3 TIPS to maximize your summer director gig.

I’m the director of tennis at a club down on the Cape. Landing a summer tennis director gig is an accomplishment in itself. My first summer as a director looked nothing like what it looks like now. I was sweeping courts, teaching private lesson after private lesson, stringing racquets, losing weight and burning out. Today, I make almost 4 times the money I made that first summer while working less. The key is to work smart.

I want to share three crucial strategies that will help you make the most of your summer director gig. Whether you're a seasoned pro or new to the role, these tips will set you up for success.

Hire Great Assistants

The foundation of a successful tennis program starts with an excellent team. I always reach out to college coaches across the country to get recommendations for standout players on their teams. Don’t overlook the potential of international students and those in sports-related grad programs—they can be a fantastic addition if you’re willing to fill out performance reviews. Additionally, posting job openings on USPTA and PTR websites can attract quality candidates.

During the interview process, make sure to understand each candidate both as a person and a coach. It’s essential to be clear about job descriptions and expectations, including the importance of feeding in the continental grip.

Diversify Your Clinic Offerings

To maximize revenue and engagement, offer a wide range of clinics that cater to different demographics. Include instructional clinics, exercise and live ball clinics with music, advanced clinics, beginner clinics, and of course, junior clinics. While private lessons can earn you about $100 an hour, clinics can bring in hundreds of dollars per hour. This variety not only meets the needs of your members but also creates a vibrant, inclusive community.

Build Strong Relationships with Members

Your success as a tennis director hinges on the relationships you build with your club members. Spend time off the court engaging with them—this goes a long way in building trust and rapport. For those new to the role, offering a free half-hour private lesson to each member during the first month can help you connect with them individually.

Effective communication is also key. Write regular newsletters filled with your personality to keep members informed and engaged. Starting an Instagram account for your tennis program can also build community and create a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) among your members.

By focusing on these three areas—hiring great assistants, offering diverse clinics, and building strong relationships—you’ll set yourself up for an incredibly successful summer.

A new type of leader.

I spent nearly a decade as an admissions associate at a prep school, witnessing firsthand a significant transformation in the admissions landscape. This shift parallels an impending change in the racquets industry. When I began, the admissions office was typically overseen by a Director of Admission, who juggled daily operations, staff management, and reported directly to the Head of School. However, as competition for boarding students intensified, schools needed to become more strategic, broaden their outreach, and deliver a consistent and compelling message. Enter the Dean of Enrollment: a visionary leader not bogged down by daily tasks but focused on aligning departmental strategies with the school's mission.

Drawing a parallel to the racquets industry, I know tennis directors who spend over 20 hours a week on the court. This was my life in the early years of my tenure as a tennis director. I'd step off the court to a deluge of texts, emails, and notes from staff and members. Just as I'd start to address them, I'd discover a pro was sick, and back to the court I'd go.

Balancing the demands of running a junior program, managing leagues, scheduling pros, planning social events and tournaments, providing staff development, building an adult beginner program from scratch, kickstarting a high-performance junior program, processing payroll, and texting members to fill classes—all while being on court for 20-30 hours a week—was simply unsustainable. And that was on just four tennis courts!

Now imagine managing 10 tennis courts, 8 pickleball courts, 4 padel courts, and the multitude of coaches and programs that come with them. It's an overwhelming prospect. Much like the shift in admissions, a new type of racquet sports director is emerging.

This new leader will rarely be seen on the court. Instead, they'll operate behind the scenes, overseeing a team of department-specific directors who, in turn, manage their own staff of managers. For example, a tennis director, spending 20 hours on the court, will also manage a junior director and an adult director.

I firmly believe in investing in people. However, there's a crucial caveat: with a payroll this extensive, every hour spent off the court must generate significantly more revenue than an hour on the court. If this isn’t the case, that person isn’t suited for the position. Racquets directors and department heads need to be hard-working, mission-driven, and possess an entrepreneurial spirit.

If your tennis director is on the court all day while you have disengaged pros, empty courts, and dissatisfied clients, it’s time to rethink your staff structure. Investing in a strategic leader who can manage the big picture might be the game-changing investment your program needs.

Pickleball + Padel > Tennis? I hope not.

Last week, I embarked on an adventure with, admittedly, low expectations to Sensa Padel, the first padel facility in the greater Boston area. As someone who had only encountered padel through clips on social media, stepping onto an actual court was a completely new experience. The court itself was bigger than I expected—enclosed by tall glass walls, featuring a blue turf surface, with fencing on the sides near the door, and marked by two lines. The paddle was intriguing too—thicker than a platform tennis paddle, slightly larger, and equipped with a shoelace-like strap that fastened around the wrist, reminiscent of a racquetball racquet.

Just two rallies into the warm-up, I was hooked: Padel is legit.

Padel is a captivating blend of tennis, platform tennis, squash, and pickleball, merging the best elements of each to create an exhilarating alternative to traditional tennis. Originating in Mexico and gaining significant popularity in Europe, this dynamic sport has finally made its way to the United States, and I firmly believe it has the potential to explode in popularity here as well.

So, we now have another racquet sport in the mix. The pandemic saw a surge in tennis participation as people sought safe, socially distanced outdoor activities. Pickleball, although gaining traction before the pandemic, has also experienced remarkable growth in both infrastructure and professional investment. With padel joining the scene, one might wonder: Are these sports engaging in a three-way tug-of-war for supremacy, or does the rise of one benefit all?

Padel's unique charm lies in its accessibility and excitement. The smaller court and walls create a fast-paced game with long rallies and plenty of action. It’s less intimidating for beginners compared to tennis, yet it offers enough complexity and challenge to captivate seasoned players. This inclusivity could be a key factor in its potential growth.

Furthermore, the racquet sports community is not necessarily a zero-sum game. The rise in popularity of one sport can indeed lift the others. Tennis, pickleball, and padel each offer distinct experiences and can attract different segments of the population. The growth in racquet sports can foster a broader appreciation for active lifestyles, social engagement, and community building. As more people pick up any racquet, I think many are likely to explore and enjoy the others as well.

In terms of infrastructure and investment, the expansion of padel courts and facilities will likely follow a similar trajectory to pickleball. With its rising popularity in Europe as a blueprint, the U.S. market could see a boom in dedicated padel clubs, integration into existing tennis facilities, and the emergence of padel-centric communities.

In conclusion, my trip to Sensa Padel was not just an introduction to a new sport but a glimpse into the future of racquet sports in America. Padel is poised to carve out its niche. As a tennis player at heart, my hope is that rather than losing more tennis courts to pickleball, the growing interest in racquet sports overall is a rising tide that truly can raise all ships.