 |
| "Baby, it's cold outside..." Picture uploaded by P2Squared |
Indoor Tennis Anyone?
Winter approaches! This is the time to start thinking "Indoor Tennis" for all of you on the East Coast. When it gets below 40 and so dark after work you just want to go home and take a nap...Below are some of the best options to ward off the tennis blues and tips for playing tennis indoors.
Even with gloves and a parka, it's still good to have options when it's windy and cold outside!
6 Tips to "Save Money and Play More Tennis" this winter!
1) Weekend Tennis Party and SocialsIf you just play once a week, you can join a local weekly "tennis party" that typically charges about $20-$30 so you can play all night of doubles (7-11pm). Usually held on Fri/Sat nights at many local clubs, they are popularly known as "pizza tennis parties".
More promo codes are updated regularly on our Facebook Tennis Coupons Page!
Pros: They usually have some light snacks or a pot-luck style party on Fri or Sat night. It's a mixer with typically 30-60 people of various skill levels. We match people up accordingly and rotate the doubles teams and provide the new tennis balls. Meet new people and get a chance to get on the courts, even if it's just once a week max.
Cons: The downside is that you might be matched with players at the wrong playing level if they do not rate and group them properly. Be sure to tell the organizer well ahead of time your playing experience.
2) Discount Memberships 2 for 1 and no enrollment fees
Alright, you're probably thinking...hmm, aren't private clubs and memberships really expensive? Usually, but not always...you may be able to find monthly rates at some places. Also look for promos that waive the enrollment fee (usually $100+ savings).
3) Request an extra "Guest Pass" when signing up with an existing member
If you want to play regularly over the winter without the membership dues (which at gyms are around ~$150/month avg), I'd recommend you to find a buddy who belongs to a local indoor club and then you can just pay a "guest fee" - typically $10 or $20.
Sometimes if you sign up together they can give you a discount as well, but be sure to ask. But typically it will be cheaper if just one person has a membership and the other people pay guest fees for occasional usage.
4) Book a regular (non-peak) time-slot
If you can gather a group of 4 friends together and just have one person be the designated club member and the others pay the guest fee, this may be a good option at a lower price than booking ad-hoc. It helps if each week, you all can play tennis at the same hour (very early or late). *The hard part is finding a last-minute substitute, if one person cannot make it.
Tennis-Bargains Tip:
Here is a free 7-day online pass for Sport and Health clubs in the VA/DC/MD area. Please reference www.Tennis-Bargains.com, if you are asked how you found out about the deal.
I can only give you my personal option on the court quality vs price of most of the indoor clubs in the VA/DC/MD area that I have visited. But I'll post some of my reviews of court quality, staff experience, parking benefits in another blog post.
...
5) Drills: Weekly tennis - buy a 4-pack
If you want to do some drills over the winter, you can sign up with a coach even if you are not a member. Single lessons are more expensive when bought individually. Typically they'll offer what are known as "4-packs" or 4 lessons you can use once a week. As long as you make arrangements ahead of time with the instructor, you can typically skip a week and then resume the following week.
The lessons are 1.5 hours long with 4-6 people per court. Prices will vary but usually, it is about $20-$30 per session...depending on the price of the coach and his/her student ratios for the class. You'll find them for beginners 2.5-3.0, to intermediate 3.5-4.0, and advanced 4.0+ NTRP levels.
Bonus Tip:
6) Arranging Private Group Lessons
If you can round up a group of 4-8 people of tennis friends, you can arrange to work with a coach privately to do weekly lessons at a given time. For example every Tues night from 7:00-8:30 for 4:1 drills, as long as you arrange to have 4 or 6 people show up (people can "sub in" a friend for weeks you can't make it). The instructor will usually agree to teach the group at a flat rate ~$20/hr per person. These are getting more popular now.
For questions, please post comments below and I will try to answer them for all my readers.
Have fun, stay warm, and enjoy tennis this winter, everyone!