Fergus Tennis Club offering free tennis for May 2 open house
Tennis is fun, social and good exercise, members say
FERGUS – If you’ve ever wondered if you’d like to play tennis but didn’t want go to the trouble of buying a racquet and booking a court, you are in luck.
The Fergus Tennis Club is offering the chance to play tennis for free at its open house on May 2.
It’s an opportunity to visit the facility, try your hand and see if you like it, said club president Tom McAuslan.
The property at the corner of Tower and Union streets is owned by the township but the three courts are operated by volunteers of the non-profit tennis club.
It also uses two courts at the Fergus sportsplex through an agreement with the township.
During the pandemic, the club’s membership swelled to more than 500 because fees were low, “and it was the only game you could play during COVID,” McAuslan said.
Now membership sits at around 230 members.
The club offers a Learn to Play program for non-members that costs $45 for four weeks. Learn to Play More is for players with some experience and it costs $50 for four weeks. Learn to Play in a League costs $50 for more advanced players.
If you take them all, “you can play tennis by the end of the summer,” added board member Tara deJonge, who is organizing the open house.
The club was founded in 1920 and was the first sports organization in town to include women, youth and children, officials say. Lower fees were offered to encourage participation, and that philosophy still holds today.
Junior lessons are for youth aged five and up, which feeds into the teen league, deJonge said. The club also offers summer camps and PA day camps.
At the open house, visitors can meet the new club pros, who will offer a free clinic and rating assessments. There will be a smash cage to test the speed of your serve as well as racquet demos, prizes and a free barbecue.
“Tennis is a great sport,” DeJonge said. “You can start young and play all your life.”
“We have members in their 80s and they are a great inspiration,” McAuslan added.
It’s very friendly at the Fergus Tennis Club, they said. So if you want to combine socializing with fun exercise, it may be the place for you.
The open house runs from 10am to 3:30pm, however if it rains, the event is off.
For more information, visit fergustennisclub.ca.
