The telecasts of Wimbledon and the tournaments leading 
up to it naturally arouse the curiosity of avid players about what it takes to succeed on grass courts. While numerous historic clubs offer that privilege to members, the only fully public grass courts in the U.S. can be found at the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum in Newport, Rhode Island, site of the original U.S. Championships. Newport's grass-court season begins in mid May and lasts through September. Recently, I revisited the city and its history, taking a close look at Newport For Tennis Players.
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After a tequila tasting at the hotel's Cultural Center, we had moved on to a dinner of modern Mexican cuisine at Ketsi and had nearly finished when word spread that turtles were hatching on the beach just below us. 
A small crowd gathered around a cluster of five baby turtles of indeterminate species, only one of them moving. Evidently exhausted from the climb out of the nest, the other four lay motionless—alive, we hoped, and struggling to regain their strength for the long walk down to the sea. "Don't carry them down," we were admonished by one of the staff. "They'll know when they're strong enough to make it on their own."
This little drama took place at the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, about a 45-minute drive north of the Puerto Vallarta airport on a part of Mexico's Pacific Coast known as Riviera Nayarit. Though the hatching turtles were an unexpected pleasure—and highlight the environmental attention taken in building the hotel—they hadn't factored into my decision to visit. Rather, it was that the resort/residential development of Punta Mita had done something quite rare: they concluded that the original four-court tennis complex they'd constructed was too small and replaced it with a brand-new facility, this one with 10 generously laid out courts, half hard, half artificial grass, and managed by Peter Burwash International's Alex Korch. Read more about the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, Mexico
Here's a sample of recent critiques of the top resorts and camps by other vacationers.
Sea Island Resorts, Georgia
Weil Tennis Academy, California
Loomis Racquet Academy at Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Van Der Meer Tennis Center, South Carolina
Whistler Racquet Club, British Columbia Canada
Dispatches from my latest travels
Guide to Hilton Head Island Tennis
Newport, Rhode Island, For Tennis Players
Club Med-Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Little Dix Bay, British Virgin Islands
Boulevard Village & Tennis Club, Vero Beach, Florida
The Inn at Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, South Carolina
Four Seasons Resort and Club at Las Colinas, Texas
Caneel Bay, A Rosewood Resort, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
Vic Braden Tennis College at Green Valley Resort & Spa, Utah
NE Tennis Holidays
#1 U.S. tennis camp; VT/FL/NH Cape Cod;Fine dining/lodging
netennisholidays.com
indicates a tournament
LA Tennis Open. www.latennisopen.com
A men's event, part of the U.S. Open Series, held at the LA Tennis Center at UCLA.
Hall of Fame Adult Tennis Camp, International Tennis Hall of Fame, Rhode Island, Phone: 401-846-0642
Former WTA touring pro Mary Rompf conducts 3-day (15-hour) and 4-day (20 hour) tennis camps on the lawns at fabled Newport Casino. The fees include clinics, match play, entrance to the museum, and more.
Sunriver Summer Tennis Camp, Steve Vaughan's Wild West Tennis, Oregon
13-hour program for NTRP players 3.5 and up run by Steve Vaughn's Wild West Tennis. Package includes a welcome party, on-court instruction, a team round-robin competition, a player dinner, and awards.
Adult Mixed Doubles Tournament and Social, Broadmoor, Colorado
Neil Roche's "Back in the Game" Mixed Doubles, Waterville Valley Resort, New Hampshire
Now celebrating its 11th anniversary, this mixed doubles event grows more popular each year. The compass draw format several matches and there are several social events including a Friday evening Kabob Soiree the evening prior to the tournament, and a dinner soiree Saturday evening. Tennis players and golfers who've been away from the game encouraged to participate.
Ellis Ferreira Clinic, Sea Colony Resort, Delaware
Grand Slam doubles champion Ellis Ferreira joins tennis director Thomas Johnston for a day of clinics on doubles tactics and strategy plus an open-forum conversation session and an exhibition and refreshments.
