Tennis hostess Karen Haase been a fixture at Shadow Mountain for more than 20 years. A former top-ranked junior herself, she is one major reason that this unpretentious 125-room resort—whose chief amenities are 16 hard and clay courts and a figure-8 swimming pool—stands out as a haven for avid players. She is a master at arranging games and never waits to be asked. "When I look at the list of arriving guests and see names I know, I go ahead and set up games for them and then leave a message for when they check in," Haase says. "If they don't want to play they can cancel. And I like it when people who haven't been here call and let me know what they want. I think of it as being the cruise director and every day we have a big party. I love it."

A celebrated place to play, Shadow Mountain has also long had a Desert Tennis Academy, but in this case it took Michael McFarlane to infuse new life into that program and turn it into one of the nation's highly regarded camps. Since he arrived in June of 1997, he has fashioned a solid program consisting of three hours of technical work and drills in the morning and an optional two-hour singles or doubles session in the afternoon.

Overview

Shadow Mountain sits in a residential neighborhood a few blocks south of the celebrated boulevard of shops and restaurants called El Paseo. A high wall hides it from view. Beyond that wall is an unprepossessing collection of flat-roofed, two-story condominiums ranging in size from studios to three bedrooms. At the core of the resort is a large figure-8 swimming pool and the 16-court tennis complex. Life at Shadow Mountain revolves around those two amenities.

Tennis Features

Pro Shop: 760-346-6123

Tennis Staff. Although tennis director Michael McFarlane played college tennis, his passion has always been to teach, and he revels in diagnosing and correcting technical flaws.
Tennis Programs. The Desert Tennis Academy offers two programs: a three-hour morning session and a two-hour afternoon singles or doubles session. They can be booked either together or separately. Since McFarlane took over the academy he has made several changes. "I've tried to enhance the stroke production and video analysis," he notes. "We hit a lot of balls but all have a purpose to them." Although advertised at a 5:1 student:pro ratio, these frequently run more like 4:1 or even 3:1, which means the camps can be fairly intense when that's what students want.
Beyond the camps, Shadow Mountain has superb game matching under Karen Haase, who's been there more than two decades. It also runs a couple of social mixers each week (the best-attended on the weekends).
Courts & Fees. The main bank of 10 hard courts (6 with lights) has been laid out in fairly orderly fashion in banks of three or four running not north-south—the preferred deployment—but northwest-southeast. The other six, three of which are clay, appear to have been shoehorned in wherever there was room. One of those even runs east-west. But though the layout suggests that the complex received secondary treatment, it is in fact a focal point of the resort. The courts flow from a two-story tennis clubhouse, which rises at one end of the figure-8 pool. It contains not only a full-service pro shop but also a small fitness center (make that very small) and the resort's only restaurant: the Courtside Cafe on the second floor overlooking the courts and pool. Court fees: None.

Your Call

Here's what others have had to say about Shadow Mountain Resort & Club and Desert Tennis Academy, Shadow Mountain.

• ""—R.F., Adv. Int., May 2008

• "Strengths: In both clinics and private lessons instruction is individualized and specific. Instructors are friendly and extremely competent and current in their methods.
  Weaknesses: They should use their clay courts more often. Or at least give players a choice."—T.F., Adv. Int., April 2008

• "We tried this tennis camp after we read some good reviews but it was fair. Good pros, 1:6 or more ratios were absolutely too crowded. I am a solid 4.5 player but mixed with 3.0~3.5 players, no one seems better than 4.0 level there."—J.R., Adv., April 2008

• ""—K.B., Adv. Int., April 2008

• "If you're looking for excellent tennis and a real value, Shadow Mountain is the place to go. Michael, John, and Andy are wonderful instructors and motivators and fun guys to boot. They're great at teaching all levels -- beginner to advanced.
  Some of the rooms are in need of a refresher, but if you're sitting in your room you're missing out anyway. The resort is ideally located -- only a short walk to El Paseo's many restaurants and shops.
  My wife and I have been to Shadow Mountain 4 years in a row and have never been disappointed."—K.W., Adv., April 2008

