Tennis Club Championships Update

Despite temperatures requiring apparel uncommon in southwest Florida, two of the five Club Championship tennis events being contested were completed today. Jemin Martinsen repeated as Women’s All Aces Champion with a win 6-1, 7-5 win over Randy Thomas-Wohl, and Frank Kaplan continued his red hot play by winning the Men’s Court Crashers division in a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Tony Cupaiuolo.

Jemin overcame the wind and cold, a tender groin, and a second set push by Randy, who battled to a 5-4 lead before succumbing to Jemin’s tenacity, the elements and a strained glute. Fresh off his undefeated campaign that led to his claiming the Men’s Singles Ladder Group-B title, Frank remained patient and held it together despite Tony’s three-game run after Frank had taken a 5-0 lead. Chances are that Frank will be challenging for the Ball Basher Championship next season.

For those not familiar with the levels of play in our Club Championships, the highest level of play in the Club Championships is the All Aces division, and includes players who are rated 4.0 minus and above in local leagues and identified as such by the tennis staff.  At the second level of play are the Ball Bashers, who are rated 3.0 through 3.5; and the third level are the Court Crashers, who are rated 2.0 through 3.0.

In other Club Championship action, Women’s Ball Bashers Defending Champion, Martha Deleeuw, closed out Ann Wright 6-2, 6-2 in a quarterfinal match that began on Friday. She then went on to topple talented newcomer Angela Mitrisin in a frigid three-set semifinal struggle, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Martha will face another skilled first-year member, Judy Wilson in the final on Tuesday evening at 4pm. Judy eclipsed Joy Jones in her semifinal match, 6-1, 6-1 and should provide Martha with all the competition she could handle.

In today’s Men’s Ball Bashers semifinal, John Hess, who had been undefeated in the Men’s Singles Ladder before a tough loss to Frank Kaplan, took out Defending Champion Bill Wright in three sets to setup an interesting match-up with Maxwell Thompson. After cruising to a 6-0 first set, John came back from a 3-5-deficit to force a tiebreak in the second. Bill’s mental toughness got him through the tiebreak, but he couldn’t get past his lingering injuries and John’s terrific shot-making.

After posting a perfect score against the always-tough Tim Baldwin, Maxwell, along with Frank, has to be a contender for the title of “Most Improved Player” this season. Given John’s superb play since he’s returned from Wisconsin and Maxwell’s enhanced game, we can expect a match worth watching this coming Tuesday at 4pm.

The Men’s All Aces Champion, Geoff Negin, also faced a stiff challenge to his title defense. Geoff and Chuck Klucka took to the courts at 11am before the temperature had climbed to 40 degrees and while the wind chill was still in the low 30s, but it didn’t take very long for the tennis to heat up. After going down 2-6 to the champ, Chuck fought back to post a 6-3 second-set win. However; Geoff’s solid game and championship experience stood him in good stead, and he will have the opportunity to win back-to-back Club Championships when he faces Chip Graddy on Thursday evening at 6pm.

Chip faced Tim Jones in his All Aces semifinal match, and prevailed 6-1, 6-2. Tim must be given a tremendous amount of credit for coming out on a cold, windy morning to face a player with a tremendous height (at least 7 inches), and youth (at least 2.5 decades) advantage. Tim’s inscrutable expression belied the heavy odds against him, and he threw everything he had at Chip. However, Chip’s powerful, attacking game was a bit much for Tim, and it will be interesting to see how it matches up on Thursday against Geoff’s consistent, strategic style.

All in all, despite the diminished number of participants and spectators, and the uncooperative weather, the singles event has been entertaining and it promises to be even more so with the final matches yet to come. We expect better weather and better participation for the Doubles event of the Club Championships beginning February 5^th, so get your partner on the courts to practice, and if you aren’t playing, come on out to watch some fun competition.

Gulf Harbour Tennis in 2010

As 2010 gets underway, a number of our members who have faced major challenges in 2009 continue to battle difficult circumstances. Your pros are happy to be able to provide a program where, in instances where physical limitation isn't an issue, playing our favorite game offers a temporary distraction. In cases where physical limitation is present, we hope that watching teammates and friends play can be a diversion from some of the more stressful elements of life. With that in mind, let's take a look at the happenings around your tennis courts.

Tennis Events

The 2009- 2010 Tennis Club Championships Men’s and Women’s Singles events are underway, with Maxwell Thompson winning the first match played in the Men’s Ball Basher division yesterday by a score of 6-1, 6-3 over Brian Hammermeister. However, the true ball bashing was done today in the Women’s Ball Bashers division. 

Joy Jones squeaked by Sharon Bock in a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 thriller, and shortly thereafter newcomer Angela Mitrisin closed out a hard fought battle, edging Anna Pitts by a score of 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. The semis (Saturday) and finals (Sunday) are scheduled for this weekend, but the weather is threatening to bagel the entire event. Players may want to get their semifinal matches in tomorrow if possible.

The Men’s and Women’s Doubles component of the Club Championships event will be held on February 5 – 7. Members can register online or on the bulletin board at the Tennis Center. Soon thereafter, on Saturday February 20, the tennis component of the Gulf Harbour Memorial Foundation will be held. Check online and with the tennis pro shop for details.

Before we get to those events, next up on the tennis agenda is the Tennis Family Night Dinner, one of the best opportunities for new and established members to mingle, and to catch up after being away for the holidays. On Wednesday, January 13^th at Johnny Browns, tennis members, spouses, staff, and guests will be gathering at 6pm for cocktails with dinner to follow at 7pm. I certainly enjoyed the most recent tennis Family Night and look forward to the next.

Gulf Harbour Tennis Teams

Gulf Harbour's teams have been very successful to begin the season, but before we delve into the success of our teams, we would like to announce to all LCWTL players and would be players, that a new Captains Council for our LCWTL teams has been formed, and the Council has published some Guidelines that will assist with the formation of LCWTL teams in the future. You can review the Guidelines by clicking here and logging into the Club website.

Now for our stellar team results: Gulf Harbour’s tennis teams continue to excel moving into the 2010. Among the top performers is our 3.0-Minus team, which carried a commanding 17-point lead into the new year. Jenny King and Darlene Mattcheck’s ladies have swept their opponents in three of the seven matches they have played, and have lost only one individual match in the other four matches.

Also serving notice that they intend to reclaim the title they held two seasons ago is Effie Parker and Marianne McElroy’s Bronze team, which has swept its last three matches en route to a 19-point division lead. After a relatively slow start due to some key absences, the Bronze Ladies have reached full strength and will be hard to catch the rest of the way.

Sally Mellendorf and Linda VanWyk’s 3.0 Double Trouble team, which was in the hunt right down to the wire last year for the division title, holds a nine-point lead in its division at the half-way point of the season. To claim the division title Double Trouble will have to overcome some injuries to key players such as Pat Nolan and Linda VanWyk. Yet, having managed to sweep a number of their early matches without Captain “No Mercy” Mellendorf in action, Double Trouble should continue to be a quadruple threat.

Judy Jones and Judy Manzella’s 3.5-Minus Sure Shots have clawed their way into second-place, just one point behind the division leaders. After a bit of heartbreak last season, we can expect the Sure Shots to be in the hunt all the way through the season finale. Due to the team being less than full-strength, Marcia DeVries and Mary Harrington’s 4.0 ladies have slipped from first to second behind a strong Paseo team, and there are five teams within six points of second-place. The team will need to be at full strength if it is to finish among the top teams in one of the LCWTL’s elite divisions.

Also holding on to the No.2 spot in their division are Norma Schuyler and Carlotta Clark’s Golden Girls. A number of factors leading to the unavailability of key players have hurt our Gold team’s effort to repeat as Division Champions. However, despite the 41-point deficit they face (having played one match fewer than the leaders); this team has plenty of talent and grit, so a repeat isn’t out of the question by a long shot.

A determined 4.0-Minus team has worked its way back into the top-five, but is some distance behind the top team, Bonita Bay, which has dropped only three of their 36 individual matches played. However, if our 4.0- ladies can keep everyone healthy and ready to play, they should finish among the top-five teams in this very deep division. Closing out the report of our ladies teams that are lodged among the top-five of their divisions is Teressa Crocker and Wennie Johannes’ 60-Plus team, which sits in fifth-place despite being short-handed through the first five matches of the season.

Gulf Harbour’s men’s teams have also been representing the Club with distinction. Leading the way is Tim Baldwin and Rich Fox’s White-A team, which has opened up a four-point division lead after having been tied for first-place for several weeks.  


Tony Cupaiuolo and Bill Crouch’s Blue-B team continues to hang on to the No.1 position by a single point in a very competitive division. Only four points separate the top five teams, but consistent performances by our boys of blue (they’ve won at least three of four individual matches in four of five team matches played) are keeping them one step ahead.

George Kane’s Red-A team is second by two points after four matches, and John Hess’ White-C has usurped the second position after winning three of four individual matches in its most recent team match. Jim Masiello and Dave Russ’ Blue-C squad has dropped from third to fifth position as a result of being swept in its last two matches. They will have to pick up the pace if they are to remain in the top-five, because two teams are breathing down their necks, only one point behind.

Demonstrating that Gulf Harbour is competitive at all levels and ages, Terry Brady’s 69-ers of the 70-Plus league begin 2010, and only their second season of play in third position, just three points out of first. If the team stays healthy, they should be able to improve upon their third-place finish in 2009.

Men’s Singles Ladders

The Inaugural season of the Men’s Singles Ladders will be history on Monday, and a historic match was played today for the No.1 spot in the Group-B Ladder. John Hess, who came into the final battle for supremacy with a 5-0 record, faced off against Frank Kaplan, who carried a 4-0 record himself.  When the final shot had been struck, Frank, a decided underdog, had claimed honors in Group-B’s inaugural season of the men’s ladder.  

It appears as though Geoff Negin, our defending Club Champion, will claim the same historical position in Group-A as he came back from knee surgery to finish with a 3-0 record. Group A played approximately half the matches played by those in Group-B, and this first season just may be the only season for Group-A.

