Learning to play tennis will soon be easier for Chatham County kids – and a lot more affordable for parents.
Chatham County Parks and Recreation will launch its inaugural beginner youth tennis program in September, offering children ages 5 to 17 a chance to learn the basics of the game in a fun environment.
The cost for the four-week program is $20 and is made possible through a $10,000 grant from the United States Tennis Association (USTA), secured by Chatham County Parks and Recreation earlier this year. The grant helps keep costs affordable and provides a free tennis racket to each participant.
“As a department, we strive to ensure we’re serving the needs and wants of our community members in the most fiscally responsible and value-driven way. Grants can be a massive benefit to offer free or incredibly reduced services, such as this youth tennis program we are launching for the first time,” said Chatham County Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Max Pierre.
The four age-based classes are:
• Ages 5–7: 1:30 p.m. | 45-minute class | Maximum of 6 participants
• Ages 8–10: 2:15 p.m. | 1-hour class | Maximum of 6 participants
• Ages 11–13: 3:15 p.m. | 1-hour class | Maximum of 6 participants
• Ages 14–17: 4:15 p.m. | 1-hour class | Maximum of 6 participant
Tennis instructor Doug Andrew will lead the program. Andrew got his start playing tennis at a young age at the Armstrong State College courts (now the Georgia Southern Armstrong Campus) and at Bacon Park.
Andrew competed in high school at Benedictine and during college at Queens College in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has coached team tennis at Charlotte Latin School, SMU Summer Camp, Providence Day School, as well as camps, clinics and private lessons at Blakeney Racquet Club, Myers Park Country Club and Charlotte Indoor Tennis Academy.
“We hope that this program will introduce Chatham County’s kids to something new that can become a lifelong hobby, and by making it affordable, we’re offering a chance for anyone to participate,” Pierre said.
Registration for the program will open on Friday, August 21, at noon. At that time, you can click the age-appropriate link below to register your child.
Ages 5-7: