Looks like this beginner has found a place to play!

[djosbun]

Riverside Athletic Club in Hamilton, Ohio (same town as me, about 15 minutes away) is an older facility but only $42/month. I am very excited! Will stop by there tomorrow to tour the place. What is also nice is that they offer a drills class twice a week for an hour, and non-members can come for only $15 (members save a few bucks). This should be a great way for me to get some basic instruction in a group setting (I was told the teaching pros do help beginners in this class), and it's held twice a week. Awesome!

Since it's a small facility they only have 5 indoor courts, but it sounds like they're not always booked solid. Unfortunately they don't have a ball machine to practice with if I wanted to rent the court for an hour.

So it looks like I have found a place to learn, to make some friends (since I don't really have any after moving here from NJ) and join a team.

This is one happy camper..........er, tennis player!
Dave

 

[Turbo-87]

Sounds nice. What is the hourly court rate or is that just part of the $42?

 

[CourtLife]

@djosbun

I'm glad that you were able to find a facility that fits your situation! Best of luck to you (and your family) You will have to keep us posted on how your game progresses.

LL

 

[HacknSlash]

Congratulations...

Played up there once for a singles thing.
Keep me posted on what team you join! We may well see each other across the net soon!

 

[djosbun]

Sounds nice. What is the hourly court rate or is that just part of the $42?

The hourly rate is $18/player per hour if two are playing. That rate is quite high compared to the other clubs in the area, which averaged $20/hour (with all players splitting that cost).

Dave

 

[djosbun]

I will definitely keep everyone posted on how things go, and my learning progression. Thanks to everyone with the positive and helpful comments!

Dave

 

[djosbun]

I stopped by the place today for a tour. They misquoted me the hourly indoor court rate: it's $16/hr ($8/person for singles play) during summer, $26/hr during winter. Strangely they charge to use the outdoor courts aswell but wwasn't told what those costs were. The place does need a makeover but the indoor courts look nice. Only $42/mo for me or $53/no for family tennis fee, which is very reasonable! I'll be joining them Monday night for their drills program and probably sign up then.

Dave

 

[user92626]

The hourly rate is $18/player per hour if two are playing. That rate is quite high compared to the other clubs in the area, which averaged $20/hour (with all players splitting that cost).

Dave

What a difference between your situation and the situation here in southern CA.

Here all the city courts are free, well lit, relatively well maintained. Hardly anybody shows up. Those go more regularly are crappy and virtually never bring new balls!

 

[sureshs]

What a difference between your situation and the situation here in southern CA.

Here all the city courts are free, well lit, relatively well maintained. Hardly anybody shows up. Those go more regularly are crappy and virtually never bring new balls!

I was at the community college courts yesterday, and most of the courts were vacant.

 

[rodrigoamaral]

great! keep swingin' away brother

 

[GlennK]

Hi Dave.

That $500 per year fee seems fairly high for a club in Ohio unless they offer more then just tennis courts. Like an indoor pool or gym or both. Up here in NE Ohio the two clubs I play at have only indoor tennis courts, but there is no membership fee. You simply pay for court rental (or drills and lessons if you want). And the cost of the courts is about the same $16 during the summer and $30 during the winter.

Anyhow, enjoy playing and I hope that club works out for you if you decide to join.

 

[maggmaster]

I am also on NE ohio and we do have a yearly fee but we also have unlimited court time options so it is worth it to me.

 

[djosbun]

Hi Dave.

That $500 per year fee seems fairly high for a club in Ohio unless they offer more then just tennis courts. Like an indoor pool or gym or both. Up here in NE Ohio the two clubs I play at have only indoor tennis courts, but there is no membership fee. You simply pay for court rental (or drills and lessons if you want). And the cost of the courts is about the same $16 during the summer and $30 during the winter.

Anyhow, enjoy playing and I hope that club works out for you if you decide to join.

Hello Glenn,
Of the three clubs I visited, this one was the cheapest BY FAR! This club was the only one that offers a tennis-only membership, where the other clubs were all inclusive: fitness center, pool and tennis. Pool use was adults only, so that doesn't work for me since my two sons (11 and 5) love to swim. My goal was to find a place to play on a team yet keep my YMCA membership (my Y is only 2 minutes from my house and has 3 pools: indoor lap, indoor warm-water with large slide & and outdoor mini-water park).

So at $42/month it is really my only option.

Dave

 

[storypeddler]

Hello Glenn,
Of the three clubs I visited, this one was the cheapest BY FAR! This club was the only one that offers a tennis-only membership, where the other clubs were all inclusive: fitness center, pool and tennis. Pool use was adults only, so that doesn't work for me since my two sons (11 and 5) love to swim. My goal was to find a place to play on a team yet keep my YMCA membership (my Y is only 2 minutes from my house and has 3 pools: indoor lap, indoor warm-water with large slide & and outdoor mini-water park).

