St Ives Tennis Club became the first in Cornwall to have synthetic clay courts with the completion of a £100,000 re-development project jointly funded by the club and Sport England’s Community Asset Fund.
The new courts were opened in September 2020 and the club has since enjoyed a membership increase of more than 50 percent.
St Ives Tennis Club is currently accepting new members while visitors can book the courts via the Booking link on its website.
Synthetic clay is recommended for coaching and the development of young players by the Lawn Tennis Association and, to encourage youngsters, membership is now free for juniors of primary school age and below.
Coaching is available for players of all ages with club coach Colin Stringer. Saturdays are set aside for junior sessions and Colin also runs midweek courses for adults as well as offering individual sessions to members and visitors.
Members can just turn up and enjoy social tennis mix-ins on Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday mornings and Wednesday evenings while, for the more serious players, the club runs teams in the Cornwall Leagues.
Located just above Porthminster Beach, the two new all-weather artificial clay courts can be used throughout the year.
As part of the redevelopment the club now also has a mini-court for the juniors and a hitting wall.
With the aid of a previous grant from Sport England, the new clubhouse was completed in 2013 and the club can now welcome players with disabilities.
The latest arrival is a portable floodlight system, giving more playing and coaching time, particularly in early evenings in winter.
Membership, coaching, and court booking details are on the website – link above