Your Pros

Your pros will be back in USPTA Pro League action at Heritage Palms on Friday, January 15, at 4pm.  Joel’s team, Key Private Bank, leads the League by a slim 1 ½-point margin; Mike’s team, Boston Retirement Advisors, are in third-place, trailing the leaders by 8 points; and T. A.’s team, Johnny Malloy’s (AKA Team Geritol) is bringing up the rear, trailing the leaders by 11 ½ points. Yet, with a little more than half the season yet to be played, the outcome is far from decided.

Key Private Bank may be without Joel’s undefeated racquet next Friday, because Joel is scheduled to play in the USTA’s Men’s 4.5 Team Sectionals in Daytona Beach next weekend. Joel’s travel schedule hasn’t been made, however, so he may be available to terrorize the opposition (Mike’s team).

Facilities

Quarterly maintenance of the tennis courts has been completed by Ritzman Tennis and the courts are playing beautifully. Ritzman also found the problem that has short-circuited our water coolers and ball machine use on courts 1 – 4. We should have that problem fixed in the near future.


Game, Set, Match
Well that's about all for this edition of your Gulf Harbour Tennis Blog. We hope that the new year is off to a great start for you and yours, and please keep an eye out for February's Soundings, where Jim Rollero will recap Admiral Bill Casey's luncheon. 

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.

Gulf Harbour Tennis Season Underway

Tennis Boot Camp Sizzles

The sizzling summer heat did not dissuade our hardy Gulf Harbour tennis nuts…uh, I mean tennis lovers from swatting the yellow orb across the net during our annual Tennis Boot Camp. Although the temps were in the mid-nineties all four days of the event, even our most, uhm, “experienced” tennis members, Pat and Bernie Nolan, endured wilting weather to the scorching end. Major kudos to all who braved the mid-day inferno!

Tennis Pros from local clubs such as Scotty Harrington of Legends, Shawn Hedrick of Cascades, and Terry See of The Landings (among others) joined your tennis staff to fling plenty of fuzzy felt at the diehards who came to prepare for their team’s season, or just to enjoy the workout in the sun. The feedback I received suggested that the vast majority of the attendees felt their attendance was well worth their while. 

Halloween Tennis Around the Corner

If you like costumes as well as tennis, then your favorite event is next on the tennis menu. Consumate event organizer Tim Baldwin has the reins on this one, so it's guaranteed fun. This is the one event wear looking good trumps playing well. Some may argue good looks trump good play any day, and unless there's high finances involved in winning, I might have to agree.

But I've digressed haven't I? The essence of Halloween tennis is that you get weirdly dressed in some outfit that allows you to play at least a little tennis.

LCWTL Teams off and Running

Gulf Harbour’s women’s Lee County Women’s Tennis League (LCWTL) teams are off to a good start, with the 50-Plus Bronze and 50-Plus Silver Belles winning their opening matches this week. Our USTA Mixed Doubles team takes to the courts for the first time on Saturday, October 24, at 12:00pm at home, and our men’s teams won’t begin play until November, and their schedules will be posted as well as they become available. Don’t forget that you can review team information on the Club Website’s tennis pages under the Tennis Teams and Leagues link.

Men's Singles Ladders
We hope that getting off to good starts is contagious at Gulf Harbour, because our Men’s Singles Ladders officially begin play this week. Although we have lost a few warriors to injury for the Fall Season, we still have 18 players registered for the two initial ladders. Singles ladder play offers excellent opportunities for players to improve their singles skills prior to participating in the Club Championships in the spring, and is a terrific source of cardiovascular exercise. Read more about the ladders here and click click on the following respective to actually see ladder participants, latest results, etc.: Group B, Group A.

USTA Junior Team Tennis

In case you haven’t heard, our junior players have become more active competitively, and Joel has taken on the responsibility of managing our USTA Junior Team Tennis (JTT) team. Thus far the teams have played twice and in our most recent match on 10/10, Max Margolin won three matches (1 singles, two doubles) to help our 18-and-under team (all but one player is 14-and-under) to a 7-5 victory over Punta Gorda. Jacob Glasser also contributed to the team victory with a doubles win. The team holds a 1-1 record at this writing.

Our 12-and-under team is also 1-1 having posted an opening day victory against Rutenberg before losing last Saturday against Lee County, the top team in the League. Every player on our team contributed in the team victory against Rutenberg, with Cameron Sadighi providing three points; Simon Negin, Isabel Leigh, and Eve Bailey contributing two points each; and Danny Glasser and Jared Fleishman adding one point each. All matches are played on Saturday afternoons at Rutenberg Park, beginning at 12:30pm.

USPTA Pro League
The USPTA Pro League, title-sponsored by Ritzman Tennis, Gulf Harbour’s primary court maintenance company, will begin play on Friday the 23rd at Legends. This year all three of your tennis pros are on different teams, so there will be two disappointed tennis pros at Gulf Harbour at season’s end. You can read about the Pro League, including a review of the team rosters and schedule by clicking here.

Don't forget to give your opinion by checking one of the boxes below. Feedback is always good! Game, set, match...

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....