The Best Tennis in Fort Myers, FL
Park Meadow Tennis Center is a Clay Court Haven for Tennis Lovers
Park Meadow Tennis Center, a conveniently located tennis venue where beginners can learn the game and tournament players can hone their skills, is profiled.
Nestled amongst the myriad yacht and tennis clubs and golf and country clubs in Southwest Florida sits a tennis lover’s haven, a virtual hidden tennis treasure. Park Meadow Tennis Center makes no pretenses, and doesn’t attempt to keep up with the Jones; just the old and new of the game of tennis.
Diversity at Park Meadow
Those who play at Park Meadow don’t do so for the prestige of belonging to a ritzy club. They don’t come out to show off their latest designer outfits. Most come to share their love of the game with other tennis lovers, some come to learn the basics, while others come to refine their games. Fun, competitive tennis and camaraderie are the centerpieces of Park Meadow Tennis Center. According to Joanna Levin, who, with husband Jim and friends Carol & Jack Feldmeir, makes Park Meadow her tennis home, “There are a lot of players; that’s why we come here.”
On any given day, players from five-years-old to 80, from pure beginners to USTA tournament competitors can be found taking a lesson from Oliver Stenger, Owner and Director of Tennis at Park Meadow, being whipped into shape by Tennis Professional Steve Hedrick, or just playing a friendly game. Despite the generally relaxed and cordial atmosphere, a tennis fan in search of quality tennis can also find an intensely contested match between a pair of ranked juniors or adult tournament players.
A Thriving Tennis Community
Youthful exclamations mingle with the grunts and groans from seniors gathered for an amiable set or two of doubles. Amidst the “thwocks” of strings against balls and the “scrunch” of tennis shoes struggling to grab the clay, friendly quips and barbs cross the net and are volleyed back and forth beneath the shady verandah overlooking court two. As often as not, the voice dishing out the sharpest needles belongs to Stenger, who oversees the tight and thriving tennis community with a laissez-faire style that fosters a communal atmosphere.
Stenger a Converted Soccer Player
Stenger, an accomplished international player and teacher, emigrated from Wiesbaden, Germany (where John McEnroe was born) to the US in 2000, after purchasing Park Meadow. “I found it [the club] in the paper, shortly after returning to Germany from vacation in Florida. It was in a German Tennis Magazine… The club is strictly about tennis. People who come here take tennis really serious and they like to play hard and long.” Stenger brings to tennis the grit he showed in his pursuit of a professional soccer career that was derailed by injury. After the injury at age 21, Stenger turned to tennis to express his athletic inclinations, and the patrons at Park Meadow have been the beneficiaries.
Tennis Clinics are Great Summer Option
With membership and guest fees as reasonable as any you can find in the area, and a vast variety of skill and age levels permeating the premises, it is no wonder that even in the heat of a Southwest Florida summer’s day, almost all 10 courts are occupied. Parents looking for an affordable, healthy, and fun summer activity for their kids, will find few options more satisfying than Park Meadow’s tennis clinics.
A Nostalgic Tennis Atmosphere
Not located behind ornate gates with uniformed security guards, Park Meadow Tennis Center is conveniently situated at 1895 Park Meadows Drive, between Summerlin Road and US 41, and imminently accessible from both. Smack in the middle of a quaint residential neighborhood, Park Meadow has the feel of a historical neighborhood park where residents who knew each other could gather to learn, play, and enjoy the game of tennis. For those who miss such venues, Park Meadow will quench the nostalgic thirst.
Park Meadow One of a Kind
There aren’t many tennis clubs where one can spontaneously decide to drop in and be fortunate enough to get a spot in a doubles rotation, find a good workout partner, or a competitive match with someone of similar ability. It is even harder to find one with a former Davis Cup player, such as Orlando Bracamonte of Venezuela (Arthur Ashe's first Davis Cup opponent in 1963), among the regulars. One can do so at Park Meadow. Such openness and diversity of experience, along with 10 clay courts, clean locker rooms, hi-tech stringing, and premier professional instruction, are among the reasons that tennis lovers could easily refer to Park Meadow Tennis Center as “Oliver’s Tennis Oasis.” If you are or want to be all about tennis, give Oliver a call at 239-936-6309 and bring your clay court shoes!
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