By Roger Cox

My first experience with tennis camp was transforming. I arrived with a low intermediate game, no inkling of tactics and a few strokes that defied the laws of physics and nature. Four days later, I had a newfound enthusiasm for the game—not because I had improved significantly, but because I understood what I needed to do to improve.

In the 20-plus years since, I’ve attended more than 50 tennis camps. It’s my favorite form of tennis vacation, in part because I enjoy being around other avid tennis players. These days I arrive with a far better game (I’m ranked in my age division), but I still invariably come away with improved stamina, better timing and enough new technical information to understand ways that I can continue to improve throughout the year. I joke that I’m training for the 85-and-over circuit, which is still decades away.

Camps are not for everyone. If you don’t like drills or having someone tinker with your strokes, then you’re better off at a resort where staff can help you find opponents if you need them and leave your game intact. But if several hours a day of group instruction, drills and match play sounds to you like an ideal holiday, then camp may be just what the tennis doctor orders.

First and foremost, all camps are not created equal. They differ in the number of on-court hours, intensity of the instruction, personalities and credentials of their directors, creature comforts, cost, activities offered beyond tennis and even social atmosphere. No single camp suits everyone equally. A family with varied interests has different needs than the solo traveler who craves nothing but tennis. The couple eager to get away for a pampered tennis weekend may not end up in the same place as the team or group of friends trying to prepare for a league season.

The following is a survey of some of the great tennis camps located west of the Mississippi. It is by no means comprehensive; rather, it’s intended to provide examples of the various types of camps. A few notable camps are missing from this survey because I’ve recently covered them in Tennis Life. These include (with issue date):

• Gardiner’s Resort, Carmel
  Valley, California (July/August 2003)
• Desert Tennis Academy, Shadow Mountain Resort & Club in
  Palm Desert, California (November/December 2003)
• Reed Anderson’s Tennis School, Westin Mission Hills Resort in Rancho Mirage, California (November/December 2003)
• Dennis Ralston’s camps, Copperwynd Resort & Spa in Fountain Hills, Arizona (January/February 2004).

John Newcombe Tennis Ranch, Texas
Built in the Aussie tradition, the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch assumes that you want more out of camp than simply a full day of indulging your passion for tennis. So when the instruction and drills end, the socializing begins by bringing you back together for meals and entertainment, not just with your fellow campers but with the pros as well.

This is tennis camp in its oldest and purest form. Former World No. 1 player John Newcombe opened the facility in 1968 at what had been a dude ranch in the Texas Hill Country between Austin and San Antonio. Where once there were corrals, now there are tennis nets. The camp includes 28 hard and clay courts, 4 of which are covered for use in inclement weather. The ranch house, decorated with historic photos and magazine covers featuring Newk, holds a family-style dining room (meals are part of the package), a lively bar and a full-service pro shop. Adults bed down in basic rooms or condominiums steps away from everything, including an outdoor swimming pool.

With five hours a day of on-court time, this camp comes close to an all-tennis, all-the-time format—especially since once the instruction is finished there is often some sort of social round robin for those who still haven’t had enough. The icing on this tennis cake is the social dinners at big tables followed by karaoke in the neighboring Billabong Bar. Since no one ever has to dine alone, this is an excellent choice for solo travelers, and couples and friends hoping to meet others. Families, meanwhile, can take advantage of the simultaneous junior tennis and adventure camps during the summer—which, frankly, is not the best season to visit as an adult—and again over the major holidays. Newk himself shows up intermittently, but if you want to be sure to catch him, book the Men’s Legends week in October or the Co-Ed Legends week in March.

Vic Braden Tennis College, Utah
Like Newk’s camp, the 19-court Vic Braden Tennis College carries the name of its founder and offers a five-hour-a-day program. Unlike Newk’s ranch, however, the college integrates seamlessly into the campus of the Green Valley Spa in the red-rock country near Zion National Park in southwestern Utah. This context creates various vacation options. Although it is possible to sign up for the college à la carte—either staying in a condo at the resort or off campus in St. George—you can also make it part of a full-service spa vacation, complete with a nutritional meals, a wide variety of spa treatments and fitness classes, guided hikes and other outdoor recreation, and exquisitely appointed adobe-casita lodging.

Although Braden himself is only periodically there to deliver his “Laugh and Win” philosophy in person (he’s next scheduled for selected weekends in September and October), the resident staff under tennis director Dave Nostrant takes a similarly low-key approach. They augment their analysis of strokes with Braden’s scientific research into how the best players really hit the ball. At orientation the night before the camp begins, Nostrant promises, “You’ll find out how to get to the next level.”

Campers typically spend mornings working on technique, including videotaped sessions of the major strokes, shown courtside, and opportunities to practice on hitting lanes against self-feeding ball machines. The afternoon sessions shift to match-play situations, both putting new strokes into practice (or at least trying to) and working on such doubles tactics as poaching. At the end of the five hours, the courts—four of which are indoors—are available for further play, and occasionally there are evening club events in which campers can take part.

The Broadmoor, Colorado
This summer marks the 10th anni-versary of Dennis Ralston’s arrival at The Broadmoor—the landmark resort in Colorado Springs, 70 miles south of Denver. During his tenure the tennis legend has fine-tuned programs for everyday guests and developed a loyal following for his weekend tennis camps—both the dozen or so he personally conducts (which include a family camp over July 4 weekend) and another ten camps run by his exceptional staff (which includes former top 20 player Sharon Walsh).

On the first morning, campers get a tennis bag and a notebook (which Ralston recommends that you use to take your own notes) that lays out his approach. “I base my whole philosophy on my years as a player and a coach,” Ralston tells the assembled campers. “There are a lot of ways to hit the tennis ball, but as you watch the top pros they’re all on balance, they let the racket do the work and they look effortless. It’s those basic things that I want to get across to you over the next few days.”

