The first question people ask me when they see me is “Did you play basketball?” Could have something to do with the fact that I am 6’8″ tall. But the reality is, I was actually a tennis player.
I played Division II college tennis many many moons ago. I don’t play much anymore, but sometimes, especially during the summer months with three grand slams going on, I start to get the bug again.
Anyway, tennis is kind of like the red-headed stepchild of The Villages. I say that because when compared to golf, there’s really not much focus put on it. Even when you look at The Villages’ website its hard to find information about tennis. Here’s a link for you.
While any of the recreation centers have tennis courts, there are really three main places to play in The Villages: Glenview Champions Tennis Club, Nancy Lopez Legacy Champions Tennis Courts, and Hacienda Hills Country Club Tennis Courts.
Glenview Champions Tennis Club is considered the best of the three facilities. It has won awards in the past from various tennis publications such as “Tennis Facility of the Year”. Glenview Champions has 6 hydro-grid clay courts, lockers and showers, swimming pool and spa (shaped like a tennis racket), and a full pro shop. The number there is 352-753-1317 if you want to reserve a court or just get more information.
Nancy Lopez Legacy Champions has four similar hydro-grid soft courts and they sit next to Oasis Grill and Lopez Legacy Country Club pool. Court requests are made through the ACR system by calling 352-753-4653, or if you need a court reservation on the day of play, you can call the Glenview Tennis Shop at 352-753-1317.
There are four hard courts over at Hacienda Hills. Players have easy access to the pool and tiki bar there. You can reserve courts through the ACR or on the day of play by calling the Hacienda Hills Golf Shop at 352-753-5155.
But Glenview is really considered the home of tennis in The Villages. This is where they hold most of the organized tennis events such as round robins, tennis lessons and clinics, exhibitions and so on.
Now get out there and go make a racket! Can you tell I was never a stand-up comic?
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