• "Our first visit to Shadow Mountain-reluctantly at first as we really always played elsewhere in Palm Springs but this time we couldn't. We were very pleasantly surprised at such a good, active and well run (with the help of a very able Karen) tennis facility. Pool and accommondation good too. I think Shadow Mountain could well go top of the list when we vist Palm Springs again next year."—R.B., Adv. Int., March 2008

• "Good student to pro ratio. Up to date techniques are taught. Very friendly pros. Negative: They do not utilize the clay courts for the clinics unless asked although most of their clientele appear to be over 50."—T.F., Adv. Int., January 2008

• "I am a 4.5 level player and I am serious in improving my game. I have been to several tennis camps and this one is easily the best one I have been to so far. The main reasons were the teaching pros (Mike, John, and Andy) were attentive and caring for my improvments. I was there 5 days (3 hours daily) for action packed drills and personalized instructions. I defintely left the camp with better confidence in the areas I was not comfortable with. In fact, I am coming back here next spring and looking forward to raising up my skill level."—C.C., Adv., November 2007

Other Recreation

Golf Courses. The resort has no golf course of its own but does have the ability to book tee times at the adjacent Gene Sarazen-designed 5,418-yard, par-70 Shadow Mountain Golf Club, which is otherwise private, and can make arrangements to play elsewhere in the Coachella Valley.

Fitness Center. Located in the Tennis Clubhouse, this small room has a handful of cardiovascular machines and one Body Master weight-training station. There are also saunas and a massage room.

And ... Apart from the large figure-8 swimming pool and its adjacent Jacuzzi, there are three additional pools, one paddle tennis court, a basketball court, a volleyball court.

Lodging

Accommodations at Shadow Mountain range from simple studios to three-bedroom condominiums. All have full kitchens, except for a few of the studios, which have either kitchens or hot plates, microwaves, and small refrigerators. All are individually owned and therefore subject to the decorating whims of the owners; however, the resort itself sets minimum standards of maintenance and furnishings for all units it accepts in its rental pool. You have a choice of locations: poolside (these are also closest to the courts), creekside, and fairway (the last overlooking the adjacent privately owned golf course). The larger units also have their own washer-dryers, while the rest have access to several strategically placed guest laundry rooms.

The least expensive units are the studios. The one I stayed in was essentially a junior suite with a Murphy bed, convertible sofa, full but compact kitchen equipped with a microwave and coffeemaker, a small bath with a shower but no tub, and a TV and VCR (tapes are available for rent in the resort office), and an outdoor terrace or balcony.

Restaurants

The resort has one small, unpretentious restaurant, the Courtside Cafe, which is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Located on the second floor of the tennis clubhouse, it has windows overlooking the teaching court and outside decks with tables overlooking the figure-8 pool. It serves breakfast and lunch daily—omelets, salads, sandwiches, smoothies. For evening dining, there is a Passport program that provides discounts at selected restaurants, many of them just a few blocks away on El Paseo Drive.

See Also

If you're looking for another haven for avid players, also check out:

• The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort, Florida
• La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, California
• Naples Tennis Club & Resort, Florida
• TOPS'L Beach & Racquet Resort, Florida

If you're looking for other resorts that specialize in programs for groups and teams, also check out:

• Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina
• Litchfield Golf & Beach Resort, South Carolina
• Port Royal Racquet Club, South Carolina
• Sandestin Beach & Golf Resort, Florida

Travel Essentials

Seasons. Although Shadow Mountain is open year-round, summer temperatures in the Palm Springs desert reach triple digits and that figure-8 pool will look much more appealing than the tennis courts. So for tennis, the season runs from October into early May.

Shadow Mountain Resort & Club
45-750 San Luis Rey
Palm Desert, CA 92260
760-346-6123
Toll-free: 800-472-3713
Fax: 760-346-6518
Web Link: Shadow Mountain Resort & Club

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General Tourist Information. Visit the Palm Springs Desert Resorts Convention & Visitors Authority web site or contact them at 69-930 Hwy. 111, Suite 201, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270. Phone: 760-770-9000 or 800-967-3767 or Fax: 760-770-9001.

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