Drysdale Tennis School
Stratton Mountain, VT LEGENDS Weekends from $295
www.cliffdrysdale.com
Grand Slam Tennis Tours
Great seat & vacation pkgs to the 2009 French Open
grandslamtennistours.com
Here's what others have had to say about John Newcombe Tennis Ranch.
""—C.C., Adv. Int., June 2009
""—M.C., Low Int., May 2009
"I really had a great time at tennis camp. This was my third time to join tennis camp at NEWKS. Pros are very friendly and have very high tennis skills.
The hotel room is comfortable, but I was a little bit annoyed by TV sounds from the next door. I will attend the tennis camp next year."—A.K., Adv. Int., May 2009
"I adhere to a philosophy that the only difference between a rut and a grave is the dirt in your face. So at 62 each day I try to learn something to avoid both of these things. With this in mind I attended the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch. I went hopeful the instruction improve my tennis game and that the food would be better that mediocre and appropriate to the activity. It was a great experience on every count. The adult instruction - from the drills to the one-on-one - was awesome. From the co-director of our program Sal Barbaro to the pros on his team the staff was in the words of the academy "Rock Solid" and made fun out of some were very serious hard work.
I left feeling they not only helped improve my game but had provided a great three days of fun. The friends whom I went with and I all agreed that it would be hard to beat the Aussie hospitality at this place and that we will return soon."—M.R., Adv. Int., May 2009
"Just returned from a fantastic weekend of hard work and great fun on the tennis court. Chris and Sal bring new meaning to the term "court jesters" as they manage to keep you laughing while working you very hard with excellent drills and instruction. The food is excellent and the cost is very reasonable. We are already planning to return for the week-long camp."—S.R., Int., May 2009
"Wow...what a fun weekend! I just returned from a tennis weekend with 32 girlfriends. We had SO MUCH FUN! We played tennis/drilled all day long. We stayed in a condo with maid service and had three tasty meals a day, so all we had to think about was tennis and having fun! Saturday night, they hired a wonderful DJ and we danced the night away! Newk's is a great resort for a girl's get-a-way or for a couple. I have been before and will definitely return again! Thanks Sal and Chris!!!"—K.B., Adv. Int., May 2009
"The whole program was first rate. Chris and Sal have a very geniune way of making EVERYONE feel very special and capable. Their tennis instruction is some of the best I have had in a group setting. The food at the ranch is impeccably good and very healthy and hardy...I totally recommend this camp to anyone interested in improving their tennis play and having a fun and memorable experience."—V.H., Int., May 2009
"Super tennis instruction and incredibly energetic and enthusiastic pros. Lots of structure (which I like) but enough flexibility that you can attend to work if you must. Newks is easy to visit if you are on your own - they do all the arrangements for you."—K.R., Int., May 2009
"A fun choice when thinking about a tennis vacation. They feed you, teach you, in fact they coddle you the whole time you are there. You get unparalleled instruction, teaching needed skills while keeping it fun throughout the day, and then if you choose they will act as travel guides at night, showing you the local sites."—S.R., Int., April 2009
""—T.M., Int., April 2009
"Newks is a highly recommended getaway at a reasonable rate for any tennis player. With stellar teaching pros who provide innovative, fun clinics (with a little Aussie flair) and positive individualized instruction to all their guests, you will have an amazing time while improving your tennis game. Chris and Sal find a way to integrate learning and enjoyment very well... our group of 12 had a fabulous time in the beautiful Texas hill country on our annual retreat to Newks... a vacation we always look forward to!"—J.A., Adv., April 2009
""—C.D., Adv. Int., April 2009
Rate John Newcombe Tennis Ranch
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.
Oct. 18-23, 2009: Tennis Fantasies Weekend
www.tennisfantasies.net Phone: 800-874-7788
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
If you're looking for an all-day tennis camp with lots of social atmosphere, also check out:
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.
Nov. 2008-Feb. 2009
Weekends: $299-$345/person. 5-day: $775-$899/person
Mar.-Oct. 2009
Weekends: $329-$385/person. 5-day: $820-$965/person
Seasons. Year-round with the lowest rates available from November through February.
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.