Pre Season Tennis Update

Tennis Boot Camp

The season is just around the corner, and it will be ushered in by the annual Tennis Boot Camp that begins Monday, October 5. As it stands, the numbers are down slightly from last season, so that should be great for the players who do attend. The pro-to-player ratio should be quite favorable. Remember, if you haven't already taken care of your Boot Camp bill, the cost for all four days is $140.00 or can pay daily for $40 per day. Payment is to be made by check (payable to Mike Curran) or in cash.

Gulf Harbour Teams

Ladies Team matches (LCWTL) also begin next week, with the 50-Plus Silver Belles making the first home stand at 11:00am on Friday, October 9. Monnie Kane has assumed leadership of the Silver Belles, who finished third in their division last season under Ann Tate’s direction, and is looking to improve on that stellar performance. Team home match schedules will be posted online and on the bulletin board in the near future. Don’t forget that you can check the court sheets online now to see what’s happening on any given day.

Online Systems

Speaking of online, our court reservation system has experienced another upgrade, which allows you to book multiple courts without coming out of the booking window each time. There are still some bugs to be worked out with the Multiple Court Booking feature, and we will continue working with the developers to iron those out. When the feature is ready for unveiling, we will announce it.

Online event sign-ups appear to be catching on as more and more members are signing up for Saturday Round Robins through the online system. Gulf Harbour actually could be charging headlong into the 21st century…and we’re still only in the first decade. How about that! If you would like to attend a training session for the online court reservation system, please email us at tennis@gulfharbour.com. We will schedule training sessions if there is sufficient interest.

Your Pros: USPTA World Conference

All three of your tennis pros attended at least a portion of the USPTA World Conference in Marco Island last week. Only one of them was unrealistic enough to actually play in the competition. You can probably guess who that is. Despite not having played competitively and almost not at all for the past five months, I decided to give it a go anyway.

I was quite pleased with my level of play given the circumstances, and gave the eventual finalist a run for his money, losing 4-6 in the third. Truth be told, I was barely hanging on for dear life by the third or fourth game of the second set. Novak Djokovic would have quit, but how could I quit while representing Gulf Harbour? I did win the consolation event, 6-0, 6-2, but even then the tank was getting perilously close to empty in the second set.

Although Mike passed on the “real” competition, he took to the beach for his maiden voyage in beach tennis. Guess what? He and Jason Gilbert of Aventura, FL won a tight 7-5 set in the final match to clinch the USPTA World Beach Tennis title for Team Florida. Sorry, only the one pic from Mike's wife Tara. I was in session at the time. I know, I know, what’s the matter with me, going to a session when all that fun was to be had?

Your Pros: Pro League

You may not have caught that action, but there is plenty of excitement just around the corner…and you can catch all of that! The Fort Myers USPTA Pro League which has been a popular attraction during season is gearing up for the 2009 – 2010 campaign. An influx of new players with professional tour experience should enhance the quality of play and the level of competition. Maybe that means that Mike Curran’s team won’t win for the 5th consecutive time. I wouldn’t place any bets on that though. Curran just has this way of winning things.

Results of the Pro League Draft (where players are selected for teams) and the schedule also will be posted online and on the bulletin board in the very near future, so stay tuned! Players this season will include a former match winner at the French Open (yes, THAT French Open, Roland Garros red), and another who was playing on the ATP Challenge Tour just last year. According to Jared Kalpin, Director of Tennis and Fitness at Grandezza, “This is the strongest Pro League field I’ve ever seen.”

Facility Improvements

With the growing popularity of the Pro League, we are likely to have a substantial crowd when the competition comes to Gulf Harbour on Friday, November 6. Fortunately, our guests will be treated to a facility that has been significantly upgraded since last year’s event.

The courts are in great shape after a recent resurfacing; the landscaping adjacent to court two is entirely different; the view behind court one is vastly improved; the walkway between courts six and seven will soon be re-engineered to mitigate the wading pool that has traditionally occupied that area, the…well, I could go on, but you’ll just have to see for yourself. The Board has really been superbly supportive of our efforts to enhance the tennis venue, and Jerry Jimenez has been outstanding in maintaining the courts and the adjacent areas.

Men's Singles Ladders

A new piece has been added to the Gulf Harbour tennis puzzle: Two Men's Singles Ladders comprised of players of two levels (A Group & B Group) will take to the courts primarily on Monday and Thursday evenings from 6:30pm - 8:30pm.  Play begins officially on Thursday, October 15, and prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers of each ladder, for each of the two planned seasons. There are a spot spots open on the ladder so email me if you are interested in participating. If you are interested in reviewing the guidelines for the ladders, click here.

If you aren't excited about the new tennis season yet, I suggest you come on over to the Tennis, Fitness and Spa Center and see all the good things that are going on here. After you've taxed your body during Boot Camp on Monday, come inside and and experience the new staff and equipment in the revamped Spa. Yep, ya'll come on over...we'll leave the light on fer ya...sunlight that is :). Game, set, match....