Tennis Industry News

When it comes to welcoming players to tennis, Brookstone Meadows Tennis Club in Anderson, SC, is at the top of its game. Dr. Sophie Woorons-Johnston, the owner/director, runs all sorts of programs for players of every ability level and every age group, including leagues; Cardio Tennis for adults, kids and families; social round robins and mixers; and more.

She also invites schools to do “field trips” to Brookstone Meadows TC. Recently, she introduced tennis to more than 70 schoolchildren in kindergarten through fifth grade who took a trip to her facility from a nearby elementary school. “They all were introduced to the game, and we grilled hot dogs and had lunch and just had a great time,” she says.

Woorons-Johnston is a huge fan and supporter of the QuickStart Tennis format for bringing tennis to kids age 10 and under. “If you use QuickStart, you’re going to develop players and you’re going to develop them with shot selection, strategy and variety, and to be all-court players,” she says. “Any time we’re in a meeting with other pros in the area, I encourage them to go in the QST direction.”

Brookstone Meadows TC has four hard and five clay courts, but will open up three new clay courts in June. (“As you can imagine, we need them,” says Woorons-Johnston.) The club has two full-time and two part-time pros. There are 180 tennis memberships, with about 300 players, and the club and most of its programs are open to anyone. Play on the club’s league teams (there were 71 teams last year), however, does require membership. Leagues are offered for adults and seniors, combo teams, mixed doubles and more. Tournaments, for both adults and juniors, are by age group and NTRP in singles, doubles and mixed.

Woorons-Johnston runs a tennis academy, which has ranked juniors in the state who play level 2 and 3 events. “I mostly concentrate on point situations and strategy,” she says. “Technique is done earlier or in private lessons. I also try to emphasize doubles because that’s what they’ll need for college scholarships.”

Brookstone also offers a program for home-schooled students. “I have 15 kids in that program, from ages 5 to 18,” she says. “We use three instructors to make it as convenient as possible for the families. Home-schooled kids don’t have the same chance to be in social environments as other students, so this helps. We usually will run a six-week program in both the spring and the fall, but generally we end up adding another four weeks to it. The kids also get educational credit for their tennis.”

Woorons-Johnston is very much committed to creating a “family” atmosphere at Brookstone Meadows TC. “I’ve made a big effort on getting involved in leagues and helping them along. I’ve also done a lot of round robins on the offseason and haven’t charged for them. It all helps to create a Brookstone ‘family’ and prevent cliques. We do mixers and socials and it’s really a great atmosphere and I’m working hard to preserve that. I think that’s huge because the members know each other well.”