Play tennis without membership
A possibility to play tennis without membership
Many tennis enthusiasts and people interested in tennis would like to know if playing tennis without membership is possible?
Below we answer this question and give you a few tips and tricks along the way – enjoy reading.
1. Is it possible to play tennis without membership?
Yes, in principle it is possible to play tennis without a membership.
Many people may have tried tennis on vacation, but then discarded it due to the stress of everyday life. But there is also the possibility to stand on the tennis court and play tennis without any obligation – no matter if alone, in pairs or in fours. It is even possible all year round: in summer outside in the fresh air and in winter in the tennis hall.
No tennis club actively advertises the possibility of playing tennis in their own tennis club without membership, but tennis clubs are also usually happy about the income from match fees since it helps them to survive.
We recommend simply asking the club of your choice in your area.
2. Where can I play tennis without a membership?
There are several venues where you can play your favorite sport, tennis, without membership. Depending on your circumstances, this is sometimes very easy, sometimes a little more difficult:
a) Your playing partner is a member of a tennis club
Admittedly, this is probably the easiest case, because normally every club member can bring a guest player to their own tennis facility. Of course, the guest player has to be registered before entering the tennis court and a playing fee of 15 dollar on average has to be paid for the session.
b) Playing tennis in the tennis hall in winter
If you want to play tennis in the winter, the membership status of your playing partner is relatively irrelevant. The majority of tennis clubs do not have their own tennis hall and use private tennis halls themselves, so that a membership status does not bring any advantage.
However, if the tennis club has its own tennis hall, it has the goal of earning money with the tennis lessons that are given out. The free use of the tennis hall is not included in the membership fee, but at most a discounted use in the low two-digit percentage range. Therefore, tennis clubs are even happy to give away free hours in their own tennis hall to interested parties in order to cover their own costs.
c) Playing tennis in summer
Most people interested in tennis see the first rays of sunshine in spring and finally want to pick up a tennis racket again. This is probably the most difficult case, because usually all club members are also looking forward to the start of the summer season.
This results in increased demand both at tennis clubs and at private tennis parks. Often club members even switch to private tennis parks at the beginning of the season, since their own facility may already be completely occupied at the desired time.
In addition, the ground of the tennis clay court is usually still a little soft, so that it is not possible to play on the courts all day long, which leads to a shortage of available hours on the tennis courts.
The first thing we recommend is to find out if the venue in your area – if it is a tennis club – invites guest players without members to play tennis at the beginning of the season.
If they do, you should check for potential times – they will often ask you to come by and wait a little while. But don’t worry, most tennis clubs have a terrace where you can enjoy a drink before and after playing tennis, as well as sunshine.
3. What do I need to play tennis without a membership?
All tennis players – including members of tennis clubs – have their own tennis equipment and bring it with them every time they play tennis. Only when participating in tennis training, the tennis coach usually provides the tennis balls.
In case of need, the tennis coach will also provide a rental tennis racket, but it is expected that each tennis player also has his own tennis racket. Therefore, we also recommend that every amateur player at least have their own tennis balls a tennis racket and the tennis shoes necessary for the tennis court.
It is best to read the following articles on the right choice of tennis equipment for tennis beginners:
- Tennis Balls
- Tennis rackets
- Tennis shoes
The other tennis equipment will follow from time to time, but is not essential for playing tennis for the first time.
If you don’t have any tennis equipment yet and you are not sure if tennis is the right sport for you, you should also read the articles Playing Tennis and Starting Tennis.
4. Tips and tricks for playing tennis without membership
In addition to the tips and tricks already mentioned, we would like to give three more tips and tricks for tennis beginners and those interested in tennis:
a) Take advantage of potential trial memberships
Tennis clubs also actively recruit members at the start of the summer season. Therefore, many tennis clubs offer trial memberships for a discounted annual fee for the first year. Otherwise, you have the same rights and obligations as any normal and long-time club member.
So if tennis really becomes a long-term interest of yours, a trial membership in a tennis club will pay for itself relatively quickly – instead of paying match fees every time. You just have to keep in mind that the trial membership normally turns into a regular membership at the end of the year without cancellation.
b) Become familiar with tennis terms and rules
Knowing tennis terms and tennis rules is essential on the tennis court and also when watching on the terrace.
We’ve created a digital reference guide to tennis terms in our tennis glossary.
c) Start tennis for the summer season and take training lessons
Playing tennis in the open air is not only cheaper due to the savings on indoor costs, but is also the most fun when the sun is shining. That’s how many tennis beginners think and find themselves joining local tennis clubs in the spring.
This is an ideal starting position, also for your tennis career, because no matter if you want to start playing tennis alone, as a couple or as a family. In the beginning, it’s crucial that you learn proper stroke technique – ideally – under the supervision of a coach. With many like-minded people, suitable training groups can be created quickly and the training costs can be correspondingly cheaper for the individual.
But even more important is that you are directly in contact with other possible playing partners. In training you learn the stroke technique during stroke exercises, but you also have to use what you have learned regularly on your own in order to make progress. Each playing partner has different strengths and weaknesses, so for a particularly steep learning curve, don’t always play only with your favorite playing partner, but change playing partners regularly.
5. Summary and conclusion
Have fun playing tennis.