Long Island Tennis Magazine’s 2011 Guide to Long Island Tennis Clubs

February 4, 2011 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Tennis_Court_Credit_Goodshoot
Credit: Goodshoot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bethpage Park Tennis Center
99 Quaker Meeting House Road, Building #4 • Farmingdale, NY 11735

Phone #: (516) 777-1385

Bethpage Park Tennis Center is located just a few hundred feet from the Black Course at beautiful Bethpage State Park, which has served as home to the U.S. Golf Open. Four indoor hard and four indoor red clay courts are air-conditioned for year-round play.

The Tennis Center offers an array of adult seasonal, leagues, lessons and walk-on court opportunities. It’s free and low-cost program for seniors and special populations is perhaps the largest of its kind in New York State. The Center is best known for its renowned junior development program, led by top coaches Steve Kaplan and Keith Kambourian. Collectively, they have developed more players than anyone else in the east.

Steve Kaplan is the owner of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as the director of Reebok Academy for New York City Parks Foundation. Over the last 33 years, Steve has been the longtime coach of more than 500 nationally-ranked junior players, 14 state high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous touring professionals and prominent coaches. Steve's students have been awarded in excess of $7 million in college scholarship money.

Keith Kambourian is a voice of reason in the often-stressful world of junior tournament tennis. Keith’s philosophy is simple, “Train hard and compete hard, and you will achieve.” This outlook has enabled Keith to excel as both a player and a coach. He was ranked in the top 30 nationally in the Boys 18 Division. His playing career flourished at Duke University, where he received a full scholarship and was ranked nationally among the best collegiate players. He directed the Reebok Urban Youth Tennis Academy at Flushing Meadow, N.Y. and has since coached players from beginners to international touring professionals. In 1998, he was awarded the ETA Long Island Region Tennis Professional of the Year Award. Keith has a Master’s Degree is Sports Management. His level-headed approach to junior tennis ensures that students develop and maintain a positive and productive mental outlook.

The Bethpage Park Tennis Center offers a comprehensive program of group and individual lessons, workshops, match plays and tournament team programs during the indoor session.

In the summer, the finest players in the east join us for summer camp on eight indoor courts, four outdoor red clay courts and eight nearby outdoor hard courts. Lunch is provided and transportation is available. While our standards are high … our prerequisites are not! We charge no membership fee and encourage and value our beginners equally with our nationally-ranked players. All we require at the Bethpage Park Tennis Center is the desire to attend a serious tennis camp and to learn in an intensive, personal and fun environment … and the drive to achieve your personal best!



Carefree Racquet Club

1414 Jerusalem Avenue •  North Merrick, NY 11566

Phone #: (516) 489-9005 • Web site: www.carefreeracquetclub.com

Carefree Racquet Club Carefree Racquet Club is Long Island’s finest indoor tennis facility. With seven indoor nova hard courts, we offer programs for all ages and abilities. For children ages six through 18, we offer a 14-week junior program from September to January, and January through May. Children are placed by age and ability. To keep their skills honed, Carefree offers a four-week Pre-Camp program from mid-May to mid-June.

During the summer months, Carefree offers a summer camp for juniors of all ages on our air-conditioned courts. Camp is held daily, from noon to 5:00 p.m., with a lot of scheduling flexibility. Carefree also excels with programming for younger children. We have a 45-min., six-week class for tots ages three to five years of age, which runs year-round.

Adults are also offered many different programs. Carefree offers seasonal courts for groups of friends that want to play together on a regular basis.

For those who want to play a variety of players in a competitive format, Carefree offers singles, doubles and team doubles leagues. There are Learn &Play Programs for all levels that are arranged by our director of tennis. This is a 14-week program that offers a one-hour group lesson each week along with 90 minutes of practice time. In addition, we have private lessons, Stroke of the Week Clinics, Cardio Tennis, and we are the home of “Walter’s Crunch.” All of the teaching pros at Carefree are United States Professional Tennis Association-certified, bringing years of experience and expertise to the court.

