Tennis Clubs in Berkeley/ North Oakland

[Shroud]

Looking to join a club and narrowed it down to 2 but they are not ideal. Maybe there are some I am over looking?

1. Berkeley Tennis Club. Its close and the hours are great, but looks like a long wait and you have to know someone there to sponsor you. Anyone know how much it costs? Or how to get in if you know no one?

2. Chabot Canyon- I would have to drive but it is affordable and I think I could just join without needing a sponsor. But the hours suck. I need to get in early and they open at 9am.

Any thoughts or clubs I am missing?

Ideally I could go play in the mornings with a club member or the ball machine.

The public courts here suck. Sure there are some nice ones and well there are some good players but it is hard sometimes to get a court! What is worse is that there is absolutely ZERO court management. Most public courts have some kind of system from switching on the hour when people are waiting to placing a racket on a board to designate who is next after an hour wait. Local courts have nothing like that and people seem to play forever. I cant wait for that, I just need to go play and then leave.

 

[LeeD]

Hey Shroud...
I get in 3-5 sets of doubles M, W, Fr from 10:30 to 1, 3.5 level, with a tiny sprinkling of 4.0.
On weekends, same time, I can easily get that much doubles play at the 4.0 level, if the cute girls don't rotate in.
SanPablo Courts.

 

[Shroud]

Hey Shroud...
I get in 3-5 sets of doubles M, W, Fr from 10:30 to 1, 3.5 level, with a tiny sprinkling of 4.0.
On weekends, same time, I can easily get that much doubles play at the 4.0 level, if the cute girls don't rotate in.
SanPablo Courts.

One advantage of your age is that you have that kind of time. I have to work and the mornings before say 9 is all the time I have consistently except for tuesdays and the weekends.

thats why the club might make sense for early mornings and ball machines.

THanks though

 

[GS]

I'm a 4.0-4.5 player and can play before 9 am.
I know all the courts in Oakland and most of Berkeley.

 

[LeeD]

I can film it if you guys ever get together and one of you has a camera of some sorts. It's an hour ride down to Oakland/Berkeley border for me.

 

[Shroud]

I'm a 4.0-4.5 player and can play before 9 am.
I know all the courts in Oakland and most of Berkeley.

cool that would be great. I can do tuesday the 1st as early as you like.

Just let me know.

 

[Papa Mango]

Weekend early mornings

If you guys ever want to get together for weekend early morning doubles/singles I can join in.

 

[LeeD]

I wish I could awake in the wee hours of the mornings, but 8 is the best I can do, after watching the 10 O'clock news.
Would be good doubles though, as the 4 of us would make interesting hit out doubles.
Although SanPabloPark can have very good 4.0 doubles most weekend AM's, thru till 1 or so, all pickup, nice folkes, and some hotties.

 

[Papa Mango]

8am on weekends is early enough for me
Need to be done by 10 so couple of hours works well
Will watch this thread if we can get together.

 

[Shroud]

8am on weekends is early enough for me
Need to be done by 10 so couple of hours works well
Will watch this thread if we can get together.

I'm in though not this weekend. it sounds like fun

 

[Papa Mango]

I am up for most weekends, Not available Oct 4-6 weekend though.
Most likely can get a fourth as well if needed.

 

[LeeD]

Too bad you guys missed Sat. at SanPablo.
Always 2 empty courts, 8 good 4.0 level guys playing doubles, easy rotation in since they play to 4 games won, then try to rotate partners with the other court.
I missed Sunday, but got Sat.

 

[Shroud]

Too bad you guys missed Sat. at SanPablo.
Always 2 empty courts, 8 good 4.0 level guys playing doubles, easy rotation in since they play to 4 games won, then try to rotate partners with the other court.
I missed Sunday, but got Sat.

sounds great. Maybe I will hit this weekend. What time are you out there?

 

[LeeD]

This could be a strange week.
Fed Gov is out, so is g/f.
Weekends, I usually show at 10. Most players at 9. I only play till 11:30, to pick up g/f close to there. The tennis goes on till everyone get's tired.
Since most of the guys are solid young 4.0's, they don't get tired till around 1.

 

[Shroud]

This could be a strange week.
Fed Gov is out, so is g/f.
Weekends, I usually show at 10. Most players at 9. I only play till 11:30, to pick up g/f close to there. The tennis goes on till everyone get's tired.
Since most of the guys are solid young 4.0's, they don't get tired till around 1.

Cool. I'll see if I can make it Saturday. I'll bring my 16oz+ racket

 

[Shroud]

Hey Lee.

Great seeing you today. Not sure why you took off so early.

I just met that guy today and we played a set. I played like crap and new I would, but the best way to get rid of rust is to just play. Lost 2-6.

Maybe we can get some doubles up next week.

