The cost of "membership"

The other day at the Leftwich Tennis Center, some players were admiring the new courts and landscaping. One of them said, "well, I guess this means our membership will go up this year." We at Tennis Memphis want to assure the public tennis players that this is absolutely not the case for two main reasons. One is that the money for court repairs and other capital improvements at the tennis centers comes from the City of Memphis, not Tennis Memphis. We are not financially responsible for these projects. We only make recommendations to the City every year when they put together their CIP budget and hope that they give them high priority. So, the fact that the courts at Leftwich were resurfaced this year has little to no effect on Tennis Memphis' budget or any of our programs, except that we hope to have more players at Leftwich now because of the nice courts, which would increase our participation numbers and revenue.

More importantly though, is the fact that "membership" fees will not go up because we do not have any "membership" fees at the public tennis facilities. Memberships never have been and never will be (as far as Tennis Memphis is concerned) required for anyone to play on the public courts. What we do offer is a Player Card, which gives the card holder a list of benefits that are available at the 7 tennis centers that we manage. The only instance in which someone would have to have a Player Card is if he or she wanted to participate as a regular player in Permanent Court Time. Otherwise, anyone, Player Card holder or not, can come to any of the 7 public tennis centers during their operating hours and pay for and play on an available court, attend a clinic or participate in a program or league. Anyone, Player Card holder or not, can call and reserve courts in advance. The Player Card holders can reserve courts a lot farther in advance than non-Card holders-- that is one of the benefits. Once a person purchases a Player Card, they can play on the outdoor courts as many times as they want at no additional charge-- that is another one of the benefits. A lot of people have purchased Player Cards to get the discount for Team Tennis. We are glad that benefit has been so well received.

When you think about it, it is really not much different than having a library card (or not). Anyone can go to any of the public libraries during their operating hours and access their resources and programs. But, if they want to check a book out of the library, they have to have a library card. Nobody has to have a library card to walk in the door, but most people get one because they want to be able to check out books. (Yes, you could point out that library cards are free and Player Cards are not, but you get the idea).

So, public tennis players, don't worry-- your "membership" fees will not go up because of the recent court repairs at Leftwich! Do not even worry about that. Come on out to any of the public tennis centers and enjoy playing in the nice weather. If you want to purchase a Player Card, great. We will be happy to help you. If not, that's okay. Play public tennis anyway. See you on the court!