Mercury Insurance Open, La Costa Resort & Spa, California, Phone: 760-930-7032
This event, which replaces the Los Angeles Women's Tennis Championships on the Sony Ericsson WTA calendar, marks the return of women's professional tennis to La Costa.
New England Tennis Holidays Camp, Waterville Valley Resort, New Hampshire, Phone: 800-869-0949
Special 5-day camp on Waterville's red-clay courts
USTA National Mother Daughter Grass Court Chmps, International Tennis Hall of Fame, Rhode Island, Phone: 401-846-0642
Open to All USTA players. Events are Mother Daughter, Senior Mother Daughter, and Super Senior Mother Daughter. To sign up, visit USTA.com.
Rogers Cup (Men). Phone: 866-338-2365. www3.rogerscup.com/men/english/home.php
ATP World Tour Masters event, held this year in Toronto. Andy Murray won the 2009 tournament, which was played in Montreal.
Western & Southern Financial Group Open. www.cincytennis.com
A combined men's and women's event, in Cincinnati. Roger Federer and Jelena Jankovic are defending champions.
Rogers Cup (Women). Phone: 866-338-2365. www3.rogerscup.com/women/english/home.php
A WTA singles and doubles event held on the hard courts at Uniprix Stadium in Montreal, Canada.
Callaway Gardens' Doubles Tennis Challenge, Callaway Gardens, Georgia
Men's and Women's doubles round robin for NTRP ratings of 2.5, 2.0, 3.5, 4.0, and 4.5
USTA Open Grass Court Championships, International Tennis Hall of Fame, Rhode Island
Open to all USTA members. Men's and Women's singles, doubles, and mixed divisions. Winnters receive wild chards into Challenger Event. To sign up, visit USTA.com.
Dream Team Weekend with Wilander & Pernfors, Essex, Vermont's Culinary Resort & Spa, Vermont
Join former world #1 Mats Wilander, former world #10 Mikael Pernfors, and Futures Tour pro Cameron Lickle as they bring the Wilander on Wheels (WOW) tennis fantasy camp to The Essex Resort & Spa in Greater Burlington, Vermont. It's a special 3-day, 3-night weekend of tennis tips, training, and socializing.
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See Also: Map of Europe and North Africa
Discounts, room upgrades, and special packages only available on Tennis Resorts Online.
Julian Krinsky School of Tennis, Pennsylvania (Juniors)
JKCP Special: Save on Jr. Packages
Tennis Resorts Online has secured a discount of $250 off residential and $100 off day bookings on any tennis camp you book at the Julian Krinsky School of Tennis. To get it, phone toll-free 866-879-5527 and mention this promotional code: 158109.
Not sure what you want? Send an online brochure request.
*Note: May not be combined with other discounts.
John Newcombe Tennis Ranch, Texas
TRO Exclusive: Save $100!
Tennis Resorts Online users can claim a special $100/person discount on any Sunday-Friday adult package Newk's offers between now and the end of 2010. To get it, telephone reservations toll-free at 800-444-6204 oremail the Ranch. You must mention Tennis Resorts Online to get the discount. Request a brochure.
Port Royal Racquet Club, South Carolina
Special Weekend Group Packages
A specialist in group packages, Port Royal is offering Tennis Resorts Online users a special 4-day/3-night program for groups of 4 or more. It consists of deluxe lodging in two-bedroom villas (based on 4 people per villa), 6 hours of clinics, complimentary court time, a welcome social, souvenirs and a 15% discount on pro shop merchandise. The cost is $405/person with lodging; $150/person without lodging.
To book, call Tanda at 843-686-8803 and tell her you want the "Tennis Resorts Online Group Package."
Sports Psychologist
Mental Coaching by Phone or in Palm Beach, Florida Office
www.JohnFMurray.com
Mariani's Virtual Gourmet
Weekly food, wine and travel reports from around the world
www.johnmariani.com
Everett Potter's Travel
Value-focused Travel Advice Interviews, Reviews, Articles
www.everettpotter.com
Family Travel Forum
Family Travel Information Advice, Custom Planning
www.familytravelforum.com
