Construction is under way for four courts at Ashland Tennis & Fitness Club; nonmembers will have access to play for a fee
By Peter Finkle, for Ashland.news
Exciting news for Ashland’s tennis community! Our town will soon have four more outdoor tennis courts. They are expected to open this summer and will be available for public use.
This is a big deal for the many tennis players who are not members of a club. Here’s why. In the 1990s, there were 25 public tennis courts in Ashland. The 13 at SOU have been replaced by dorms, beach volleyball courts and other uses. The two Lithia Park tennis courts, built for the park’s grand opening in 1916, were converted to dedicated pickleball courts in 2021. By 2022, only the eight courts at Hunter Park were left.
The four new courts will be at the Ashland Tennis & Fitness Club, 735 Jefferson Ave. The club is located near Exit 14 of Interstate 5, next to the Goodwill store.
Members of the public will be able to use these outdoor courts for a fee, with the benefit of being able to reserve them up to a week in advance. Use of the rest of the club requires membership, with many options. The club is not only for tennis players. There are swim only memberships, fitness only memberships, tennis only memberships and full club access memberships.
Founded in 1990, the Ashland Tennis & Fitness Club began as a true grassroots, passion-driven project. Co-founder Steve Sacks described meeting fellow tennis players Dan Ralls, Don Bennett and others at the Lithia Park courts during the mid-1980s. Talking and dreaming led to a decision: “Let’s build a tennis club in Ashland.” Their first coup was enlisting Steve Lawrence and Bob Mayers, the founders of Adroit Construction, as part of the team.
Why “grassroots”? Because the co-founders signed up more than 80 committed club members before even going to the bank for a construction loan. No wonder the bank said “Yes.” This photo shows construction, by Adroit, of course, in late 1989.
It is challenging to keep a tennis club afloat financially, especially in a small city like Ashland, and the club has struggled from time to time. The “passion-driven” aspect of the club continued as local tennis player and attorney Alexis Packer (known to friends as Lexi) bought the club in 2017 and breathed new life into it. Her enthusiasm, commitment and skills brought it back from the brink of closure, and now leads to an expansion that will benefit the community as well as club members.
The club currently has four indoor tennis courts, serving an active youth program and adult players of all skill levels. Certified tennis pros offer lessons and clinics for beginning to advanced players. The lap pool has three lanes, and members can reserve a private swim lane up to a week in advance. Finally, membership in the full service gym includes a number of fitness classes.
The club sponsors Big Al’s Tennis Tournament at Hunter Park, which celebrated its 50th year last July. Read about the history of Big Al’s tournament via this Ashland.news link to the right.
To learn more about the club, visit the website, ashlandtfc.org; call 541-482-4073; or stop by the club for a tour, where you can ask for a free day pass to try out the facility. Club hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends.
Peter Finkle leads Ashland walking tours. See WalkAshland.com to learn about his new Haunted Ashland tour, or to request a private tour for your group or family.