The instructional aspect of the camp runs three hours each morning, with Ralston circulating from court to court to ensure that everyone gets the benefit of his personal attention. Another 90 minutes in the afternoon are devoted to supervised match play. That’s a lot of tennis, especially if you’re not accustomed to playing at 6,000 feet. Nevertheless, the courts are available afterward for those who still want more tennis.

The camps can be booked separately, with the option of staying wherever you like. Bedding down at the Broadmoor does, however, give you access to its pampering spa, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, lake, horseback riding, bike trails, 54 holes of golf and ample opportunity to wander around marveling at the Italian craftsmanship that went into creating this palatial hotel.

Reed Anderson Tennis School, Oregon
A former college and satellite player, Reed Anderson has logged close to three decades on the teaching court. His teaching career began with a stint in Lake Tahoe in the 1970s with Billie Jean King and Dennis Van der Meer’s TennisAmerica program. Then in 1982 he founded his own school, which for the last several years has had a summer campus at Sunriver Resort near Bend, Oregon.

Anderson is a gifted diagnostician, someone who sees through to the essential flaw and focuses on that. Perhaps partly for that reason, his school’s curriculum seems to be very fluid. As a camper, you often feel that he’s making up his lesson plans as he goes, based on whatever he thinks will most benefit you and your fellow campers.

At Sunriver, there are two-, three- and five-day adult programs that run for three hours in the morning—though this summer he’s introducing some full-day sessions that add another two hours of match play in the afternoon. However, Anderson also gives you the flexibility to sign up one day—or partial day—at a time, and thus fit his instruction around anything else in your schedule. Anderson’s school—which takes place at a complex called Tennis Hill—also offers several different junior programs for various ages and skill levels, and the prices of these programs are very reasonable.

Set against a backdrop of the Cascade Mountains and the snow-covered volcanic cone of Mt. Bachelor, and bordered by national forest and the Deschutes River, the 3,300-acre Sun-river itself is the quintessential family destination—safe, friendly and easy to navigate. Lodging varies from handsome rooms in the lodge to multi-bedroom condominiums and homes scattered around the courts (which number more than 30 in several locations) and scenic golf courses. Recreational activities abound. The Deschutes is re-nowned for its trout and steelhead fishing and its whitewater rafting, while the resort contributes stables, a marina, swimming pools, a nature center, some 37 miles of paved bike trails and more. The tennis school is just the beginning of an active vacation.

Northstar-at-Tahoe, California
Four women from Houston turned up at Northstar near Lake Tahoe eager to escape the Texas summer heat. “The first day we played tennis, then we went hiking,” one of them told me. “After the clinic today we’re going rafting. Then we’ll come back and play some more tennis.”

Like Sunriver, one of the attractions of Northstar-at-Tahoe, near Truckee, about 10 minutes from the lake, is the abundance of other recreational activities, both at the resort itself—which has miles of mountain biking trails, horseback riding and a golf course—and in the immediate Tahoe area. The tennis complex could scarcely have a better location: a mere 100 yards from the shops and restaurants of the village center. Its 10 courts spread out through evergreen and aspen trees adjacent to a wildly popular complex of outdoor swimming pools, a fitness center, game rooms and snack bar.

In his nearly 15 years at the camp, tennis director Zeke Straw has continually tweaked and expanded the tennis offerings to ensure something for everyone. His high-energy, two-day weekend and five-day midweek adult camps run three hours a day. “After that the campers are usually done at this altitude,” he says of its location at 6,000 feet. “But I’m going to try one five-hour-a-day session and see how it goes.” Straw also has several levels of junior camps from mid-June to the end of August, which include team-building exercises and goal setting for the more advanced youth.

However, what’s most impressive is the enthusiasm of Straw’s entire staff. They schedule some type of social tennis activity every week, whether it’s a pro exhibition with ice cream, a men’s or women’s day, a Brickyard Classic with car races or the popular margarita mixer at which the club supplies the tequila-laced drinks and appetizers. The staff has made tennis a major reason to visit Northstar.

Whistler Racquet Club, British Columbia
Over select summer and fall weekends, former top 50 player Marjorie Blackwood and Canadian National Masters Doubles Champion Peter Schelling run special adult camps at the 10-court Whistler Racquet Club in Whistler, British Columbia, roughly two hours north of Vancouver. The themes, which vary from weekend to weekend, include “The Art of Doubles,” “Tennis and Hiking” and “Drills/Skills/Play” as well as a “Doubles and Spa” getaway for women only and an “Extreme” camp for those looking to im-prove their strokes and technique while hitting tons of balls. What permeates all of these tennis programs is a positive approach, and de-spite the group format, a lot of personal attention since there are never more than four campers to a pro. “I also try to take everyone out and do a series of mini ten-minute lessons,” says Blackwood.

Dinner the first night and brunch on Sunday are included in the package, giving participants and pros a chance to socialize off as well as on court. Most of the camps leave Saturday afternoons free (the exceptions are the “Drills/Skills/Play” camps, which add a session of supervised match play, and the “Tennis and Hiking” camp). Although you’re welcome to spend your free time playing more tennis at the racquet club, which also has a fitness center and three indoor courts in case of inclement or windy conditions, most campers use the tennis downtime to take advantage of all the other outdoor recreation this scenic mountain setting and comfortable summer climate affords, including hiking, mountain biking, canoeing, golf and even skiing on Blackcomb Glacier.

For anyone from the United States, the relative strength of the U.S. dollar makes this already economical camp even more alluring. Moreover, campers are eligible for discounted rates at two nearby hotels. Be aware, however, that they only accept a maximum of 12 participants in each camp, and because these sessions are so popular, they often book out early.