So here’s what happened with those Larkey Park tennis courts yesterday. Woke up itching to hit some balls, but no clue about hours or prices. Figured I’d just wing it – big mistake.
First stop: park website disaster
Grabbed my phone, searched “Larkey Park tennis.” Got buried under tournament ads and senior events articles from last year. Remember seeing that Changsha seniors competition thing? Yeah, totally not helpful. Site hadn’t been updated since before the pandemic, I swear. Just bunch of broken links and PDFs from 2019.
The field recon mission
Drove over around 10am expecting open courts. Nope. All chained up like Fort Knox. Saw some guy stretching near Court 3. “Yo, when do these open?” I yelled over. He shrugged: “Dunno man, usually after noon? Maybe check the shack?” Real helpful. Walked past that community board plastered with ballet class flyers and lost dog notices. Finally spotted a sun-bleached laminated sheet under burger grease stains.
What the sign actually said:
- Summer hours (May-Aug): 7am-9pm weekdays, 8am-8pm weekends
- Off-peak hours (now): Noon-7pm daily. Locked up tight outside those times
- Residents: Free if you bring city ID card
- Non-residents: $15/hour singles, $20/hour doubles. Cash only!
- Lights? Forget it. “Donated by Rotary Club 2008” sticker still there but the bulbs died years ago
My dumbass didn’t bring ID or cash. Saw teenagers doing drills while glaring at my watch. 11:47am. Asked the bored-looking staffer about reservations. He laughed through his nachos: “First come first serve. That lineup?” Pointed to six grannies with folding chairs and thermoses. “They’ve been here since breakfast.”
Epilogue:
Wasted whole morning just to learn basic facts. Ended up paying the $15 like a tourist. Played next to that seniors group mentioned in that Hunan Daily clip – those folks play mean doubles for free with their resident passes. Moral of the story? Call the damn park office before hauling your racket anywhere. Still cheaper than that Shanghai tennis carnival though – heard they made kids pay fifty just to play mini-golf with rackets!