Should I join USTA?

[Hominator]

Hello all,

I'm rediscovering tennis after a 13-year layoff. Back in high school and college, tennis was my life. A back injury forced me out of the sport in 1996. I'm slowly getting back into tennis and was thinking about joining USTA. What benefits are there to joining USTA? I do see myself entering tournaments in the near future. Should I join or save my money? Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[springfieldalum]

If you want to play in the USTA Leagues or tournaments, you have to belong. There are also some discounts if you want to get tickets to the US Open or buy US Open stuff. You also get the Tennis magazine but you can probably read some of it online and it's not an earth shattering publication. Other than that, I don't see much benefit in joining.

 

[jserve]

That all depends on how much your enjoying playing again. Most tournaments and leagues require a USTA membership, so if your looking for events like those then you will most likely need to join. If your only looking to play 1-2 tournaments a year, then its probably possible to find a few tournaments that aren't sanctioned by the USTA in your area.

 

[jrod]

Depends....

I think it really depends on how many options you have in your area. Where I live there are numerous options and leagues available outside of the USTA. In my case, I got so fed up with driving to away matches (most are within 20 miles) that I stopped playing USTA matches. I've not played any USTA matches in the past 3 years, yet I can play 6 days a week for a month and never have to play the same opponent more than once in this time frame.

In some locations the USTA is the only option available. I'm not sure what the situation is in your area, but it could be a good way to jump start things, meet people at your level, and expand your network quickly. Once you get into the flow, you can always reassess the true value your local USTA organization offers.

For me right now, it's a total waste of time and money. Back when I was just getting back into tennis it was very useful.

 

[Wakenslam]

Join USTA if you can find a team or tournaments that fit your schedule. There are other options such as T2, Ultimate Tennis, League Tennis, and ALTA (in Atlanta.) I'm sure there are others. I guess it really depends on your schedule and what's happenning in your area.

 

[Hominator]

Thanks for all of your responses. What kind of discount do they offer for US Open tickets? That just might make it worth it. Thanks again.

 

[kendall22]

Few dollars off face. The real advantage is a six-week advance period to buy tickets at all before the general public. Even then you find the ticket selection wanting.

 

[Hominator]

Few dollars off face. The real advantage is a six-week advance period to buy tickets at all before the general public. Even then you find the ticket selection wanting.

What's the best way to buy US Open tickets? Through USTA? When do the tickets go on sale? I'm planning to bring my wife to her first US Open next year

 

[Azzurri]

if you have no other option, then you may want to join. but if you have local courts/clubs that have leagues and small tourneys then I would go with that. USTA are money grubs and they could give a crap about people.

I joined in March of 06, joined a mixed-doubles league (3.0). Every girl was no better than a 1.5..it was horrible. then during th winter I wanted to join a league and was denied on-line. I checked further and was informed that IF (IF) my team went into playoffs, then my membership would be experied by the time I was in this "playoff" time. Here is the thing, I wanted to join in NOVEMBER and the chance of getting to some kind of playoff in APRIL was pretty remote. So basically they demanded I re-join. My membership was GOOD until March 07. The league ended in February..I could see if I could not be in the playoff unless I rejoined (which would take 5 minutes on-line), but they wanted me to join 4 months before my membership ran out. The key is there was no guarantee we would make the playoffs, so I was pi$$ed off. I tried to call some higher-ups and they were basically uncaring and rude. I won't join anything USTA anytime soon.

the discount is a joke regarding tix..get them on eplay or craigslist.

 

[sureshs]

The only reason I joined USTA is because I get Tennis mag and Inside Tennis for free. I used to pay for a Tennis Mag subscription before. And depend on the club or pro shop to get a copy of IT.

Now that I no longer subscribe to Tennis mag separately, I still keep getting it! So I get two copies. I keep one at home and one in the car. That is how these advertiser-supported mags work - they want to give it away for free but don't want to let everyone have it for free.

 

[kendall22]

If you are in the New York area, I would just buy them on craigslist. There is a big secondary market for these.

They go on sale to USTA members in mid-April and to the general public in early June. AMEX cardholders get their crack 1-2 weeks before the general public.