 

[LeeD]

Yeah, it was cool.
I hadn't been playing more than once in the past 2 weeks, and my ankle felt immediately bad after retrieving the few balls.....before I got inside the courts.
Once inside, I died from the heat, as I'm from the SunsetDistrict in SF.
Wanted to watch the girls play, although that's always a waste of time.
That guy you hit with has a pretty big serve, top with good speed.

 

[LeeD]

Oh, next week.....
As you know, the Fed Gov is out of business for a while, including my needy g/f who's employed at the USDA in Albany.
Well, she wants her house to progress towards being finished, so I have to work there a lot and then look for wind in the afternoons until she goes back to work.
We're still priming and painting the walls and ceilings, will be installing new closet sliding doors and complete flooring pretty soon.

 

[Shroud]

Hi Lee,

Sorry about the ankle.

Heat?? What heat??

Actually I wish it was hotter. I have to teach a friend a tennis lesson (not the kind with drills) next summer and it will be in Florida so I need to overdress to even have a chance of not fading myself.

I played that guy ALL wrong. On the bright side, I did have two 2nd serve aces Hopefully I will play him right next time and get the rust off.

Those guys playing dubs were really good.

Have fun with the gf, you might have her around indefinitely as our gov seems to be hell bent on being stupid....

 

[LeeD]

Yeah, that guy you played was rusty in warmups, but with his serve, you KNEW he was a good player just a while ago. That serve of his is superior, so you gotta conti grip slice it back, instead of going for winners against it. Had to make him hit 3 shots every point. I think I know him. Maybe hit with him beginning of the year, and he's a real 4.5 when he's in practice.
Those doubles players are the guys I usually play with, and I usually win every set no matter who I"m matched with or against. They aren't quite peers, since they are 4.0 doubles players. Of course, the girls aren't as good, but probably 4.0 women.

 

[Shroud]

I will regret posting this, but I will be at san pablo saturday at 8am, so if Papa Mango or anyone else is interested, I'll be the one with the neon green racket

 

[Papa Mango]

Shroud I will see you with your neon green racket at 8.

 

[Shroud]

Shroud I will see you with your neon green racket at 8.

Hey, you didnt say ANYTHING about destroying me!!

Nice all court game!!

1 and 0!! You really should give out of shape old guys a game or two

Nice meeting you!

 

[Papa Mango]

Hey I was running scared from the neon green monster
Good hitting though , we should do it again..

 

[LeeD]

Darn, I just missed you guys!
As usual, I show up at 10, do find some good hitting with some instructor and then a set with my bud Ming.

 

[Papa Mango]

Knock Knock..

Anyone around this week for a morning hit?
Tue/Wed/Fri mornings work for me.

 

[Shroud]

Anyone around this week for a morning hit?
Tue/Wed/Fri mornings work for me.

Super busy but I can tommorrow or wednesday but I have to be done by 8:15am to make my appointments.

Let me know if that works.

 

[Papa Mango]

hey shroud,
done by 8:15!? You are an early bird. Sorry won't be able to make it that early.. I was hoping for a 830/9 start.

 

[Shroud]

hey shroud,
done by 8:15!? You are an early bird. Sorry won't be able to make it that early.. I was hoping for a 830/9 start.

Figured. Not by choice. I have early appointments those days.

Hope you find some one.

 

[LeeD]

Sorry, I can't make it.
Installing the pre finished hardwood floor Wed and Friday.
But coming from SanPablo, traffic is prohibitive for anything earlier than 10AM.
Boy, am I glad I didn't have to work when I was learning to play tennis. I'd show up around 10:30AM, play till 4 or so, and ride my bike home.
As I got better, that scheduled fell back a few hours, so 1 till 6.

 

[Papa Mango]

No worries Lee. Shroud and I ended up hitting for a little bit in the afternoon.
Would be good to get in some doubles sometime.

 

[LeeD]

Darn, I missed it again!
Was heading that way at 3, but spackling the baseboards got the better of me, as I filled maybe 90 little finish nail holes....
Maybe next week, but not before 10, as I live up in SanPablo and have to fight traffic in the mornings.

 

[Shroud]

Darn, I missed it again!
Was heading that way at 3, but spackling the baseboards got the better of me, as I filled maybe 90 little finish nail holes....
Maybe next week, but not before 10, as I live up in SanPablo and have to fight traffic in the mornings.

yep. you did miss it!

We just hit and Papa is very consistent with tons of penetrating spin. I tried to just get the ball back but still hit and not push. i counted a 16-17 shot rally. i know I know, but for Shroud that is a long long rally! At least I played better than last time!

 

[RobFL]

Gents, I miss playing at SPP, fond memories. Our daughter wrapped up her temporary work assignment in Oakland so we gave up the emeryville apartment. Whenever I'm in the Bay area i'll be there, just not very often going forward. Lee, keep bringing that lefty serve. Papa, I'm pretty sure we hit. SPP is the closest thing in tennis to pickup basketball I've seen.

 

[mikeler]

OTC is an awesome club for pickup matches on the east coast.