Are you considering getting into the tennis industry? Do you want to be a director of tennis one day? If you answered yes to both questions, I welcome you to the tennis residency! The most important thing you can do to start your career off on the right path and gain credibility in the industry is to get USPTA certified!
A medical resident is a person who has an M.D., meaning they have completed four years of school, but they are not yet qualified to do anything. An M.D. is just a piece of paper saying you did your time in the lecture hall/lab. A medical resident practices medicine in a supervised setting for three years to complete training in general internal medicine and is where they learn how to be a doctor. So how do we translate that to the tennis industry? Consider your USPTA Certification the same as a medical student completing medical school and getting their M.D. Now let the residency grind begin!
Often you hear a director of tennis say, “we wear many hats in our position” and yes this is true. However, it’s important to understand that it’s not only the director who wears many hats, its also the assistant tennis professionals! Research has shown that country clubs are struggling to survive; less people are joining country clubs and clubs are reducing initiation costs just to get members through the door to cover operating costs through monthly dues. So, you might ask how does that affect the tennis department? Simple; the tennis department will undergo budget cuts and will have to find ways to keep expenses low.
So, what should you expect? Expect 70-hour weeks, be prepared to call it your second home, understand it’s a lifestyle and learn as much as you can! Speaking from personal experience, I started my career right after graduating from the University of Maryland in 2010 and was hired at the Country Club of Fairfax. I was hired as an Assistant Tennis Professional where part of my salary agreement was working the tennis desk four days a week which included a mixture of day and night shifts. My day shift hours were from 6 a.m. till 4 p.m. and my night shift hours ran from 4 till 11 p.m. So, what value and experience did I obtain during my desk shifts? Below are some key components that I learned working the desk shift and how it helped me build my lesson book.
Court Maintenance
Every morning shift I had a few on court duties that I was in charge of as the assistant tennis pro. My first duty was manually watering our indoor red clay courts with a hose. This taught me how to properly water indoor red clay courts and learn how much water was needed based on how dry they were and based on the weather outside. The courts were covered by a tennis dome so outside weather played a key role on how much watering was needed. This process would usually take an hour.
My second duty was to sweep and line our eight outdoor Har-Tru courts before morning play started at 8 a.m. Learning how to properly sweep the courts with a golf cart and line the courts is very key in time management and getting the courts open in time. If the courts irrigation system requires above ground watering, you want to make sure you know how to use the watering control box if extra water is needed. The control box usually has a set time on it, so you need to understand how much time is needed based on the condition of the court and the weather for that day.
My third duty was to make sure all water coolers were replaced with fresh water, cups restocked, trash containers were emptied, and towels were fully restocked. My night shift duties were pretty much similar as my opening duties. Making sure your courts look clean and play well is super important to your current membership as well as perspective members that take tours of your facility. Most importantly, the experience you obtain regarding court maintenance is priceless and takes repetition to learn.
Stringing
Another important aspect of the tennis residency while working the front desk is stringing. The string machine is often located in the pro-shop where you’re visible to incoming members and prospective membership. Often the person working the desk is also stringing racquets. It’s very important to be efficient in stringing because there could be times where you go from having a slow month to members dropping off 20 racquets in two days. Another benefit of stringing is you earn commission from every racquet you string, so the quicker you can string during your desk hours, the more money you earn. Starting out as a young pro in the private club industry and not having a full lesson book, the stringing commission is a great source of revenue.
Communication
Communication is super key in the private club industry and first impressions play an important role when it comes to greeting members and prospective members that come through the door during your desk hours. Impressions of people are often formed very early in a relationship and an impression once formed, is very difficult to change. In general, it is worth noting that first encounters with potential staff, members or vendors will set the tone of the relationship. Whether or not people join your staff, join the club, take lessons or buy from the pro shop may very well depend on their first impression. So, what must you do to make a good first impression? Below are some main actions you can take to enhance your image.
Appearance– Make sure your dress, grooming and health are excellent. This means wearing clean, well fitting clothes, being neatly groomed and appear fit as a fiddle. Look like you are the tennis professional!
Name – Take the initiative by introducing yourself, learning the club members names and something about him/her. Continue to use his/her name throughout the conversation as it will make you closer immediately. Visualize his/her name as if it was written on the front of their shirt.
Attention – Show that you are interested in them. Make eye contact, smile and lean forward slightly. Ask questions about their work and family without being intrusive. Learn what his/her personal and family needs are.
Attitude – Convey a positive and confident, but not arrogant, attitude about your abilities to produce a successful product. Carry yourself in a strong, but sympathetic manner that exhibits your leadership talents.
Informative – Be informative, cooperative and agreeable. Show the person that you have common interests and views. Let them know what is available at the club and what a quality tennis operation you direct. Show how these meet the needs of the family.
Comfortable – Put the person at ease by eliminating any talk of selling or pressure to buy. You want to be the information center that gives membership the facts to make their decision. You also want good feelings in the person anytime the member is at the club. This means when taking a lesson, buying a racquet, playing in a tournament or being a guest of a member, make the person feel at home and soon it will be their home.
Thank You – Let the person know how much you enjoyed meeting him. Thank them for their time. Thank them for their business. Do whatever is necessary to show sincere appreciation for the experience of their encounter. Follow up with a note or call.
Visibility
One of the best values of working day and night desk shifts is the visibility access to your tennis membership. The fact that you work some shifts during the day and some during the night, you get to experience the different types of membership that play tennis. For example, during your morning shifts is the time when you’re visible to most of the members that play interclub, contract time, cardio tennis and general lessons. In the afternoon, your time may be with juniors that participate in your clinics followed members who play in evening contract time or drill groups. By being visible to most of the membership, you are adding potential lesson revenue as long as your communication skills are proper.
Building your Book
There are many ways to build your lesson book. Members take lessons for many various reasons. Some members like to take lessons with the director or head pro, who have the best coaching certifications or a high-level playing career. Others like to take lessons where personalities are the best fit. It’s important to remember each member has a different goal when it comes to lessons: some want to get better to play in competitive leagues, some play just for the social aspect of it and some play just for the workout. Others just walk in and reserve whatever pro is available at that current time. By being visible to most of the membership and learning how to properly communicate with membership along with obtaining proper certifications, you have put yourself in the best position to build your lesson book.
In conclusion, working the desk will help build supplemental income while trying to increase your lesson book. The knowledge you can learn is priceless. As you move up in the industry, you will be ready to wear many different hats that are expected of a tennis professional. Don’t expect your director to do everything for you. Go out and build your own value! Remember: success isn’t owned, it’s leased and rent is due every day!