Gulf Harbour Tennis Thanksgiving Update

If you are in anyway connected to Gulf Harbour's tennis program you have a lot for which to be thankful. Our facility is among the best in the area, our engaged and active membership is second to none, and our Board is as supportive of our program as any member-owned board is likely to be at a golf-oriented country club. 

In addition to the above, we have a group of dedicated tennis professionals who are as esteemed as any group of professionals in the Southwest Florida tennis community, and we have a strong cadre of teams that are perennially among the best in Lee County. I am personally extremely thankful for the supportive and caring membership with which I am privileged to work. Since there isn't enough time and space here to give adequate thanks, I may as well get on with the update, right?

Lee County Ladies’ Teams

As noted in the last update, Gulf Harbour’s ladies teams have started very strong in the Lee County Women’s Tennis League (LCWTL). As of Sunday, November 22nd, nine of our twelve ladies teams were amongst the top five in their divisions.

Leading the way is Captains Jenny King and Darlene Mattcheck’s 3.0-Minus team which continues to lead its division, stretching their division lead to 16 points after four matches. Their next home match will be Thursday, December 3^rd. 

A trio of teams sit in second in their divisions. They include the 3.0 Double Trouble team, under the guidance of Sally Mellendorf and Linda VanWyk; Norma Schuyler and Carlotta Clark’s Defending Champion 50-Plus Gold ladies, who trail the division leaders by only two points; and Effie Parker and Marianne McElroy’s 50-Plus Bronze squad. The Bronze ladies trail the division leader by only 8 points, and play next at home on Wednesday, December 9^th. Double Trouble’s next home match is against The Forest on Monday, December 7^th. 

Connie Hess and Pam Lemon’s 4.0-Minus team is maintaining their top-five position, holding steady in third place. Marcia DeVries and Mary Harrington lead the third-place 4.0 women, Gulf Harbour’s highest level LCWTL team. The team has won two of the three contests they have played thus far, and appear to be heading for a terrific season.  

Judy Jones and Judy Manzella’s 3-5-Minus Sure Shots have slipped from the top spot they held after the first two weeks of the season, but they are only one point out of third place, and play again at home on Wednesday, December 2^nd. Monnie Kane and Sue Weiss’ 50-Plus Silver Belles are holding onto the fourth spot after seven weeks of play, and our 60-Plus team led by Teressa Crocker and Wennie Johannes has worked its way into the third position after three weeks of play.

Lee County Men’s Teams

Gulf Harbour’s men also are off to a good start in the Lee County Men’s 50-Plus Tennis League (LCMTL). Although early in the season, four of GH’s six LCMTL teams reside amongst the top-five in their divisions. Leading the way is the White A team led by is tied for the division lead after sweeping all four individual competitions in its first match; Blue A and Blue B both sit in second; and Blue C is tied for fourth after the first week of play. The Red A team begins play on Thursday, December 3^rd.  

USTA Teams

Judy Schafft’s 7.0 Super Senior Women’s team is carrying the mantle for us as far as our USTA teams go. Those ladies continue to lead their division with a 5-1 record, and both Judy Schafft and Carole Shapiro are undefeated in league play.

Gulf Harbour’s USTA 7.0 Super Senior Men still sit in second with a 3-2 record.  Slipping from the ranks of the unbeaten and from their No.1 position into the two-spot, our 7.0 Senior Mixed Doubles team is still in a very respectable second place.

Men’s Singles Ladders

The biggest story of the Inaugural Gulf Harbour Men’s Singles Ladders is the meteoric rise of John Hess who came in late, but got after it in a hurry. John has played five matches since October 15^th, winning them all, including a straight-set victory over previous Group B Ladder leader, Manny Lima. Since claiming the ladder pinnacle on November 12^th, John has not been challenged. Manny still sits in second and Eddie Dance holds third with a 2-2 record.

In the Group A Ladder, Alan Canfield, Jr. continues to hold onto the top spot, but Geoff Negin, the reigning Club Champion, has just issued Alan a challenge, and Geoff is 2-0 in ladder competition thus far. The winner of this match has to be considered a favorite to claim honors in the inaugural Group A Ladder. Newcomer Chip Graddy

Your Pros

Gulf Harbour’s success seems to have extended to your pros as well. All three won their matches at the most recent Pro League, Joel and I in straight sets, and Mike in his customary third-set super-tiebreak. 

