Tennis partner in Missoula, MO?

[ergbay]

Hello, my name is Ergün, I am from Türkiye and will be in Missoula, Montana throughout July. I would very much like to play tennis during my academic residency. I am an amateur tennis player, and my level is probably 4,5+ NTRP.
Is there anyone wanting to play tennis in July in Missoula? We can practice, play sets or a proper match, and hit casually, I am open to all things related to tennis.
Or would you have any suggestions to find tennis partners in the community? What would be the best way to find tennis enthusiasts in Missoula (or in the States, actually)? Here in Türkiye, we plan, make reservations in advance and then meet. Is it similar or different in the States?

 

[FuzzyYellowBalls]

Similar in the US , try facebook, groups maybe, local country clubs or tennis clubs who might have clinics you can go to to meet players (group lessons/drills) .
maybe....https://peakhealthgyms.com/missoula-racquet-club/contact-us/

 

[ergbay]

Thanks a lot, FYB for your answer. Clubs and clinics are not my things per see. I am looking for casual tennis actually. I will keep looking. Maybe I will visit some public courts and try to find people there willing to hit the ball around from time to time.

 

[Max G.]

Try emailing your local league coordinator. I looked up on USTA website and found this, https://www.usta.com/en/home/about-usta/who-we-are/intermountain/USTA_Intermountain_Districts.html , that has a link to a person's email you can try contacting. There's a website at https://montanatennis.org/ , maybe that will have some people to contact.

There's probably some sort of local groups and leagues, just gotta find them and get in with them.

 

[ergbay]

thank you very much Max, I wasn't aware of the USTA Montana section and the relevant website. I.'ll write them for sure. That seems like the perfect place for me!
Also, I saw this tournament two days ago. If my schedule permits, it'd be great to join the tournament. As I don't have any USTA affiliation, my path is Men's Open I assume. In any case, I'll try to register with the USTA and maybe self-rate, if it works.
https://playtennis.usta.com/gctamissoula/Tournaments/overview/5A9C1B3C-AF0B-4EC8-BDE6-DB4E1030B73D

 

[Max G.]

Open is more about the levels rather than USTA affiliation - I'm assuming that like all the others it requires you to register with USTA? "Open" usually means "4.5 and above".

 

[socallefty]

The best way to find guaranteed high level players is by joining a tennis club. Where I live, clubs allow temporary travelers from other cities to become members for 1-3 months. You might want to contact local tennis clubs in Missoula and see if they have similar arrangements. It is very hard to meet 4.5+ players willing to play with strangers otherwise as they are so often disappointed by most self-rated players being at lower levels.

 

[jz000]

I just moved to Portland, and used

Tennis League Network

We are the first US wide National Tennis League. Connecting players from Boston to Los Angeles on the tennis courts in Flex Leagues and non-competitive tennis programs.

www.tennisleaguenetwork.com

They started me at 2.5, but I just wanted to find some hitting partners.
At 3.5 I finally found 1 lefty who can hit a rally ball and serve.

You'll sandbag all the way to the top division as a 4.5, and maybe can offer lessons for $50/hr to your victims along the way.

Also paid $30 a few times for club men's night to find people.

 

[ergbay]

Open is more about the levels rather than USTA affiliation - I'm assuming that like all the others it requires you to register with USTA? "Open" usually means "4.5 and above".

Oh, I didn't know that. I had a totally different idea. I'll try to register to USTA and join this tourny maybe at the 4 or 4,5 level then. Thanks a lot.

 

[ergbay]

The best way to find guaranteed high level players is by joining a tennis club. Where I live, clubs allow temporary travelers from other cities to become members for 1-3 months. You might want to contact local tennis clubs in Missoula and see if they have similar arrangements. It is very hard to meet 4.5+ players willing to play with strangers otherwise as they are so often disappointed by most self-rated players being at lower levels.

Thank you very much for the valuable input. I'll contact the two tennis clubs I know of in the area. That seems like the safest option.

 

[ergbay]

I just moved to Portland, and used

Tennis League Network

We are the first US wide National Tennis League. Connecting players from Boston to Los Angeles on the tennis courts in Flex Leagues and non-competitive tennis programs.

www.tennisleaguenetwork.com

They started me at 2.5, but I just wanted to find some hitting partners.
At 3.5 I finally found 1 lefty who can hit a rally ball and serve.

You'll sandbag all the way to the top division as a 4.5, and maybe can offer lessons for $50/hr to your victims along the way.

Also paid $30 a few times for club men's night to find people.

Thank you very much, I didn't know this one, but probably for a reason: they don't have anything yet in Montana. If they had a league or partnership running, that'd have been great!