Tennis Choices in Tarrant County, Texas

Tennis is a glorious sport to learn and to play with family and friends. As long as you can pick up a racquet, from age three to one hundred, tennis can provide exercise and a social life. It is a sport everyone has played at one time or another, whether in school or out on public courts. Also, in watching tennis on television, you feel you are capable of making a glorious overhead lob or a smashing ace serve. You can buy a cheap racquet, a can of balls, throw on shorts and a t-shirt and you are ready for action. Tennis can be a low cost or expensive sport depending on your level of involvement.

If you are contemplating a serious move on the tennis court, a good time to approach it is May. This is National Tennis Month as declared by the National Tennis Association and programs all over the country offer free lessons and programs to entice folks to learn and love the game. This is an excellent opportunity to scope out different facilities, a variety of coaches, and to view potential opponents.

Living in the Dallas/Fort Worth/Mid Cities area of Texas, there are many programs to review. This article will discuss three locations offering a range of tennis offerings and price levels. The article will offer some pros and cons and items to consider when choosing a facility.

The Hilton DFW Lakes in Grapevine, Texas, is a lovely hotel complex complete with a workout facility, pool, and tennis courts. This is a higher end tennis facility and you pay accordingly. For access to all of the amenities, you pay a monthly fee and then a member’s fee for any programs you attend such as drills or league. The best place to start is with a drill session. The Hilton offers beginners, intermediate, and senior level drills. The hour long session starts with warm-up, moves into various skills, and finishes with mock play and a cool down. The instructor/attendee ratio is small and you get a lot of attention as the balls keep flying. The courts are fast and well maintained. You can get private instruction also. If you are not a Hilton member, you can participate in a drill but at a higher price.

After you see progress in your game, you may be invited to join a league. The leagues play USTA or Metro and your opponents are other clubs throughout the DFW area. Competition is fierce and the leagues are a bit cliquey. Feel confident with your skills and game before joining. As much as the leagues talk about learning, that is not appreciated on match day. However, if you are happy with your game and enjoy competition, you can stay very busy on the courts and make friends (or enemies depending on your play!).

In contrast to the lush surroundings of the Hilton, Sotogrande Tennis Courts in Bedford are a publicly run facility and sorely in need of attention. Grass pokes up through the asphalt courts and the nets lean a tad. Playing at night requires the eyesight of a bat to negotiate the shadows thrown by wayward lights. This is a shame because Sotogrande offers a lot of courts at a cheap price. Instruction can be private or in drills and again it is less expensive than the Hilton. The league play at Sotogrande is also less expensive but equally as skilled and daunting. Sotogrande offers a good place to start as a beginner. Perhaps if more people pursue tennis at that location, the city will authorize funding for court improvements.
Finally, Southlake Tennis Center offers a happy medium to the Hilton and Sotogrande. The City of Southlake built a top-notch facility and offers its services at reasonable prices. Well lit and maintained courts, a highly qualified staff, private instruction or group drill instruction, and well run leagues are all part of the Southlake tennis system. You can enjoy and learn a lot at this tennis center. It offers a less clubby atmosphere than the Hilton, and you can definitely find a group level you feel comfortable in playing. Public facilities tend to have a lot of turnover amongst instructors, but Southlake seems to keeps its personnel happy.

In checking out tennis facilities, you want to look at maintained courts (no grass in the asphalt), solid nets, and good lighting. The pro shop should offer for sale hydrating drinks, ice, tennis balls, and other tennis maintenance needs. The staff should be friendly and should project the air of wanting you on their courts. All of this will add up to an exciting tennis career and years of good health on the courts.

Hilton DFW Lakes
1800 Hwy 26 East
Grapevine TX 76051
817-481-8444

Sotogrande Tennis Center
C/o Bedford Parks and Admin
Pipeline Road
Bedford TX 76021
817-952-2300

Southlake Tennis Center
450 W. Southlake Blvd
Southlake TX 76092
817-481-7867