So, I wanted to get back into tennis, you know, stay active and all that. I live up in North Jersey, so I figured there must be some decent courts around here. I started by hitting up the internet, just typing in “North Jersey tennis” to see what would pop up.
The first thing I noticed was a bunch of stuff about some league called the “Northern Amateur Football League.” I was like, “Wait, football? I typed in tennis!” But, I guess they have different divisions, so maybe there’s a tennis one in there somewhere. I didn’t really dig too deep into that right away. I saw something about seasons, divisions, and selecting them using some drop-down lists. But I was more focused on getting real-world on-court, which wasn’t what I want.
Then, I stumbled upon some website that was all about giving directions. It was like a map thing where you could add multiple stops and see live traffic and road conditions. I get the feeling that it is something useful, but it’s not what I need now. I want to know the practical way to play tennis.
Then there was this article about some guy named Andy Murray, a two-time winner, playing against another guy, Ryan Peniston, at Wimbledon. Okay, cool, but that’s not exactly helping me find a court in North Jersey. I am not a professional player! I knew I still needed to keep searching.
My Real-World Journey
So, I decided to get practical. I remembered there’s a park near my place, Westwood Racket Club, so I went there first. It was a bit of a gamble, I walked there, and boom, they had courts! They were pretty busy, but I managed to get on and hit around a bit. It wasn’t ideal, no partner or anything, but it was a start.
Next, I asked some neighbors if they knew any good spots. One of them mentioned a local club, the Washington Township Tennis Club. Said it was a bit more organized, with leagues and lessons and stuff. I went and checked it out. It was definitely a step up from the park, but a little pricier. They had these fancy clay courts, which was kind of cool.
I played a few times at the club, even tried out a lesson. The instructor, some guy named Mike, was pretty good. He helped me fix my serve, which was, let’s just say, not great. But the club wasn’t exactly close to me.
I still wanted to explore other options, so I went back to the internet. I found a couple of other places, one called “Haworth Tennis Courts” and another called “Ridgewood Tennis Association”. I drove out to both of them. “Haworth Tennis Courts” was alright, nothing special, but “Ridgewood Tennis Association” was pretty nice. They had a lot of courts, and it seemed like a good mix of people playing, all different levels.
Conclusion For Now
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Westwood Racket Club: Convenient, but can get crowded. Okay for a casual hit.
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Washington Township Tennis Club: More organized, clay courts, but a bit expensive. Good for lessons.
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Haworth Tennis Courts: Nothing special, but it’s an option.
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Ridgewood Tennis Association: Lots of courts, good mix of players. Seems like a solid choice.
So far, I think Ridgewood Tennis Association is my favorite. But who knows, maybe I’ll find some hidden gem somewhere. The search continues, I guess. Anyway, that’s my tennis journey in North Jersey so far. It’s been a bit of a process, but I’m getting there. I just want to play some decent tennis without it being a huge hassle, you know?