For those players with limited time, Carefree offers an “Early Bird Program” from 7:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m., Monday-Friday and a “Senior Program” from 2:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m., also Monday-Friday.

Carefree fields many USTA teams at all levels for men, women and mixed doubles with clinics and practice time in addition to match play. Two Friday nights each month, Carferee hosts “Karen’s Tennis Parties” for some tennis, refreshments and socializing. The parties are a great way to meet new tennis friends.

All of Carefree’s programs are competitively priced and we do not charge “membership fees.” In addition to their seven air-conditioned/heated tennis courts, Carefree has two racquetball courts, a half-court basketball court, and full locker room facilities. Carefree has a full-service pro shop, which offers racquet stringing and gripping, along with all the top brands of clothing, sneakers and racquets. Carefree Racquet Club looks forward to being able to service you with all your tennis needs.



Glen Head Racquet Club

95 Glen Head Road • Glen Head, NY 11545 • Phone #: (516) 455-1225

The Early Hit Training Center is located in the Glen Head Racquet Club, at 95 Glen Head Road in Glen Head, N.Y. Home of the ALPS Program, they specialize in accelerated learning through a combination of private lessons, group sessions and physical training in tennis-specific exercises. The program was designed by Carl Barnett with the help of Pat Etcheberry.

The program focuses on the players and their need for accessible court time, coupled with a flexible schedule and parent-friendly budget. Early Hit also features a 6:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. adult program that is open 365 days a year. Late Hit is on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday

During the indoor season, Early Hit is a terrific value. They feature a fabulous summer camp, pro shop, restaurant and private training all year long.



Point Set Indoor Racquet Club Inc.

3065 New Street • Oceanside, N.Y. 11572

Phone: (516) 536-2323 • Web site: www.pointsetracquetclub.com

Celebrating its 40th year of delivering a superior tennis experience, Point Set Racquet Club in Oceanside, N.Y. continues to provide the most outstanding venue of customer-driven tennis on the South Shore. It is a tennis haven for the casual player just looking to get out on the court and hit some balls as well as for the serious player who fantasizes about cracking an ace on Centre Court at Wimbledon.

The club was operated by Head Pro and Managing Partner Dan Dwyer until his death in May 2010; noted by John McEnroe who was once Dwyer’s student as a “great loss to tennis.” In keeping with Dan’s high standards, the Club continues to be the premier tennis club on the South Shore by attracting competitive juniors lead by the incomparable Tonny van de Pieterman. Tonny’s rich experience, from training as a European junior in a multi-surface environment to college tennis captain for the University of Miami Hurricanes to ATP play to coach at the prestigious Saddlebrook Academy in Florida, is at the core of a new “Dream Team” of tennis coaches at Point Set. Tonny became head pro and director of tennis in July 2010. He is joined by Brett Nisenson who, as junior development director, oversees a rigorous regimen of tennis and fitness training for the tournament juniors. Claudio Eulau, originally recruited from Argentina’s High Performance Tennis complex, is a master technician and body kinetics specialist who adds great humor to train the youngest players using revolutionary tools and games. Nadia Johnston from Australia is the director of adult tennis and brings tactical skills from her WTA days to the club’s adult programs including clinics and team play.

Along with others who contribute to an inclusive tennis environment, Point Set has been able to assert its mission: Point Set Racquet Club aspires to be the most vibrant tennis club on the South Shore of Long Island. A professional and passionate staff will offer a complete tennis education to beginner and elite player alike. A clean, safe and successful club that will use the great sport of tennis as a way of growing champions both on and off the court.

The owners of Point Set have continued to modernize the club’s physical plant by adding new lighting systems generating a bright, white playing environment with a new reflective ceiling. Resurfaced courts, a refreshed lobby, free WiFi and a partnership with Nike’s Re-Use sneaker recycling all contribute to the superior experience. Daily Operations Manager Lori Pujol is detail-oriented and customer-friendly, a brilliant combination allowing the club to handle the growing traffic of tennis enthusiasts with courtesy and efficiency.

