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Amherst, Massachusetts
 Set
on the campus of a 160-year-old college in central Massachusetts, Amherst
is one of the oldest and best run of the nation's summer tennis camps. The
formula is simple: rather than pay big bucks for posh accommodations and
food, campers hole up in dormitories and eat in the dining hall, which means
the largest part of their fees go to the tennis itself. At Amherst that means
roughly five hours a day of well-oiled group instruction plus one or more
private lessons and the option of as much additional play as you can handle.
This is one of the more demanding programs, partly because
of the sheer number of hours spent on court, partly because of the intensity
of some of the drills. At the same time it is one of the most social. In
a typical week, the camp may have 25 campers on a weekend, even more during
midweek. There are also three "Singles Weeks" each summer, which
get even more participants.
Tennis Features
Tennis Programs.
This is essentially an all-day program, with solid group
instruction running from 9:10 a.m. (after a brief stretch) to 11:45 a.m.
and then again from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Student:pro ratios never exceed 4:1,
and campers change instructors every 25-40 minutes. Everyone also gets one
or more ½-hour private lessons (the number depends on how many days
you've booked) and a written evaluation by the pro covering all the strokes,
not just those you work on in privates. Videotaping, which used to be a big
part of the program, is no longer done on weekends but remains a part of
the midweek program.
Courts & Fees.
The college has two banks of courts arrayed above and below
the soccer fields in the northeast corner of the campus. Juniors typically
utilize the upper complex of 8 courts, leaving adults the 6 clay and 14 hard
courts below. Adults drill on the clay courts if groups are small enough,
and on both the clay and the hard courts when enrollment exceeds 24 (or when
dampness makes the clay unusable). There are also three indoor Supreme courts
(a type of rubberized carpet) at Amherst, hardly enough since there is a
simultaneous junior program; however, the Nike camps also have access to
those at Smith, Holyoke, and Hotchkiss, giving them 11 indoor altogether.
Court fees: None.
Seasons
Amherst operates only during the summer months from
early June to mid August.
Rates
Amherst offers new, flexible, arrive-any-day packaging for
its summer programs. The instruction consists of two 2½-hour sessions
daily, one in the morning, one in the afternoon. Essentially, you pay $100
for each session you book (minimum of four) and that comes with lodging and
meals (or pay $75/session as a non-resident). Or book one of their packages,
which accommodations in a new dorm and cafeteria meals, 5 hours of tennis
instruction and one or more ½-hour private lessons. You may also opt
to stay off campus and thus pay only for the instruction and lunch (see Day
Rates below). All rates are per person.
For information and reservations:
US Sports/NIKE Tennis Camps
4470 Redwood Hwy.
San Rafael, CA 94903
Phone: 800-645-3226 or 415-479-6060.
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