It is Saturday evening at the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels, Texas, and the Aussie pros are busy recruiting campers for karaoke night in the Billabong Bar. Songbooks listing hundreds of titles get passed around. To get things started, Chris Jacques and Sal Barbaro, who co-direct, belt out a couple of numbers. The juniors—both those who live and train at the camp and those on vacation with their parents—often succumb first, usually in trios or quartets and often accompanied by one the pros.
The adult campers hang back at first, sometimes singing along as the words appear on a television screen but reluctant to take microphone in hand and become part of the entertainment. Ralph, who's been there before, breaks the ice and brings down the house with his rendition of Elvis Presley's "You Ain't Nothing but a Hound Dog." And then others join in, doing old Beatles tunes or Billy Joel ballads and adding to the party atmosphere. When "Twist and Shout" comes on, Evelyn, a lawyer from Nashville, looks at a crowd of Generation Xers trying to do the twist and drags me onto the dance floor saying, "We have to show them how it's done."
They don't make tennis camps like Newk's tennis ranch anymore. It is the last of a breed, a vestige of the tennis-boom era when days of banging balls were followed by nights of hanging out with the pros and new-found tennis mates. Everybody played together all day and then gathered together again for dinner, merry-making and maybe a few beers, entertaining one another with songs, jokes, and conversation. The unwritten assumption was that anyone who loved tennis enough to spend five hours a day doing drills must be worth getting to know.
Former world No. 1 John Newcombe opened the ranch in 1968 with former Trinity University coach Clarence Mabry. Much of the teaching methodology continues to be based on the techniques Newk learned from legendary Australian Davis Cup coach Harry Hopman and on those Mabry used when he helped launch the careers of Dick Stockton, Brian Gottfried, and Chuck McKinley. As principal owner, Newk spends as much as six weeks a year at the Ranch, including the Fantasy events. Historic photos and magazine covers of Newk decorate the walls of the main lodge, as do posters of Australia. His influence permeates the camp.
In the adult camps, each day begins with a chalk talk, occasionally supplemented by video, which could cover anything from the physiology of making changes to strategy and tactics. From there it's out to the courts and a choice of two approaches: one weighted more heavily toward pure instruction, the other toward advanced drills. Sessions last 2½ hours, and campers can choose to do morning, afternoon, or both. Either way, the day concludes with an optional doubles round robin, which in keeping with the ranch atmosphere is as much social as it is competitive.
The ranch and its 28 courts (4 indoor), four of which are clay, sprawl through the Texas Hill Country 30 miles north of San Antonio. Originally a dude ranch with minimalist accommodations, it has a collection of condominiums which, though not luxurious, have oversize rooms, fireplaces, and complete kitchens. The cuisine has evolved with more pastas, salads, and fresh fruit where once there was mainly meat and potatoes. But the atmosphere remains unabashedly social.
Here's what others have had to say about John Newcombe Tennis Ranch.
""—S.D., Int., May 2008
"Just finished my 7th trip to Newks, I have to say this has been one of the best trips. Great Tennis, great food, and friends. Awesome job by Chris and Sal and their staff (Jareth). Can't wait until next year!!"—L.S., Int., May 2008
"I recently attended the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch with 10 other women from my tennis team and all of us loved the camp and would highly recommend it. The teaching pros were knowledgeable and helpful with very positive attitudes on the court. We all came away with tips we thought would improve our games and were eager to continue working on the things we learned when we got home.
We expected to play a lot of tennis and that we might learn some new things which we did but what we did not expect is that the staff would be so entertaining in addition. The Karaoke party, on court exhibitions, name that tune contest, awards ceremony and other activities were memorable to say the least. Having been to several tennis resorts and camps I would definitely say this one was the most fun and had the most enthusiastic staff.
The location was great (between Austin and San Antonio)and the historic town of Gruene was a nice close-by side trip during down time. The food was very good and there were some amenities like a pro-shop and bar. The one drawback would be the accomodations which were somewhat dated. They were clean and satisfactory for this type of trip where you spend little time in your room but could use an overhaul. The casitas were newer so I would suggest them over the condos. Mostly I cannot say enough about the staff. They make it a memorable experience above and beyond just the great tennis."—M.M., Int., May 2008
"I just returned from a week at the Newcombe Tennis Ranch and recommend it to anyone at any level. During the week, the range of skills was broad, yet the pros were equally respectful and helpful to all. It was great fun and I had 2-3 pages of specific items to work on to improve my game. It is truly unique for the package to include all lodging, instruction and meals. The pros share every meal with you and they are truly a very fun group. Tennis pros from Australia, Ireland, England and Texas gave us instruction and laughs. HUGE value for the money, but go to Newks for the quality, not for the price. The clinic package now includes a private lesson, which is a great way to focus the staff on the area you want to target.
If your dates are flexible, call ahead to get candid input on the skill level of players attending to help you find match play (if you can stand up after two clinics)."—J.K., Adv. Int., May 2008
"Since 2000,as a team, we are going to John
Newcombe Tennis Ranch and every experience was outstanding. The place is beautiful, the food is very good,and the instructors are funny and very competent. The whole atmosfere is very relaxing.We just came back from there and I am looking forward to my next tennis vacation."—M.C., Adv. Int., May 2008
""—L.M., Adv. Int., May 2008
"My husband and I were at the ranch from Monday dinner to Friday lunch. We were in a 1 bedroom condo in building 300 (recently "renovated" with hardwood floors and new furniture) Although not luxurious, it served our needs well and had a washer and dryer which were very handy to have due to the amount of tennis laundry.