Point Set offers daytime and nighttime leagues for both men and women in both singles and doubles along with the only Mixed-Doubles League on the South Shore. Its QuickStart program is a star and is rocking tennis for the youngest (visit www.PointSetQuickstart.weebly.com). The Tournament Training Program is home to some of the best juniors (visit: www.PointSetTTP.weebly.com). It is home court to 17 teams in the USTA League Tennis program and host to about 14 Eastern Tennis Association tournaments annually.

Fresh, exciting and growing—the stalwart indoor club on the South Shore is the pathway to a stimulating tennis future.



Rockville Racquet Club

80 North Centre Avenue • Rockville Centre, NY 11570

Phone #: (516) 764-5350 • Web site: http://rockvilleracquet.net

Ideally situated in the heart of Rockville Centre, Rockville Racquet Club is a comprehensive tennis facility, offering state-of-the-art courts, equipment and amenities. Under the direction of manager Susan Alvy, the club is open from early in the morning until 11:00 p.m., seven days a week. Seven nova acrylic courts are available to the public for seasonal rental, league play, junior development, adult lessons and court rental when available.

Rockville Racquet’s highly regarded tennis professionals provide an outstanding junior development program for all ages and abilities. Students can choose from private, semi-private and group lessons. Included in the junior development program are weekend drills and ladder matches, as well as free court time and discounted private lessons. A Team Tennis Program is available for those youngsters who are committed to tennis and wish to compete on a local level. In 2010, junior development director Pat Mosquera led the Rockville Racquet USTA Junior Team to the Nassau County Championship.

Adults are offered a variety of programs at Rockville Racquet. Men’s and women’s singles and doubles leagues are available for all levels of play. League players enjoy friendly competition and winners receive trophies at the end of each season. Adults who would like to learn to play or want to improve their game can participate in learning leagues, drills and private lessons with our accomplished professional team. A learning league is a weekly group lesson with three or more players of similar ability. Learning leagues provide an inexpensive way to improve skills. The Rockville Racquet staff is available to help new or returning players to find a compatible group. Drills and Cardio Tennis are another exciting way to enjoy learning and improving tennis strokes. Drills are group lessons, with a maximum of six players, which stress tennis skills. Cardio drills, with a maximum of eight participants, combine an aerobic workout with tennis movement. These hour-long sessions are available at one’s convenience throughout the week. Simply sign up in advance to participate.

Women or men with young children can take advantage of the free babysitting available weekdays at Rockville Racquet Club. Children will enjoy the toys, television and videos under the loving supervision of an experienced sitter.

The Pro Shop at Rockville Racquet is open for customers to test the latest racquets and equipment. Fashionable tennis attire and gift items are available at competitive prices. Stringing, grips and other services are available.

The front desk staff is always glad to assist customers with purchases or to provide information about Rockville Racquet’s programs and services.



Robbie Wagner Tournament Training

60 Sea Cliff Avenue • Glen Cove, N.Y. 11542

Phone #: (516) 759-0505 • Web site: www.rwtt.com

Robbie Wagner Tournament Training (RWTT) has been in the Eastern Section of the USTA for over 30 years. RWTT not only teach the game of tennis … they live it! RWTT’s tennis professionals travel to tournaments with their players every weekend both on the local and national levels. The club’s stellar reputation speaks for itself within the tennis industry. RWTT is totally committed to helping make its clients the best players they can be and strive to help them reach their full potential. RWTT’s tennis professionals are world renowned in the industry and coach a multitude of sectional and national ranked players.

The personal relationships that RWTT’s coaches forms with its clients helps guide them in the right direction. Working together as a team, RWTT assists in providing a positive and successful future. RWTT is a privately-owned club currently with two locations and looking to grow.

RWTT’s motivation for success is unmatched as is its dedication to helping children achieve their goals. Whether it’s their first Level 2 tournament or a national event, RWTT has the ability, experience and offers the personal attention they’ll need to succeed.

RWTT has the knowledge and capability to give both parent and child the proper guidance towards a career in college tennis. There is no need to pay a high fee for a college tennis advisor when you have RWTT in your corner.