In other recent action, I pulled it together enough to claim the Men’s 50 Doubles title with Jim Katterfield of Shadow Wood Country Club on Day 2 of the USPTA Masters after a first day meltdown in singles. Hoping to continue our winning trend, I’m off to defend my Turkey Bowl Title in the Men’s 45s this coming weekend.

But Joel continues to be “Da Man” of Gulf Harbour tennis (If we don’t consider Alan Canfield, Jr. and John Hess).  Joel finished the 2010 fall season of the USTA Lee/Charlotte County Adult League Men’s 4.5 Division with an undefeated record, losing only one set in his five matches.

But top kudos must go to our peerless leader, who, as a reflection of his esteem among local tennis professionals, has been selected to play in as prestigious an exhibition as we’ll see in the area. Mike will play with top USTA amateur Rick Schmidt, winner of multiple USTA National Championships;  Xavier Malisse, who has been ranked as high as No.19 on the ATP Tour; and Robert Kendrick, formerly No.69 on the ATP Tour at Casa Ybel on Sanibel on Saturday, December 12^th. 

New Tennis Season Rocking at Gulf Harbour

Hello Gulf Harbourites. Welcome back to your "Here's What's Happening (and or happened) in Gulf Harbour Tennis" spot.

Up-Coming Events
The first Tennis Family Night Dinner of the 2009 – 2010 season is being served up Wednesday the 18th. Come break bread and sip wine with old tennis friends or make some new ones. See who you can recognize without tennis garb. And, the rumor is that Jim Rollero is preparing a pictorial show for your entertainment as well. Click here to be a part of the Tennis Family Night Dinner.

Gulf Harbour Tennis Teams

A Captains Council has been formed to help manage the formation and functioning of Gulf Harbour’s Lee County Women’s Tennis League teams. Linda VanWyk, Co-Captain of the 3.0 Double Trouble team was elected to chair the Council’s inaugural season. Guidelines will soon be available on the Club website on the Tennis Teams & Leagues page.

Eight of Gulf Harbour’s 12 LCWTL teams are among the top-five teams in their divisions. Leading the way is our 60-Plus team, led by Teressa Crocker and Wennie Johannes, which leads the division after sweeping its first two matches.

Five of our teams are sitting in the second spot during the early going. They include Sally Mellendorf and Linda VanWyk’s 3.0 Double Trouble, which is three points out of first place after five weeks; Jenny King and Darlene Mattcheck’s 3.0-Minus team which trails the division leader by two points after two weeks of play; and our Defending Champion 50-Plus Gold team which is five points out of first after three matches.

Also in the group of five sitting in second is our 4.0 team, captained by Marcia Devries and Mary Harrington, and our 4.0-Minus team, with Connie Hess and Pam Lemon at the helm. These two divisions are among the toughest to claim top-five spots, but a strong showing against one of the League’s premier teams, Park Meadow, has vaulted our 4.0 ladies into second after two weeks, and our 4.0-Minus ladies have swept two of their first four opponents en route to their second-place standing.

The two remaining teams in top-five positions include Judy Jones and Judy Manzella’s 3.5-Minus Sure Shots are holding on to fourth after two weeks, and Effie Parker and Marianne McElroy’s Bronze team which sits in fifth place after four matches.

Not to be outdone, our USTA Men’s, Women’s and Mixed Doubles Teams have also sprinted out of the blocks in fine form. Our 7.0 Senior Mixed team led by Bob Ostrom is in first place and undefeated after three matches, Judy Schafft’s 7.0 Super Senior women hold the first spot with a 4-0 record, and our 7.0 Super Senior Men’s team is second with a 2-1 record after its third match.

Men’s Singles Ladder

New additions to the Gulf Harbour Men’s Singles B Ladder, Jim King and Frank Kaplan, are off to good starts, each picking up a straight-set victory in his initial match. Both will have a ways to go to catch current Ladder MVP John Hess who is waiting impatiently for his match-up with Ladder leader Manny Lima.

The action has been less than torrid in the A Ladder. Ladder leader Alan Canfield has played only one match, and no other player in this group has played more than two. Canfield has been busy otherwise, however; finishing regular season play in the Ultimate Tennis League (formerly K-Swiss) with only one loss in the 4.0 Division. Alan won his division and will be entering the playoffs as one of the favorites to claim the League Championship.

