Article Contributed on: 6/3/2008 11:31:52 AM
More and more tennis courts are being included in new parks that are currently under construction in the county. The towns of Castle Rock and Parker plan to open several new public courts this fall.
Additionally, the City of Lone Tree is working on renovating and adding to its current tennis facility at the Lone Tree Golf Club and Hotel, 9808 Sunningdale Blvd., with funding from 2B, a sales tax measure that will help finance park and recreation improvements. Planners with the city are hoping to replace four of its old courts and add two more.
Bison Park in Castle Rock, which broke ground in April in The Meadows neighborhood, will offer residents four new tennis courts, all of which will be lighted. It's the first tennis courts the town has built in about 20 years, according to town parks planner
Jeff Smullen.
The tennis courts, which will be located at 1390 Clear Sky Way, are scheduled to open in September. In addition to those courts, the town has worked with the Douglas County School District to help open new courts at Douglas County High School and Castle View High School.
The Town of Parker is currently working on building its first public tennis courts, which will be included at a new park near the intersection of Twenty Mile Road and Plaza Drive. The 6.5-acre facility, which includes a skate park and playground, is scheduled to open in November.
Barry Riddle, owner and operator of Parker Tennis, worked for more than three years to persuade the town to construct public courts. His company, which is based at Chaparral High School and provides tennis lessons to children and adults, largely has outgrown the facilities at the high school.
"We're experiencing a real boom in terms of people wanting lessons," he said.
Though several of the town's neighborhoods have their own courts, the need for a place where all residents can play is important, he said.
"Courts at locals HOAs don't perpetuate a really vital aspect of tennis, which is the social part of tennis," Riddle said. "It perpetuates one-on-one individual play. What we find is that when you have a tennis center, it becomes a place where people can gather and socialize."
Kurt Desautels, with the Colorado Tennis Association, said the tennis boom in Douglas County is part of a national trend.
"Tennis is going through the roof nationally, both in terms of participation and the number of rackets and other goods purchased," Desautels said, adding that tennis is one of the few traditional sports that has continued to grow over the past few years. "We're so excited the communities in Douglas County are committed and willing to take up their own cause."
The sport's popularity waned during the late '80s and '90s, but has been making a comeback due in part to an effort by the United States Tennis Association dubbed "The Big Serve" to promote the sport to people at a grassroots level.
Desautels said the public courts in Douglas County will likely help grow the popularity of the sport locally.
"Absolutely," he said. "Nationally, about 70 percent of tennis is played on public courts. That's where tennis really belongs, not just at country clubs, but also in the middle of a city. That's where I think it will thrive and continue to thrive."
AT A GLANCE --
Public tennis courts planned for Dougco communities
Four new tennis courts planned for Bison Park, 1390 Clear Sky Way, in The Meadows. The park is scheduled to open in September.
Six new tennis courts planned for a new park in Parker which will be located near the intersection of Twenty Mile Road and Plaza Drive. The park is scheduled to open in November.
Four tennis courts will be replaced and two are expected to be added at Lone Tree Golf Club and Hotel, 9808 Sunningdale Blvd. City planners and representatives from South Suburban Park and Recreation District are currently working out the details for an opening date.
Can't wait for those courts to open?
Click here for a tennis court locator.