So at $42/month it is really my only option.

Dave

It sounds like a great option for you, too! I'm excited for you. Good luck with your tennis there. Keep us posted on how it goes.

 

[GlennK]

I am also on NE ohio and we do have a yearly fee but we also have unlimited court time options so it is worth it to me.

I would definitely try to take advantage of the unlimited court time. I'll IM to find out what part of NE Ohio you are talking about.

My main problem is having two jobs (full time day, teaching two nights a week at the local university) so if I had to pay a membership for unlimited court time, I'd be out of the house 5 days a week. Wait a minute, did I call that a problem?

Glenn

 

[OrangePower]

What a difference between your situation and the situation here in southern CA.

Here all the city courts are free, well lit, relatively well maintained. Hardly anybody shows up. Those go more regularly are crappy and virtually never bring new balls!

Can't really compare outdoor costs and indoor costs.
Here in Norcal we also have many free outdoor options.
On the other hand there are only a few indoor facilities, and they are costly. I have a friend who is a member at one of these; I think he pays $250 or so a month, and then for me to play as a guest with him is $30 for 1.5 hours.
Luckily playing indoors here is just a luxury not a necessity, but east coast in winter is obviously different.

 

[djosbun]

I wanted to give an update on my tennis club situation. A few days ago I found out that there is an indoor facility in the town next to mine, and I pass by it on my commute to and from work. I stopped by today to take a tour. Seven indoor courts and a few outdoor hard courts. The price made my jaw drop: $349/year for the family plan + 10% discount if I pay for the year up front. They have ball machines to use and free indoor court time before 9:00am Mon-Fri. They have lots of members on their team roster but I'll have to wait a while to join since 3.5 is their lowest team. I plan on joining in the next week or two (waiting on bonus check from work).

I did have my first lesson last week and am joining some advanced beginners tomorrow for some drills and instruction. I hope to schedule weekly private lessons in two weeks as well (my second lesson is next Saturday).

So far, so good!
Dave

 

[eelhc]

Depressing...

Here in upstate NY we pay $600/year individual membership and up to $60/hr court fees during peak times.

 

[drgchen]

In michigan I paid around $200 a year membership. 8 courts with reciprocity at another town's club. The owner was clearing over seven figures with all the lessons, apparel, stringing, leagues etc.

In Ohio there are two clubs nearby. One is 575/year for family $375 individual and another is $300 and $200. Court time is extra.

They do overcharge for lessons and stringing. About 20 labor stringing and 60-70 dollars for an hour with a 4.0/5.0 pro.

 

[wrxinsc]

I wanted to give an update on my tennis club situation. A few days ago I found out that there is an indoor facility in the town next to mine, and I pass by it on my commute to and from work. I stopped by today to take a tour. Seven indoor courts and a few outdoor hard courts. The price made my jaw drop: $349/year for the family plan + 10% discount if I pay for the year up front. They have ball machines to use and free indoor court time before 9:00am Mon-Fri. They have lots of members on their team roster but I'll have to wait a while to join since 3.5 is their lowest team. I plan on joining in the next week or two (waiting on bonus check from work).

I did have my first lesson last week and am joining some advanced beginners tomorrow for some drills and instruction. I hope to schedule weekly private lessons in two weeks as well (my second lesson is next Saturday).

So far, so good!
Dave

Cool! Good luck to you and your tennis game. Finding a good place to play and making tennis friends is important!

ot-that is a nice subbie pic as your avatar. i used to have a very fast one. that avatar your car?

 

[djosbun]

The avatar is of the WRX concept car that was at the NY Auto Show. My WRX is a 2004, silver.

This club charges $45/hr for pro lessons. Not sure how good he/she is. My current teacher charges $66/hr for my family lessons (4 of us).

Today I attended a clinic for advanced beginners that my teacher puts on every Sunday. Only $21 for 1.5 hours. It's been 4 years since I stopped playing hockey, so I'm EXHAUSTED. Lots of running, and it was HOT today. Thought I was going to throw up on the drive home. I did pretty well, though. The other 7 participants were very nice and knew I only had one lesson. They invited me back for next Sunday.

It's nice to finally play with someone older than 11!

Dave

 

[Cindysphinx]

Excellent!

So. Do you see yourself as a singles player or doubles player at this point?

 

[djosbun]

We did play some doubles today and I did pretty well. Until it was my turn to serve! I had a quick course on positioning (the others knew this stuff already) and we won the first two games. My teacher praised my net play, since I was able to hit a few winners up close. The main problem was my conditioning. It was 91° outside and I ran out of water before our doubles play. I lost a decent amount of strength before the doubles play. Obviously this won't be an issue as I continue playing with them every week.

So I think I'll start playing doubles where I can but eventually would like to do both!