Your Tennis Pros

Gulf Harbour Tennis hosted the Fort Myers USPTA Tennis Pro League’s second stop on Friday, November 6th. Approximately 300 cheering fans swarmed the tennis facility, enthusiastically cheering great play and jeering the blunders of their favorite tennis professionals. Gulf Harbour is without doubt the the most electric of all the Pro League stops, and it is because we have the absolute best tennis members bar none!

Starring in the main attraction, Mike Curran paired with Eddie Neese in the marquee match-up of the day at the No. 1 position against former world-ranked Roberto Saad and current FGCU player Sergio Robelledo. Mike and Eddie came back from a 2-6 drubbing in the first set, to claim the win in a super-tiebreak, 10 – 5.

Starting things of right in the early matches wsa your dynamic young pro, Joel Hampton. Joel teamed with Alex Hermeto of Gateway against Patrick Kangwa of The Landings and Lighthouse Bay’s Jorge Magalhaes in a crowd-pleaser of a match at the No.3 position. Joel’s youthful reflexes and blistering groundstrokes drew cheers from the crowd and proved to be the deciding factor in the super-tiebreak win for Hampton and Hermeto.

Unfortunately, yours truly didn’t do so well. I played with Mark Drons of Vasari at the no.2 position against Jim Katterfield of Shadow Wood, and Luke Andreae, a former No.1 position player from Punta Gorda. We got off to a great start and appeared to have the match well in hand after the first set. But then, I double faulted three, count ‘em, THREE consecutive times en route to a break to open the second set. That appeared to panick my partner and it certainly killed our momentum. We went on to lose the match 6-2, 2-6, 3-6.

But I’m blaming Bev Adams for that loss. She was court side cheering us on, serving as our inspiration to comeback when we were down a break in the third set. But when the lights went out, literally, at 3 – 3, and we changed courts, Bev was nowhere to be seen! The lights then went out, figuratively, on our games as well. We didn’t win another game.

Joel the Hero

In addition to his on-court heroics, Joel recently showed that he can be a hero off the court as well. Last week Joel witnessed an accident on his way to a hockey game, and turned around to assist and stay with the senior citizen involved in the accident until help arrived. Never one to miss an opportunity to add to his fan club, Joel invited the victim and her husband to the Pro League match at Gulf Harbour. And, they came!

In more heroic action, Joel has helped his USTA 4.5 Men’s Adult League team advance to the playoffs by going undefeated thus far in fall season play. Joel has the opportunity to finish the season undefeated if he wins his match today, and will represent West Bay in Regional Playoffs in January.

T. A. at USPTA Masters
Proving that age and wisdom aren't necessarily correlated, I'll be off to participate in the USPTA Masters Tournament at Tiger Wood’s place (Isleworth in Orlando) this weekend (November 14th & 15th). USPTA certified Pros qualify for the season ending event by finishing in the top four of their age division in the USPTA Grand Prix series. I finished No.2 in the Men’s 50 Division and will play singles and doubles in Orlando. I have the modest goal of coming back to Gulf Harbour uninjured.

Have a great weekend everyone, and I'll see you next week. Game, set, match...

Hot Start to Gulf Harbour Tennis Season

Summer ripples still dance before our sunkissed eyes, and the air hangs heavily about our shoulders as we take to the courts...AND IT"S NOVEMBER for crying out loud! Ah, but complain we shan't for 'tis snowy streets that greet some who yet dwell in northern climes.

Events
Ok, down to business here...If you know anything about Gulf Harbour tennis you know that we are up and running at a breakneck pace. Yesterday's annual Halloween event drew some of our most creative racquet swingers to the courts, and next weekend the Welcome Back Mixer is on tap. As soon as we turn around twice, the Tennis Family Night Dinner will be here (Wednesday, November 18th). Surely you know by now that you can register for those and all tennis events and activities online (click links above for quick access).

In addition to our in-house happenings, the USPTA Pro League will be coming to Gulf Harbour on Friday, November 6th. As mentioned elsewhere, this season promises to be one of the most exciting ever for the Pro League. Former Grand Slam competitors and recent college grads have boosted the level of play and expanded the number of matches to be played. We hope to have a good turnout at Gulf Harbour, even if we can’t match the record-setting throngs that Mike and I experienced at Grandezza.

