PTR-PPR International Racquets Conference 2025

We had a great time. The facilities were moderate at best, and I gave them a weak review on facilities, especially service and staff enthusiasm, except for the twin shuttle drivers from Cuba!!

The week schedule started off Sunday with Master Classes. Specialty classes conducted by industry leaders for an in-depth look into your specific areas of interest.  Areas of specialization included both Tennis, Fitness, and Pickleball.

Always an inspiration, Dean Hollingworth and Carl Maes addressed the integration of fitness, psychology, coaching, and data into player performance.  Today’s pros need a complete team to be successful.  Dean is the guru of practical fitness for athletes and Carl has trained high-level players to the highest level.  It is worthwhile googling either of them to improve your scope of coaching beyond one-dimensional.

Sarah Ansboury did a 2-hour presentation on Top Drills for the Coach and Player.  We all know drills, but forget most of them or find a unique approach that can positively change what we currently do in coaching - especially students we have had for an extended period.

Ashley Owens presented on Building a Growth Flywheel using 5 pillars to keep your club growing, allowing you to have lessons to teach and a facility that is viable and flexible to the needs of tennis today.

A favorite is Aaron Fox who has grown up in the industry with him and his twin brother being leaders in an organized approach to coaching.  On his own, Aaron is business and program oriented in a world-class facility.  He presented an in-depth approach to improving your performance on and off the court.

Greg Lappin is an industry leader in building a club, an author on the business of tennis, and a motivator. Greg guaranteed what you would get from his Master Class up front. How to be a leader, member retention, creating a club culture, the difference between management and leadership, and more.  Worth to anyone who has aspirations of being a Director, Manager, or Owner.

Appropriate for today's world, Marley Woods and Gavin Gilder covered the role of social media in today's tennis world.  A must for experienced coaches to survive in today’s world, and directions for experience with social media for younger coaches..

One on One Doubles with Ed Krass featured his branded approach to fun and competitive tennis with prize money and music.  This format can apply to clubs, special events for any level of player.

$2000 in prize money brought out two divisions: players under 50 and over 50, former players and 13 plus UTR players.

This is a must Google event to add to your club’s events for social, a fundraiser, or just sheer competition.

It is a must serve and volley, half court cross court competition, 4 game sets with 2 points for a winning volley or overhead.

Starting backwards from Thurs to Mon, there were great presentations all day for every coach’s needs.

One of my favorites was a husband-wife team, Tom and  Katie Ruth from Hilton Head. It demonstrated drills and strategy for the 3.0-3.5+ adult players.  Tom and Katie demonstrated how to take drills we use and make them practical for teams, senior players, or lower skill level players on their way up or down.

Their sense of humor and husband-wife banter was educational and whimsical.

Tips included how to divide the court into practical areas, variations of scoring or drills to improve skills specific to club level players.

Each day there were free Yoga classes with Sherri Krug for the participants at the PTR Conference.  These were practical and reminded us all, we need to do something besides stand and teach all day, or we will break down.

Thursday again, Kat Tomlin presented on how to create Pickleball revenue.  We know it brings players into the club, but how to get them to take part in lessons and programs is essential to financial growth as well.  Pickleball is HERE, how can we embrace it and use it to our advantage to attract more tennis players?

Cari Buck, an industry icon, presented on the many hats of a coach. Cari has seen it all and experienced it.  Sharing what you can expect and how to profit and benefit from others’ experiences can save you from the many pitfalls along the way - perhaps saving your job, open opportunities, or saving your career.

Karen Ronney is special and has presented on how to transition players from practice to players.  We often coach players on how to practice, technique, and strategy.  Most of the time this does not transition to actual match play performance.  Karen is a leader in how to make this happen, especially with high school players.

Sara Ansboury gave ideas on how to use rating sessions to create a revenue stream. I have seen this happen a lot with Neil Johnson's SSV Tennis in Southern California.  Players want to see if they have improved and what areas need work, =  more lessons, clinics, and coaching tips for you.

