WINTER TENNIS, 2009-2010

Around about the end of October, even the hardiest public court player must think of either finding indoor courts to play on, or doing something else for recreation and exercise. For Vancouver residents, finding indoor tennis courts to play on at less than country club expense requires travelling to one of our surrounding municipalities. Burnaby, Delta, North Vancouver, Richmond, and UBC, all have indoor tennis venues, some public, some private, that draw Vancouver players during the winter. All membership fees, booking card costs, and court booking fees cited below are for winter 2009-2010.


TENNIS FACILITIES

CAMERON RECREATION COMPLEX
9523 Cameron Street, Burnaby (behind the Lougheed Mall)
604-421-0976
http://www.city.burnaby.bc.ca/cityhall/departments/departments_parks/rcrtn/prksrc_fclts/Community_Centres/Cameron_Complex.html
2 courts on the lower floor of the complex.
lighting: direct

To book courts by phone, up to seven days in advance, one must first buy a court reservation card ($15.10 for the year). Court fees are under $20 per hour and vary with the time of day. Seniors and students are given a discount in non-prime time. On Saturdays the courts are reserved for juniors programs. During the rest of the week courts are most of the time available for booking. But as you might expect, with only two courts, getting court time is not easy. Nevertheless, this writer knows Vancouverites who have played at Cameron through the winter in years past.

Cameron offers opportunities for seniors to play doubles as members of groups that play regularly for 10 to 12 weeks in spring and fall sessions. Each group plays once a week for two hours. Players can belong to more than one group. Cameron has 5 groups going at this writing, three mens groups, one ladies group, and one mixed. Cost varies slightly from one group to another because of organisational factors peculiar to each doubles group. Nevertheless, cost per player works out to around $5 per hour.

Like Steveston (the other community centre listed here), Cameron offers a great deal to those who can get court time.

GRANT CONNELL TENNIS CENTRE
280 Lloyd Avenue, North Vancouver
604-983-6483
http://www.northvanrec.com/facilities/grant-connell-tennis-centre.aspx
6 covered courts, observation lounge, change rooms.
lighting:indirect

The Grant Connell Tennis Centre is the newest (1999) and largest of the publicly owned facilities. It is a nicely designed modular structure, and very popular. Grant Connell is run as a public tennis recreation centre. It offers a range of instructional programs, but they are all short term (4 weeks, one session per week), with access governed by lottery.

While membership is not required at Grant Connell, a booking card costing $108 per year is required to book courts in advance (up to 7 days). There are 700 booking card holders, and several hundred names on a waiting list to buy cards. Card holders may bring one non-card holder guest. Courts can be booked for one, one and a half, or two hour slots. Court fees work out to about $20 per hour, or a few dollars less, depending on the time of day.

This facility is hugely popular, and so heavily booked that getting into a regular regime of play or practise at Grant Connell is nigh impossible. But its a lovely place to play on the occasions when you can get in.

STEVESTON COMMUNITY CENTRE
4111 Moncton Street, Richmond
phone: 604-718-8080
http://www.richmond.ca/parksrec/sports/racquet.htm
3 covered courts in their Net Shed, behind the community centre.
lighting: direct, courts can be a bit shadowy.

The Net Shed is used occasionally for other things than tennis. Special events like craft fairs and judo tournaments make the courts unavailable for a weekend every now and again. Otherwise, a court can occasionally be taken up for a tennis lesson, but most of the time all three courts are available to be booked for recreational play.

To book a court, one must have a City of Richmond, Recreation and Cultural Services Department, Client Card. These are free, good for a lifetime, and have no requirement for residency in Richmond. Once one has a client number, one can book a court on a first come first served basis. Rates are $14 or $16 per hour, depending on the time of day. As you may imagine, there are many people trying to book, so getting the court time you want is not always possible. But the Steveston Community Centre offers one of the best deals going for the winter tennis player.

If courts are not in use for special events, SCC offers a Friday and Saturday evening of social tennis that is probably its greatest attraction for many tennis players. Social tennis at Steveston means doubles play, balls provided, partners chosen by drawing cards. Teams play for 1/2 hour, after which time partners are changed, and sitting players get their turn. The evening begins at 7:30, and is advertised as lasting for 3 hours. But this writer has oftentimes been there until after 11 pm, with people still playing when I left. Strictly drop-in, $14 per person. Social tennis evenings usually attract skill levels of NTRP 3.5 to 4.5. Number of players is limited to 24. Always phone ahead to ensure that the social tennis is not preempted by a special event.

Beware: There are wooden bleacher seats compressed against some of the walls in the Net Shed. Balls tumbling into them can be impossible to retrieve.

UBC TENNIS CENTRE
6160 Thunderbird Blvd, University of British Columbia
phone: 604-822-2505
http://www.tennis.ubc.ca/
4 covered courts, no fitness area or amenities.
lighting: indirect

As a tennis centre, this facility offers coaching and tennis programs for players of all ages and skill levels, as well as court booking for recreational play. Despite reference to "Court Booking Cards" still shown on the facility web site as of October, 2009, UBC is no longer requiring users to purchase a booking card for the winter of 2009-2010. This is a welcome change. Court fees are $18 or $24 per hour, depending on the time of day. The centre has more people trying to book courts than it can accommodate, and booking ahead can be very difficult. Change rooms with bathroom and showers are located in an adjacent university building, which can be locked in the evenings. Key is usually available from tennis centre staff. The centre is staffed largely by UBC students.