Come to RWTT’s Glen Cove, N.Y. location and see the “Wall of Fame” which lists the players the club has helped place in top level colleges and universities around the country.



Ross School Tennis Center

18 Goodfriend Drive •  East Hampton, N.Y. 11937

Phone #: (631) 907-5162 • Web site: www.ross.org

The Ross School Tennis Center, located on the Upper School campus in East Hampton, N.Y., is a wonderful resource in the Hamptons open to seasonal and year-round residents. The Center features six state-of-the-art Har-tru tennis courts that are enclosed by a bubble from mid-fall through mid-spring, allowing for year-round play. The courts are directly adjacent to the beautiful new Fieldhouse where players can sign up to play and also take advantage of amenities, including locker rooms and a lounge. The Fieldhouse is also used for a variety of special events and is available for private parties.

The Tennis Center offers many programs for all ages, all year round. Starting in nursery and pre-kindergarten, the Jump Start program allows children to develop spatial awareness, movement and locomotor skills using appropriately sized rackets. They learn volleying, throwing, catching and rallying skills, building a foundation not only for tennis but for any future athletic activities. The Junior Development Program offers games and level specific drills and training for building a strong foundation. It is designed with a lot of fun in mind and to improve skills and motivate the young player into wanting to play more. Advanced players can sign up for Accelerated Tournament Preparation, which features drills, tennis-specific conditioning and game strategy designed specifically to prepare players for junior tournaments and match play.

Adults also have many programs to choose from at the Ross School Tennis Center, including Cardio Tennis with John Graham and Local Weekend Round-Up featuring round-robin matches, followed by wine and cheese. Beginners can master the fundamentals of tennis in Learn + Play with fun-filled integrated drills and match play. Meanwhile, the Pro-Am Doubles League allows advanced players to compete with and against the pros in a competitive, high level and inspiring game.

Private instruction is available for all levels of play. The Tennis Center staff provides a fun and supportive atmosphere that allows for the greatest amount of success. Guests can also rent courts during the weekday, weekend or seasonally; however, these courts are not available while during school hours. Please call (631) 907-5162 for more information or to make reservations.



SPORTIME

Randall’s Island, Syosset, Roslyn, Bethpage, Kings Park, Quogue, Amagansett, Mamaroneck, Lynbrook, Massapequa and Schenectady, N.Y.

Phone #: (888) NY-TENNIS • Web site: www.SportimeNY.com

Why does Sportime have the best tennis programs in New York? We have a system—and it works!

We have John McEnroe! And WE ARE SERIOUS!

The most exciting thing to happen in tennis in the greater New York area in a long, long time is the opening of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) at SPORTIME’s $19 million Randall’s Island facility. Not only is John McEnroe one of the all-time great tennis players, he is considered by many to be one of the top five competitors in the history of all sports. With JMTA Director of Tennis Gilad Bloom at the helm, the JMTA will be developing and training many of the area’s top juniors and overcoming many of the obstacles towards future champions hailing from the greater New York City area. The new SPORTIME at Randall's Island features 160,000-sq.-ft. of tennis courts and five-star support facilities, including five deco-turf hard courts housed in an award winning clubhouse building and another 15 courts, 10 Har-tru and five deco-turf, enclosed in state-of-the art air structures during the indoor season and lighted for evening play during the summer.

 

Tennis Kinetics—The Accelerated Learning Method

Tennis Kinetics is SPORTIME’s innovative approach to teaching the sport of tennis. This teaching method is founded on the belief that the optimum method of learning the hitting skills needed for tennis requires the development of the essential movement skills that relate to them. At SPORTIME, a Tennis Kinetics student learns how to strike the tennis ball as part of a sequence of reactions and movements that begins when his/her opponent strikes the ball. By having students develop and execute the entire sequence for every shot in the game, the learning process is accelerated. In a very short time, Tennis Kinetics students become capable of combining these sequences to play successful points and, ultimately, to change their weaknesses into strengths and their strengths into winning games!

