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Daniel Island is not a resort; it is a master-planned residential
and business community with schools, churches, a bank, shops, restaurants,
and a medical center. You can vacation there by booking a room at the Hampton
Inn, a few blocks from the tennis center, and taking advantage of the island's
bike and jogging paths and its nature preserves, dining in any of half a
dozen restaurants, or using it as a base for exploring Charleston, a 20-minute
drive away. However, like the residents you'll have to leave the island if
you want to go to the beach. Alternatively, you can stay anywhere in Charleston.
Tennis Features
Pro Shop: 843-849-5300
Tennis Staff. The tennis director is Jim Dempsey. He played
No. 1 singles and doubles for Francis Marion College in Florence, SC, headed
out on the satellite and challenger circuit, worked part-time with juniors
at the Hopman Tennis Programs and for LGE, and coached several women on the
WTA Tour, among them Pam Shriver, Lori McNeil, and Lisa Raymond. Along the
way he managed clubs in Ohio and Florida before coming to Family Circle in
2003.
Tennis Programs. Given that this is part membership club,
part public facility, the tennis staff has had to feel their way toward programs
that make sense for this unusual hybrid of players. One element is a very
strong junior program. Although designed for local kids, it has a growing
reputation for the quality of its programs and thus has been attracting strong
juniors from outside the area on weekends. Adult programming so far remains
limited to a few weekly stroke-of-the-day clinics and sessions of advanced
drill, only because that's all there seems to be sufficient demand for. They
do, however, offer a package for teams, which bundles 8 hours of workouts
and clinics over 2½ days. "We want to give them a world-class
instructional program while leaving time to take advantage of Charleston,"
says Dempsey.
Courts & Fees. The club has 13 Har-Tru and 4 hard courts,
13 of them with light. One is a 10,000-seat stadium, another located at one
end of the clubhouse at showcase grandstand court. All have shaded cabanas
and water fountains alongside. Court fees: $10/hour on hard courts, $15/hour
on clay (add $2/hour for lights).
Lodging
The closest lodging to the Tennis Centre is the Hampton Inn-Daniel
Island. Its 128 rooms all have in-room coffee maker, free airport shuttle
service, and TV with cable. We also offer connecting rooms, cribs, hair dryers,
irons, microwaves, refrigerators, safe deposit box, high speed Internet access.
It also has an outdoor swimming pool, small fitness center, and a guest laundromat.
Reservations:
Family Circle Tennis Center
161 Seven Farms Drive
Daniel Island
Charleston, SC 29492
843-849-5300
Toll-free: 800-677-2293
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