Kelly Gunterman has announced that he will not be back at the Summit Lodge for the summer of 2012.
Pro Shop: 802-422-3535
The red-clay courts have been laid out in pairs, one pair near the swimming pool with trees on two sides, the other 50 yards away across a lawn above Summit Pond. They have crooked wooden fence posts in keeping with the rustic flair of the lodge. "People really like the atmosphere," director Ken Marisseau says of this intimate venue. He knows the Gunterman approach well from years of teaching at Stratton. "We try not to perform major surgery unless they need it," he says of their philosophy. "We try to be minimally invasive by making minor adjustments to the way people are hitting the ball."
"We like to have people come with specific needs," he told me, whether that's a flawed doubles game or urge to move up a level in league play. "We try to be sensitive to the individual needs of the players." That's easy to do in this environment where camp maxes out at 16 players. Marisseau is joined by Joe Brennan, another Gunterman alum, with part-timers recruited when traffic demands so they can keep the student:pro ratio to no more than 4:1.
Tennis Programs. The basic format of the camps offers you options: a package with 5 hours a day of group instruction or one with more free time and 3 hours/day of instruction. With a two-day or longer booking, you also get a half-hour private lesson.
Courts & Fees. There are 4 red-clay courts, laid out in pairs adjacent to the lodge. The school also has access to indoor courts in Rutland in case of rain. Court fees: Free to guests.
There's a bar, of course, and two restaurants: Maxwell's, in the lodge itself, which in summer serves only a hearty breakfast; and the Grist Mill, just down the hill overlooking Summit pond, which serves hearty New England fare, steaks, and seafood and has weekend entertainment. However, there are many more choices, not to mention places for music and dancing, along the nearby Killington access road.
If you want a mountain resort with a camp program, you should also look at:
May 23-June 24, 2010
Midweek: $89. Weekends: $119
June 25-Sept. 2, 2010
Midweek: $115. Weekends: $139
Sept. 3-Oct. 3, 2010
Midweek: $120. Weekends: $159-$179
Gunterman Tennis Schools at Summit Lodge
The packages below include lodging, breakfast daily, videotape analysis, a ½-hour private lesson, 10 hours of instruction, and court time. Half-day packages with 6 hours of instruction are also available.
May 29-Sept. 12, 2010
2-day packages (10 hours instruction): $398/person double occupancy; $458/person single
Instruction only (10 hours): $378/person.
Reservations:
Summit Lodge & ResortSeasons. The tennis camp program runs from late May to mid September.
Travel Instructions. There is daily service out of Boston into Southern Vermont Regional Airport in Rutland (SVR), 16 miles to the west.
General Tourist Information. Visit the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing website or contact them at 6 Baldwin Street, Drawer 33, Montpelier, VT 05633-1301; Phone 800-VERMONT (800-837-6668).