In a later presentation, Sarah would present on footwork drills to improve player performance.  Most game development starts from the footwork up.  Mistakes that show up in the strokes, are often a product of positioning. As a coach, always investigate and invest in how to improve footwork at every level.

Jorge Capastany - the master of drills for every player and coach.  He has a unique website, tennisdrills.tv, that provides vivid demonstrations of every possible situation, lesson plans for Tennis and Pickleball.  His approach helps every level coach and player have a game plan.  Coaches find ways to make practice exciting and keep players, juniors and adults coming back for more.

Wednesday was a day of experience!  

Greg Lappin knows how to WOW your members and team to keep them experiencing and wanting more.  

Check out some of Greg's books online to improve your managerial skills to get ahead of the game. I have followed him for years and used most of his materials to improve my skills as a Director, speaker, and leader.  He presented several times this special week and loves to share his experience with everyone

Len Simard knows the landscape of how the industry, clubs and member expectations are constantly changing.  His specialty is in the Member Equity Clubs or member-owned clubs.  He advises industry leaders, finds managers and directors that match up with the unique requirements of Member Equity Clubs across the country.  Easy to talk to, Len is key for anyone looking for a career in this type of facility.

Mike Woody with Genesis Clubs is a master of managing facilities with the correct staff, programs and behind-the-scene guidance for success. A Cardio Tennis leader and motivator, Mike is a person to guide you in career paths, successful programming, and motivation.

Ajay Pant on Time Management is perfect, he is the icon of creating expectations, measuring performance and results. He has a gentle but firm way of developing staff, clubs and results.  He asks the questions to help you discover what you wanted to know.  The ultimate professional and lifetime PTR International Master Professional.

I would go to Ajay with any question about my job, staff or career path!!!!

Kim Bastable addressed where we are headed with Artificial Intelligence. There are exciting ways to use it to make lesson plans, start an article, review your project, and more.  As the leader of a unique tennis program at the University of Florida, she, like many of us, must discover how to use this technology to our advantage and to keep abreast of where our industry and the world is headed.

Michael Mahoney is in charge of one of the largest programs in the country. He has been with the same company for 40 plus years.  He describes the detailed planning required to run such a successful operation where the hours booked on indoor courts are essential.  How to train the staff on the theme of the company, yet allow for individuality is essential. Hiring is where it all begins, as it is in any company, finding candidates with a passion for people and the game. What happens behind the scenes of coaching is what actually makes any business a success. That is what we all want to take away from these insights into success.

A cool panel discussion with Michael Mahoney, Len Simard and Scott McCullough was led by Ajay Pant.  The key points were on-boarding, holding your team together, and accountable.  I agreed with all their points but realized I had allowed key principles to go to the way side.  So, my question was, I know and agree on what is vital to team success. What happens when circumstances cause this to fall to the way side?  How do I get my team back on track?  Emergencies, health, weather, holidays can destroy the continuity.  Their suggestion was, and I kind of knew the answer in asking the question: Take responsibility and reestablish with your team the importance of what was making you successful. 

Example, I assume responsibility for allowing us to get off track. I need your help in getting us back to what was so important in our success.  Let's schedule our staff meetings again so we can connect with this amazing team, communicate our needs and offer ideas for our continued success.  That was it basically.  

To my surprise, several other pros commented that is was a key point.  If fact, they had all experienced the interruption and were looking to get back into the success, just as I was.

The best presentation was by the Italians!! Donato, Luigi and team.  How they train warmups, getting the players ready, percentage shot to win the points for serve, plus the next ball, how to create forehand opportunities.  A high energy presentation with purpose and direction.

It was great to welcome 3 new PTR International Master Pros this year.  Steve Keller, Radhika Venkata and Karsten Weigelt.  

Tim Gullikson was a great presenter who was at Saddlebrook back in the past when he worked with Pete Sampras, Jim Courier and others. He shared great stories about Davis Cup and how the players trained.