If, after attending Pro League, you haven't yet had enough tennis, the following day (Saturday, November 7th), the 29th Annual Naples-Fort Myers Challenge Cup will be happening at Bonita Bay. Although we (Fort Myers) won the first year I played (2007), Naples regained the honors last year. I had the pleasure of losing a good match to "The Legend" Larry Turville in last year's event. It'll be extremely tough to wrest the cup from the this year, and your support would surely be a boost for the Fort Myers team.

Ladies’ Teams

Team play is off to a microwave start, and a few of Gulf Harbour’s Lee County Women’s Tennis League teams have opened the season quite impressively. Captains Jenny King’s and Darlene Mattcheck’s 3.0-Minus team holds the lead in its division after two matches, sweeping its first two opponents. They take on Breckenridge at home Thursday, November 5th. Judy Jones’ and Judy Manzella’s 3-5-Minus Sure Shots also swept their first two opponents to take the lead in their division. They play again at home on Wednesday, November 4th.

Not to be outdone, Gulf Harbour’s 4.0-Minus team, led by Connie Hess and Pam Lemon, is also off to a stellar start with, you guessed it, two more sweeps in its first two matches. They play next at home this Monday, November 2nd. The 3.0 Double Trouble team, under the guidance of Sally Mellendorf and Linda VanWyk, is in second place after winning two of their first three matches in sweeps. The imminent going may be troublesome for Double Trouble, though, as they play away the next two weeks.

Although not as dominating in their performances as the previously mentioned teams, Monnie Kane’s and Sue Weiss’ Silver Belles hold the third spot after winning three of their four matches to date. The Belles play next at home on Friday, November 6th.

Men’s Teams

One of Gulf Harbour’s USTA teams, our 7.0 Super Senior Men, has begun play, and it sits in second with a 2-1 record. Tennis Committee Chairperson and Gulf Harbour Board Member, Bob Ostrom, is anchoring the defending State Champion team, carrying a 3-0 record thus far. Our consummate tennis organizer Tim Baldwin is doing his share for the team as well, winning two of the three matches he has played. The six Gulf Harbour men’s teams that play in the Lee County 50-Plus Men’s League begin play on November 17th, and Gulf Harbour’s 69ers, who play in the 70-Plus Men’s Tennis League, open play on December 2nd.

Men’s Singles Ladders

In addition to the usual excitement of team play, there is a new game in Gulf Harbour tennis. The Inaugural Men’s Singles Ladders (Group A and Group B) is developing into an exciting and hotly contested affair. Contestants are finding that singles is great cardio exercise, as well as fun competition.

John Hess     has to be considered the “Ladder MVP” to date based upon his performance. Although only recently returned from cheese country, John Hess     has stormed up the Group B Ladder, and now sits in second place. In less than two weeks, John has played and won four matches, three of them going to a third and final set.

Manny Lima sits atop the Group B Ladder, but he has only played once since the start of the official ladder season, and John is right on his heels. This promises to be one of the early-season marquee matchups in the B Group, and should be coming soon. Although it'll make for a very long day, I don’t want to miss that one!

Deserving of honorable mention are Dave Russ and Eddie Dance. Both have jumped right into the singles fray without having any experience on the singles court, and each has played three or more matches in two weeks. The oppressive heat has not deterred these court warriors who obviously came to play.

The Group A Ladder is off to a much slower start of the official season. Only three matches have been played since the official season began two weeks ago, with Chip Graddy    , the motivating force behind the ladders, playing two of those three matches.

Alan Canfield holds the top spot in Group A, having beaten Chip in straight sets (6-1, 6-4) in the only match he’s played thus far. Chip handled Maxwell Thompson in his most recent match (6-0, 6-4), despite some stellar play by Maxwell. Reigning Club Champion Geoff Negin is back from injury, and he returned victoriously over newcomer Brian Hammermeister in straight sets (6-0, 6-2). I suspect that once some of the other injured players heal, this group will see some heightened activity.

In closing, I must extend the warmest note of gratitude to the host of caring spirits who gave so generously of themselves during MJ's and my moment of difficulty. I was virutally overwhelmed by the show of care and support, treasured the cards and other offerings, and can only humbly say, "Thank You!" MJ is mobile again and doing much better. Until next...game, set, match.