The programs offered at the UBC Tennis Centre are not as attractively inexpensive as they once were - charges have crept up over the past few years. Parking will cost you. Nevertheless, with the disappearance of the Court Booking Card, UBC is likely to remain an attractive indoor venue for many public court players.

Warning: The courts are protected from the elements by a rainproof fabric stretched over the building's light metal frame. Ne'er-do-wells have been known to cut through the wall and lift tennis bags lying nearby. Park your gear near the net posts.


TENNIS CLUBS

BURNABY TENNIS CLUB
3890 Kensington, Burnaby
phone: 604-291-0916
http://www.burnabytennisclub.ca/
6 courts in a bubble from October to end of March, modest clubhouse for members.
lighting: indirect, with direct lighting to illuminate the corners.

The Burnaby Tennis Club is a non profit society that functions in co-operation with the city of Burnaby. Adult membership consists of a $150 initiation fee with annual dues of $700. There are discounted rates for juniors, intermediates, and seniors. No court rental fees for members. The Burnaby Tennis Club offers various programs and activities to members only. Those who seek just to play once, or occasionally twice, in a week may buy a seasonal, "pay to play" booking card for $70. Card holders must book 5 days ahead, and pay court fees of $17 to $20 per hour, depending on time of day. There are two courts set aside for the "pay to play" card holders. Court booking success goes to the early bird, as is the case elsewhere. Anyone may book an idle court on a same day basis. Court fees will apply.

RICHMOND TENNIS CLUB
6820 Gilbert Rd., Richmond
phone: 604-273-3631
http://www.richmondtennisclub.com/
3 courts in a bubble from October to end of March.
lighting: indirect

The Richmond Tennis Club is a society whose courts are on public land. Adult membership is broken into an outdoor membership and an indoor membership. There is an initiation fee of $750, then annual dues of $175 (outdoor) and $300 (indoor). Juniors and Intermediates need pay only annual dues of $85 and $110 repectively. No court fees for members.

Courts are available for rental by the public at certain times of day. Charges for court rental is $20.00 for 75 minutes except for the Monday and Tuesday 9.00pm booking which is $30.00 for 2 hours. Public booking times are scheduled at various times of the day that do not attract members (see web site). This writer has been told that it is near impossible to play regularly at the Richmond Tennis Club without having a membership. Yet another informant claims that some ladies manage to play regularly in an early morning slot. There is hope....

SPORTSTOWN
4991 No. 5 Rd, Richmond (just before the overpass, heading south on No. 5)
phone: 604-273-7366.
http://www.sportstownbc.com/
5 covered courts
lighting: direct & indirect

Programs and court rental at Sportstown is generally restricted to members only. However the club does make deals for regular court rental with outside groups. On that basis the Vancouver Tennis Association (one of the seasonal public court tennis clubs) plays at Sportstown, Sunday afternoons for two hours, from October to April - $10 per person per session. Hard to beat that cost for indoor tennis.

STEVE NASH SPORTS CLUB
10251 St Edwards Dr, Richmond (just over the Oak Bridge, east side. Take the No. 4 Rd. exit, and cross the freeway at Cambie)
phone: 604-273-5213
http://www.stevenashsportsclub.com/richmond.html
4 courts in a bubble; large fitness area, swimming pool.
lighting: indirect

Until last spring, the tennis bubble was run by Pacific Resorts Racquet Club, whose corporate memberships for years accommodated many Vancouver tennis players at very modest cost. Those groups exist no longer, although members in the old tennis corporations were offered discounted rates to join Steve's new sports club. Under the new ownership tennis players are required to pay both one monthly charge for fitness area use, and another for tennis court use. No court booking fees. Free parking.

Membership rates are not posted on Steve's web site; one is supposed to palaver with a "membership consultant" (how impressive is that!!!!!) about joining. A call from this writer was transferred to one of these consultants by a receptionist, but after remaining on hold for several minutes, I ceased to be impressed, and abandoned my quest for info. Never mind, an informant who signed up with Steve recently tells me he pays $92.40 per month, including GST. [A couple of months after first posting this article, I have been informed that other players pay more than that]

TOWN AND COUNTRY TENNIS CLUB
6005 Highway 17, Delta (just east of Hwy 99, next the Delta Town & Country Inn)
phone: 604-940-7475
http://www.deltainn.com/display_menu.php?menu_id=40&sub_id=48
4 courts in a bubble, fitness area and amenities
lighting: direct

Memberships in the Town and Country are truly inexpensive by indoor tennis club standards, probably due to the somewhat remote location (although the Town and Country is not farther than Steveston, for Vancouver players). Programs and most court rentals are members only. Court fees are charged, $16 or $25 per hour, depending on the time of day. Non-members may make same day bookings, if courts are available. The Town and Country will make block bookings with non-member groups large enough to require several courts. It is on this basis that Vancouver players known to this writer play doubles throughout the winter, paying $130 each to play once a week (2hrs) for 10 weeks in the fall, and again in the late winter.

Beware: Turning left towards the Town and Country off Highway 17 too early will take you back into the Dease Island tunnel heading north. Make sure to go past hotel for the turn off into the parking lot.