TOPS'L Resort
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Longboat Key Club/Resort
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This is your opportunity to rate and review the resorts and camps you've visited. As material comes in I'll post it here, so you can read what others think.
So far, I haven't received any written feedback on Boar's Head. If you've taken a tennis vacation there, I'd like to hear your reactions.
Rate Boar's Head
With 26 hard and clay courts, 12 of them
indoors, the Boar's Head appears as a very bright blip
on any tennis vacationer's radar. That's a huge complex
for a resort with only 170 rooms, and the fact that it
sits in the foothills of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains
near such historic sites as 
Thomas
Jefferson's mountaintop home Monticello and the handsome
University of Virginia that he founded only adds to the
allure.
The entire resort, including its recently expanded Boar's Head Sports Club, is owned by the University of Virginia Foundation. As a result, the club also serves as the home site for the University of Virginia's tennis teams during the indoor season, providing a place for them to train, play matches, and host tournaments. What's more, if you plan your visit for May, as I did the last time, you can catch another major event on the Boar's Head's annual tennis calendar: the Boyd Tinsley $50,000 USTA Women's Pro Championships, which take place on the clay each May.
On paper, the Boar's Head seems to qualify as one of the top tennis resorts in the nation—though on my last visit in 2006 I was frankly disappointed by the absence of programs for any resort guest who wanted more than a private lesson or to hit among themselves. This fabulous tennis center appeared to serve members and the University of Virginia tennis teams extremely well; however, there was really almost nothing but the odd clinic—not even game matching—to give guests a reason to take their racquet out of the bag. Since then, the Boar's Head has a new director in Tim Bauer.
Pro Shop: 434-972-6027
Bauer arrived in October 2008 and almost immediately set
about ratcheting up the roster of activities for guests,
while at the same time improving 
the
experience and options for members. He brings impressive
credentials to the task. As a coach he worked with players
on both the WTA and ATP tours and with the tennis teams
at Michigan State University and Florida State University.
He also served as the Director of Sports Science at the
Van der Meer Tennis Center. He has a B.A. in Health and
Science from Furman University and a Masters in Sports
Psychology and Motor Learning from the University of Florida.
Since Bauer took over, there have been significant additions to the program, including a daily drop-in clinic, enhanced junior programming, tennis concierges to handle game matching, new teaching staff, and an autumn men's pro challenger to balance the Tinsley event. I haven't had an opportunity to return to experience these changes personally. So if you've vacationed there since Bauer came on board, please file a review so other vacationers know better what to expect under this new director.
Golf Courses. Architect Lindsay Ervin of Annapolis, MD re-designed the resort's championship Birdwood Golf Course in 1974 after the University of Virginia purchased it. Its 18 holes cut through verdant hills that were originally part of a 1739 "upland wilderness" land patent. In 2005, the course was completely redesigned by Pete Dye and Associates. Par 72, 6,865 yards.
Spa & Fitness Center. Housed in its own building overlooking the lake, the Boar's Head Spa has a modest six treatment rooms yet offers over 30 services, from traditional and Thai massage to sea mud wraps and hydrotherapy soaks. It has a hot tub as well as a dry sauna and is adjacent to one of the resort's swimming pools. And in pleasant weather you can relax outdoors on a slate patio with lake views. The tennis courts are part of the Sports Club, a sprawling complex comprising a Junior Olympic swimming pool and two other pools, a state-of-the-art fitness center with a Cardio theater and Cybex weight-training, a climbing wall, squash and racquetball courts, some 55 weekly classes (among them Pilates and water aerobics), kids' programs, and child care.
The 170 rooms occupy four four-story buildings in stone and cafe-au-lait-colored clapboard with gables on their shingle or metal roofs. The decor runs to four-poster beds and brass lamps, typical of a country estate, but with modern amenities like high-speed Internet access. Some have fireplaces and balconies. Views tend to be of the lake or verdant countryside.
There are four food outlets at the Boar's Head, chief among them the Old Mill Room in the restored 1834 grist mill. It focuses on fresh, local ingredients. Otherwise, you have the choice of the more casual Bistro 1834, the golf clubhouse, or the Café at the Sports Club, the last of which serves smoothies, coffees, baked goods, wraps, specials, beer & wine and has outside dining when weather permits.
Apr. 25-May 1, 2010: Boyd Tinsley $50K USTA Women's Pro Champ
The Boar's Head Sports Club is again hosting this USTA Women's ProCircuit event on its outdoor clay courts. The qualifying rounds take place Apr. 25-26 with the main draw beginning April 27. Free to spectators.
July 24-25, 2010: Van der Meer Adult Clinic
www.vandermeertennis.com/boars_head.htm
Dennis Van der Meer himself will conduct these 8 hours of clinics for players with NTRP ratings of 2.0-4.5.
For comparison's sake, also check out:
Rooms range from standard in the inn to those with lake views or fireplaces and finally to full suites. See their web site for current rates.
Season. Year-round.
Travel Instructions. The nearest airport is Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Airport (CHO), which is 10 miles from the resort.
General Tourist Information. Among the local attractions are Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, James Monroe's Ash Lawn-Highland, and the Historic Michie Tavern, where you can have lunch. For more information about these and other local sites, visit the Charlottesville/Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau web site or contact them at P.O. Box 178, Charlottesville, VA 22902. Phone: 804-977-1783.