Facilities - Supplies - People

The Evolution of Social Tennis

Keeping your courts playable and in their best playing condition is a very high priority for a manager. That said, most managers are already taking appropriate steps to keep those standards very high. So, with that in mind, this article will hopefully provide a few inside tips that will elevate any manager's court maintenance skills to a new level.

While hanging out with the old tennis cronies at the club, one of them asks, “whatever happened to those great Calcutta’s we used to have, or those great social get-togethers we had on Friday nights?” Trying to convince them that these events are no longer popular, is not going to be well received, especially because all they remember having a good time. But telling them that the club is going to take a new path that will recharge that social energy, now that they will listen to. 

These days, the only thing that stays the same is that everything will continue to change more rapidly. The new tech world we live in and the many new racket sports, have changed the culture of our industry. The result is a greater challenge to be relevant and attractive, recognizing the trends of today’s social behavior. Remember, tennis facilities are often called clubs for a reason, they are hubs for people in most communities to gather and share their tennis and friendships. If a facility can make the needed changes to evolve and adapt to the times, it will revive that status of being a hub of social events and attract and retain members.  

Most tennis players remember the surge in tournaments long ago, followed by a healthy dose of league play, but even those activities have lost some momentum. For tournament play, the players at the bottom of the rankings began to realize that their entry fee often only got them a single match. They eventually discovered that if they could get on a strong league team, the opportunity to play up was fulfilled.  

League play ran into two deterrents that impacted their popularity. First, today's players are not keen about having to fit into a schedule that requires an unknown amount of time at various designated locations. Too much waste of time and too many variables that just don’t fit into the current lifestyle of most players. Why, because technology has helped create precision and schedules.

As a result, the evolution of today's tennis events has transitioned to a shorter schedule. The preference has evolved into one-night or one-day events that can quickly gather groups of people to share an experience. As for helping players find better competition, here is an example of an old activity being reinvented. Create ladders a couple of times a year that have a lifespan of only two or three months. At the end, provide a nice reward for those who played the most or ended up on top. It is helpful to know that there are many ways to handicap an unequal match up and create a productive tennis session. Try using the book “325 Ways to Play Tennis,” to find some great ideas to accomplish this.

This new approach to the evolution of social events all starts with your messaging. Use all the technology that is available to announce and recruit participation. At the same time, don’t forget to continue to use the more customary method of informing members through flyers, newsletters, and website updates. The more methods used to contact and recruit participation, the better the attendance and enthusiasm. Face-to-face interactions at the reception desk and through the staff are essential. Include body advertisement…such as promotional hats or shirts worn by the staff to promote an event, which can also be part of the free hand-outs during these events.

There will be members who chose not to take part in social events, that’s okay. As a fix, don’t hesitate to add non-members from outside the club. If there is a lack of single members to create a successful well-attended program, find a way to invite outsiders to also attend. These added guests are an easy fix for special events that target groups like families, seniors, competitive players, beginners, essentially anyone that has a common connection. Adding these non-members will bolster the attendance while exposing your facility to non-members during an enjoyable social event.

In addition, don’t limit the use of your space to only members, rent it out to non-members that are planning an event like birthday parties, graduation ceremonies, weddings, events for local businesses and their employees.

Also, don’t make the mistake of copying what another facility has done, just because one of the members had a great experience at that event, that success may not be transferable. Every facility has its own membership profile that needs to be recognized and catered to. If you have meaningfully interacted with your entire membership, that insight will help determine what events will be most successful.  

Today's facilities also have to keep track of the life expectancy of any program or activity. Remember, change is now the norm. Be willing to drop events that were successful in the past, and look for either altering the formats or finding something new. As an example, there has been a yearly celebrated social event that hosted some spirited competition and a great social experience, but lately attendance has faded. The last thing that should happen at this point is to allow that event to slowly die. Move on.  

The phrases “Round Robin,” or “Mixers,” have historical recognition. They were names from past events, and just as described, they are “historical,” so try to come up with new names and descriptions, which would be a good step in showing the members that something new is coming their way. How about a fake U.S. Open Qualifying event, or a mock betting event on one of the pro tournaments where instead of money, the winners get points in a fun tennis competition. Maybe a one-night Parent/Child social, or try taking on Conga Tennis.  

Recruit members who can be dedicated to organizing and helping with any event. It will be natural for each member of that committee to recruit and build both attendance and enthusiasm. These committees also engender member loyalty to the club. Once a member has taken part in a club’s committee, they feel part of that club’s success and direction their facility is going.  

To top off the event and again, create a memory and engender loyalty, spend a few dollars and purchase souvenirs for the event to hand out. These gifts should have the name and the logo of the facility. The best are those items that can be displayed for everyone to see, such as license plate trims, or sun visors for their cars, or tags for the tennis bags, essentially anything that promotes your events, and visually advertises your facility. Remember to take a bunch of photos of the event for P.R. after the event. All members love to see photos of themselves and their friends.

Add activities for the players to enjoy when not on the court. If they have to sit out for a while, make that time more entertaining. How about two local top players playing an exhibition after the event. Wine tasting, special travel shows, and the list goes on, as you will find that there will be many local people who would love to promote their product at a club.

Many facilities have discovered the positive impact Cardio Tennis and Live Ball has on creating more social interaction. Not only are they great programs for promoting a healthier player, but they help improve a player's game and strategy on the court. It’s also an easy step to organize occasional free strategy clinics and free instruction on particular strokes. This addition is not just for P.R., it is valuable in addressing the challenge new players experience trying to get into the game of tennis. They get a leg up in learning, find coaches that they enjoy working with, and most important, meet others who are also just learning the game.

Recognize the competition out there that is coming from other facilities and organizations. Always, check the calendar of events in the community, there is only so much free time people have these days, and again, new technology allows you to plan way ahead.

Finish off any event by having a post-meeting with the staff and any members that were involved. Review how the event worked, what ideas fit well and those that did not, but maybe most important, what could be added the next time around.

As the saying goes, “Get with the times.” It might be time to leave tradition behind and begin the process of implementing this new evolution of creating and organizing social programs.