by Ed Shanaphy Time and time again I have been asked: “Ed, how do you get your courts so good.” My usual answer to a member is simple: “Hard work.” I started maintaining clay courts in 1985 at the tender age of 14. I rode my 10-speed, with those ram-horned handles, to the local country … More Just Great Courts
Tennis has changed. From the lawns of Wimbledon in the early 1900s and prior to the “Open” Era, through to the advent of the “Open” to the present day, tennis, as with many other sports, has been brought into the 21st Century with professionals representing the sport at the highest levels. It wasn’t always like … More A Community Cup – Enriching The Community and Marketing To New Members
How membership, programming and incentives can make off-peak play more inviting. … More Off Peak Hours: How To Make Them More Inviting and Attractive
Garnering your team professionals more private hours through group instruction. … More Fitness Classes & Tennis Clinics: Do They Help or Hurt Personal Training or Private Lessons?
How best to hire new head tennis professional for years to come … More Open, Honest and Timely Communication For New Hires
The politics surrounding governing boards at clubs and homeowner associations are infamous. The tasks facing governing bodies at Clubs or Home Owner Associations are far too numerous to list here, but one of them often is to oversee a tennis or fitness department. In investigating the inherent politics of Boards, we will separate the country … More Board of Ed: The Board Itself Might Be In Need of Education
I’m always asked how I retain such good professionals over several years, especially when they are independent contractors. It’s not easy – keeping 1099 workers at your facility is a tough task. But it’s possible and as the saying goes: paying your instructors handsomely for hours on the tennis court or gym floor speaks volumes. … More Retaining Your 1099 Independent Contractors
by Ed Shanaphy For those of us in tennis or fitness who “own” our merchandise shop and do all the buying and selling within our own company, August is a perplexing month where we are always left asking: Should I have a sale before I close up shop? Every year, starting in May, I hear … More Should I Have an “End of Season” Tennis Shop Sale?
The Future of American Club Tennis & Fitness is Fresh, Appropriate Programming How do you reinvent the wheel? How many ways can one create a tennis program that is fitting for a country club while instilling the true desire to play tennis and increase play in our community as a whole? We have seen programming … More Programming The Future Of Country Club Tennis & Fitness
Discovering the ethos and environment of any club is imperative before moving on to any recruitment process … More A Club’s Profile Is Just The Start