for parking?
Or do you mean the courts on the Hackensack side, on Hackensack Ave somewhat across from Sears??
I'm in that area a lot so I've played at both, they're pretty good.

Yup the ones directly across from the school where you pay to park. I play there all the time. Already got a few tickets hehe. The other ones on the hackensack side are ok but the courts are not level at all. I have only played there 1 time. The other good courts are at VOTEE Park in Teaneck off of RT 4. I usually play there every night when the weather is good because the lights stay on until 10.

[strcmp]

I'm in the Ft. Lee area.. so I play at the courts here.. Lights also stay on until 10 pm. I've never played in Teaneck before, but I have played in Englewood on Broad Ave. (right next to rt 4 overpass). I have played in Hackensack at the courts across from Tennis Outlet on River Road.

I've seen the Van Saun park league bulletins, but to pay for a court just to play outdoors? That isn't worth it. There are free outdoor courts everywhere.

Sure, palikero.. email me and we'll play some time. Or if any of you guys in Bergen County want to play some time email me..

[Banger]

Originally Posted by strcmp

I'm in the Ft. Lee area.. so I play at the courts here.. Lights also stay on until 10 pm. I've never played in Teaneck before, but I have played in Englewood on Broad Ave. (right next to rt 4 overpass). I have played in Hackensack at the courts across from Tennis Outlet on River Road.

I've seen the Van Saun park league bulletins, but to pay for a court just to play outdoors? That isn't worth it. There are free outdoor courts everywhere.

Sure, palikero.. email me and we'll play some time. Or if any of you guys in Bergen County want to play some time email me..

Strcmp, where are these courts in Fort Lee?

[tennisnj]

Originally Posted by palikero

Tennisnj-
How would I get into those tournaments at Van Saun Park??
Would I have to get USTA membership? Could I just walk-in and enter, or is there some sort of pre-registration process..

thanks

Palikero, the Van Saun Park courts have USTA sponsored tournaments for juniors, however, the adult tournaments are not USTA sponsored, so you do not need to be a USTA member. There are no tournaments there, junior or adult until the club reopens in the spring.

[tennisnj]

Originally Posted by Banger

Hey Tennisnj, do you know any good and reasonably priced indor courts for the Winter?

Unfortunately, courts in this area are not cheap, regardless of what time of day. Of all the clubs I've played & worked at, I've found Haworth RC, & Bogota RC are amongst the cheapest. Many clubs, if you call ahead to make a reservation (rather than just walking in off the street), will give you a slight discount if you are a junior.

[tennisnj]

Originally Posted by strcmp

I'm in the Ft. Lee area.. so I play at the courts here.. Lights also stay on until 10 pm. I've never played in Teaneck before, but I have played in Englewood on Broad Ave. (right next to rt 4 overpass). I have played in Hackensack at the courts across from Tennis Outlet on River Road.

I've seen the Van Saun park league bulletins, but to pay for a court just to play outdoors? That isn't worth it. There are free outdoor courts everywhere.

Sure, palikero.. email me and we'll play some time. Or if any of you guys in Bergen County want to play some time email me..

Strcmp: You're right---It's not worth a dime to play on the courts @ Van Saun Park unless you're in a league or tournament. Although the tennis facility is under new management (and a MUCH better one I might add), why would anyone pay to play outdoors on hardcourts that don't have lights is beyond me.
Have you ever considered going to Ft. Lee RC? It used to have very cheap indoor rates because its not considered to be a very 'popular' tennis destination. I used to go there for tennis socials on Friday nights & you could practically have the courts for free.

[strcmp]

Originally Posted by tennisnj

Strcmp: You're right---It's not worth a dime to play on the courts @ Van Saun Park unless you're in a league or tournament. Although the tennis facility is under new management (and a MUCH better one I might add), why would anyone pay to play outdoors on hardcourts that don't have lights is beyond me.
Have you ever considered going to Ft. Lee RC? It used to have very cheap indoor rates because its not considered to be a very 'popular' tennis destination. I used to go there for tennis socials on Friday nights & you could practically have the courts for free.

I just considered it today and gave Ft Lee Racquet Club a call to ask for how much it'd cost to play. They said $52/hr for around 8-9 pm peak time. So that pretty much rules it out for me. (Highway robbery )

[BumperJeep]

I live in this area too. I'm an intermediate 4.0. I'm in the Friday Night Academy at Fort Lee. I need some more competition. The players there are mostly 3's and low 3.5s I'm only 16. What leagues and tournis are avaible for me. Also, I think Fort Lee has a holiday discount in some of December.

[strcmp]

Originally Posted by BumperJeep

I live in this area too. I'm an intermediate 4.0. I'm in the Friday Night Academy at Fort Lee. I need some more competition. The players there are mostly 3's and low 3.5s I'm only 16. What leagues and tournis are avaible for me. Also, I think Fort Lee has a holiday discount in some of December.

What's the friday night academy? Is that some kind of group lesson thing on Fridays? Is it cheap? heh If so, i'd be willing to join.