By Roger Cox, Editor
After more that 30 years of running tennis camps, New England Tennis Holidays (NETH) founder Kurt Grabher has passed the reins (and ball hoppers) on to Duncan Yarworth, who's been part of the NETH staff since 2015. A college player from Massachusetts, Yarworth has a breadth of tennis camp experience, having worked with adults and juniors at the Nike Amherst Tennis Camps in Massachusettsand later with the Cliff Drysdale Tennis programs at Stratton Mountain in Vermont before joining NETH. He has now taken charge of the popular New England Tennis Holiday adult programs at Waterville Valley Resort in New Hampshire. As in the past, his camps will run five hours a day on selected dates from late May into early October and will be staffed by many of the experienced pros who've themselves been fixtures of NETH's summer gatherings.
There are few more beautiful places for tennis than Waterville in summer. Eighteen red-clay courts carpet the floor of a valley ringed by the peaks of the White Mountains. The full-service resort radiates out from a Town Square comprised of shops, restaurants, and a pond, whose waters spill over a rocky flume into a creek. Inns, lodges, and condo complexes fan out around it. Tennis aside, recreation at the resort includes a 9-hole golf course, fitness center (with two indoor courts and a spa), watersports on the pond, a chairlift to the top of the mountain (where there are hiking and mountain biking trails), and even ice skating. That makes it an ideal getaway for families, while the tennis adds an appeal to groups and singles.
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Golf Courses. The resort has a 9-hole golf course, which winds around the valley floor; however guests also have privileges at the public Owl's Nest Golf Course in Thornton, roughly a dozen miles away. Designed by Cornish, Silva & Mungeam, Inc., this 6,818-yard, par 72 championship course follows the natural topography of the Pemigewasset River and the White Mountain National Forest. It has five sets of tees on each hole, bentgrass fairways and manicured greens, which makes it accessible to golfers of any skill level.
Spa & Fitness Center. The Athletic Club has swimming pools, whirlpools, saunas, steam rooms, an indoor jogging track, and a selection of weights and cardiovascular equipment. Massages are also available.
And ... Kayaks, pedal boats, and canoes are available for use on Corcoran's Pond, there are mountain bike trails and a mountain-bike park, an ice-skating rink, hiking trails to the summits of the valley's 4,000-foot peaks, and a gymnasium for basketball and indoor floor hockey.
And ... Hiking trails abound, including a scenic 11.5-mile stretch of the Long Trail along the crest of the Green Mountains. The region is also laced with back roads suitable for bikers, both mountain and road. Summer Mountain Activities opens late in June and offer downhill mountain biking, zipline, bungee trampoline, scenic lift rides, and disc golf.
Spa & Fitness Center. The Athletic Club has swimming pools, whirlpools, saunas, steam rooms, an indoor jogging track, and a selection of weights and cardiovascular equipment. Massages are also available.
And ... Kayaks, pedal boats, and canoes are available for use on Corcoran's Pond, there are mountain bike trails and a mountain-bike park, an ice-skating rink, hiking trails to the summits of the valley's 4,000-foot peaks, and a gymnasium for basketball and indoor floor hockey.
Waterville Valley Resort runs a summer recreation camp for children ages 4 to 16. Activities vary by age, including some specifically for teens. The resort also operates a free valley-wide shuttle bus to make getting around easy.
There are half a dozen places to eat in Waterville, from delis and pizzerias to seafood and steaks in the Wild Coyote Grill at the Athletic Club
If you want a mountain resort with children's programs, you should also look at:
New England Tennis Holidays at Waterville
Waterville Valley Resort
Seasons. The outdoor tennis camp season runs from Memorial Day to Columbus Day.
Travel Instructions. The nearest airport is Manchester, NH, 70 miles to the south. Other options are: Boston, 130 miles; Montreal, 225 miles; and New York, 325 miles.
General Tourist Information. Visit the New Hampshire Office of Travel & Tourism website.