The food is good, nicely presented, with a big sald and lots of toppings at lunch. There is always a main course at lunch but only 1 main course at dinner, not great if you don't want that item. Breakfast was basically the same every morning, scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits, bagels, English muffins , 2 cold cereals, toast, yogurt and fruit, apples, bananas and oranges. My husband's main complaint was that he would have liked oil and vinegar to make his own salad dressing as he does not like the bottled stuff!
The tennis instruction was excellent. The pros, Sal, Jareth and Chris (the "director" of tennis) were enthustiastic, knowledgeable and did a great job with the wide range of abilities within the group. We had from 5 to 10 people during our stay. My husband would have liked another advanced player like himself to some social playing but that's the luck of the draw as to who is there with you at the time.
This is our second visit to the ranch and I hope to return again. It was a great "warm-up" to the outdoor season at home."—T.L., Adv. Int., May 2008
""—T.B., Adv., May 2008
"A great weekend get-a-way with a diverse amount of tennis drills, games, and live-ball drills. The staff is professional, friendly, and fun. My whole team enjoyed the weekend and are already talking about going back next year."—J.A., Int., May 2008
"Just completed my 6th year attending a weekend adult camp at Newks. The program is always fun, and the staff makes you feel a part of the family. This is not a Country Club Setting...just good tennis, good food & drinks, and fellowship.....fun, fun, fun........"—D.A., Adv. Int., May 2008
"our second visit to newks was a fabulous time... lots of fun combined with great tennis and great staff to help improve your game... great memories at the ranch!!"—J.A., Adv., May 2008
"I attended a weekend camp with a group of women from our home courts. I had not been to Newks since my college tennis days and it was a total blast. I would highly recommend Newks to all competitve players. You get great instruction with points that you can take home and work on. The drills and play are quickly organized and rotated so you get to hit a lot of balls. Sal and Chris and their staff are very knowledgable, fun and entertaining. The food was great, the accomodations comfortable. Wish I could have done a week-long camp! If you haven't been, get it scheduled - you won't regret it!"—N.W., Adv., April 2008
John Newcombe himself heads a cast of Legends that includes Roy Emerson, Mark Woodforde, Marty Riessen, Guillermo Vilas, Manolo Santana, Fred Stolle,, Owen Davidson, Charlie Passarell, Mal Anderson, Dick Stockton, and Ross Case for this four-day camp of clinics, team matches (with pros as team coaches), exhibitions, and competition against the amateurs. The pros are constant fixtures, on court, at meals, and for cocktail parties and entertainment nightly. For more information, phone 800-874-7788 or 513-489-9700
Seasons. Year-round with the best rates coming in November, January, and February.
Rates.
Rates vary seasonally at Newk's, reaching lows from November through February, when they offer a lot of 2-for-1 specials. All packages include accommodations, tennis instruction, and all meals. Prices are quoted per person assume double occupancy. Single-occupancy rates are also available.
John Newcombe Tennis Ranch
325 Mission Valley Rd. New Braunfels, TX 78132
830-625-9105
Toll-free: 800-444-6204 Fax: 830-625-2004 Web Link: John Newcombe Tennis Ranch
Travel Instructions. By air: The nearest airports are San Antonio, roughly 30 minutes to the south, and Austin, roughly 45 minutes to the north. By Car: The ranch is on Highway 46 in New Braunfels, Texas. From San Antonio, take I-35 North to Loop 337. Exit and turn left following Loop 337 to Highway 46 West. Exit, turn left (west), and drive approximately 2 miles then turn left at the large water tower marked "Newks Resort." Follow the signs to the Main Lodge.
General Tourist Information. For general information about travel in Texas, visit the Texas Tourism web site or contact them at 800-888-8TEX.
campers for karaoke night in the Billabong Bar. Songbooks listing hundreds of titles get passed around. To get things started, Chris Jacques and Sal Barbaro, who co-direct, belt out a couple of numbers. The juniors—both those who live and train at the camp and those on vacation with their parents—often succumb first, usually in trios or quartets and often accompanied by one the pros. 
""—S.D., Int., May 2008
"I recently attended the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch with 10 other women from my tennis team and all of us loved the camp and would highly recommend it. The teaching pros were knowledgeable and helpful with very positive attitudes on the court. We all came away with tips we thought would improve our games and were eager to continue working on the things we learned when we got home.
We expected to play a lot of tennis and that we might learn some new things which we did but what we did not expect is that the staff would be so entertaining in addition. The Karaoke party, on court exhibitions, name that tune contest, awards ceremony and other activities were memorable to say the least. Having been to several tennis resorts and camps I would definitely say this one was the most fun and had the most enthusiastic staff.
"My husband and I were at the ranch from Monday dinner to Friday lunch. We were in a 1 bedroom condo in building 300 (recently "renovated" with hardwood floors and new furniture) Although not luxurious, it served our needs well and had a washer and dryer which were very handy to have due to the amount of tennis laundry.
"our second visit to newks was a fabulous time... lots of fun combined with great tennis and great staff to help improve your game... great memories at the ranch!!"—J.A., Adv., May 2008