 

We Use the Games Approach

Traditional teaching methods focus too much on developing tennis skills, and not enough on helping students to apply those skills. At SPORTIME, junior players and adults learn tennis through the experience of playing points and games. Not only do SPORTIME students have a lot more fun, our guided discovery method of teaching empowers our students to problem-solve as they progress. By making sure our students understand the tactics of the game, while continuing to perfect the technical skills required to execute those tactics, SPORTIME produces fundamentally sound players whose games do not break down under pressure.

 

We Have the Best Pros

SPORTIME has assembled a staff of top teaching professionals from all over the world. All of our staff professionals are certified by USTA High Performance, USPTA, PTR or by their home country’s tennis federation. SPORTIME pros receive continuing education and extensive training designed to keep our instruction on the cutting edge. SPORTIME directors of tennis roam from court to court to continually analyze lesson dynamics, to evaluate student progress, to supervise the staff and to assure that each and every lesson is up to Sportime standards.

 

We Have the Best QuickStart Program for Kids Ages 3-10

Directed by our QuickStart Experts, Sportime’s QuickStart Programs are nationally acclaimed by the USTA. Every QST director has been extensively trained by a USTA certified trainer. QST is an exciting new format for learning tennis where the kids get to “play” in their very first lesson. We designed our SPORTIME QST program combining aspects of the most successful developmental programs in Europe with those of the USTA. Every SPORTIME QST program utilizes specialized equipment, shorter court dimensions and modified scoring all tailored to age and size, to provide the optimum learning environment. We provide a safe, fun and challenging learning environment for our future tennis stars! And at Randall’s Island, you can sign up for MacStart, our QST program reinvented by John McEnroe.

 

We Have Programs for Everyone!

Juniors: From our QuickStart developmental programs, which start with toddlers ages two to four, to our Elite and High Performance programs for nationally-ranked juniors, SPORTIME offers a complete menu of tennis programming for every level of play. For the competitive junior, SPORTIME clubs host over 100 USTA-sanctioned tournaments a year, as well as ladders, supervised match play programs and USTA Team Tennis competition. SPORTIME works extra hard to make every kid feel special.

Adults: SPORTIME ‘s Adult Tennis Kinetics program is one the largest adult group lesson programs in the country. For those looking for the ultimate challenge, we offer Adult Elite, modeled after our highly successful Junior Elite programs. Major League Tennis, Cardio Tennis, and our signature “Zone” high-intensity competitive games program are not only great workouts, they are challenging and a lot of fun! Mixed doubles parties, round robin mixers, club tournaments and other special events round out our adult schedule throughout the year. And for those who are always in search of more tennis at their level, the SPORTIME player network offers a comprehensive game arranging service that provides great tennis matches “on demand.”

 

SPORTIME Excel Tennis Camps

To provide the best tennis camp experience anywhere, our highly successful EXCEL and JMTA TENNIS CAMPS are now at a SPORTIME club near you. Now, players across Long Island and New York City can experience SPORTIME's premier tennis program for aspiring junior players of all ages and abilities. Excel's and JMTA’s training methods are fun and fast-paced, featuring stroke production, competitive games, and tactical training for match play. Our innovative tennis training techniques and tennis-specific conditioning regimens prepare players for the physical, mental and emotional demands of the sport of tennis. Excel campers develop positive self-esteem and laser-like focus. Our program is dedicated to turning weaknesses into strengths, and strengths into a winning game.

 

We have SPORTIME Team Elite

SPORTIME’s Team Elite provides our most dedicated junior players with access to cutting-edge technology, and to the latest instructional, educational and motivational tools and techniques. Sportime 's trademarked Junior Tennis Kinetics program participants have complimentary access to the Team Elite tennis channel on Dartfish TV. This innovative video channel will foster additional one-on-one interaction between your child and his/her coaches and will help your child to maximize his/her SPORTIME instructional experience. Check out Team Elite by going to the SPORTIME Web site, www.SportimeNY.com, and clicking on Team Elite on the “Tennis” menu.

 

Our Facilities Can’t Be Beat

 


Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Century
Bethpage

March/April 2024 Digital Edition