About the club

Welcome to the Priory Park Tennis Club. The objective of this document is to provide an overview of the activities of the club as well as other miscellanea that can be useful for a member who has just joined the club or is considering to join.

Types of membership.
1. Full member. Can access the courts any day. Can join social play on weekdays and weekends. Note that on Tuesday and Thursday from 8 to 10:30 access is restricted to selected members of our mid-week group.
2. Young Adult. Same as Full membership, but discounted for young adults aged 18 to 25.
3. Off-Peak. This type of membership gives access to the courts only on weekdays, from 8 am to 6 pm , hence not on weekends. Also on Tuesday and Thursday from 8 to 10:30 access is restricted to selected members of our mid-week group.
4. Social. For members who are not tennis players but want to take part in the life of the club or want to have access to the club main gate and towpath gate. Social members are welcome to join social pickleball on Friday.
Access to the club and to the courts.
1. Members can access the club through the main gate at the end of Forest Road. The gate has a keypad code that allows entry. The code is communicated to current members when they enroll or by the club secretary for yearly changes.
2. Members can access the courts by unlocking the padlocks on either gate. The code of the padlocks is changed regularly and is communicated to members when they join or by the secretary for yearly changes.
3. Access for off-peak members is limited to weekdays only, up to 6 pm.
Social play during the weekend. Social play means all (full) members mix in to play, normally doubles, but that depends on the numbers so it could be singles too. If there are members waiting to play we normally play short sets to ensure nobody has to wait for too long. The clubhouse is open and tea and/or coffee are available free of charge.
1. Saturday: social play from 10 to 1 pm. Note the top court (near the green) is reserved until 11 as it is used by the club teams for practice.
2. Sunday: social play from 10 to 1 pm. All courts.
Social play during weekdays.
1. Tuesday and Thursday from 8 to 10:30 (8:30 to 10:30 in winter) all 3 courts are reserved to the off peak group that has priority over other club members. The group is currently fully subscribed, but for any information or to be added to the waiting list you can contact the organizer, Lyn Keay.
2. Wednesday evening social play. During summer, open to all members, organised by a club member. Start time varies from 5 to 6 pm, depending on daylight. During winter we take advantage of our movable rechargeable lights.
3. Members often organise small groups to play during the week by using the club whatsapp group.
Pickleball, social play
1. On Friday afternoon/evening we set up two pickleball courts on the two halves of the court nearest the clubhouse and all members (and friends and family) are invited to have a go at this game, even if they have never played before. Start time depends on the season. During the summer we offer Pimm’s and nibbles for a small charge for those who sit outside waiting for their turn.
Use of the courts outside social playing
1. Members can access courts whenever they like, there is no booking system as normally there is always very good availability year round. Members are welcome to invite guests, paying a fee of £5 each time to the club (bank details below). A person can be invited as a guest for a maximum of 5 times. Over 5 times we would invite the guest to become a full member.
2. Sometimes courts can be reserved for team matches or for coaching (see below). When this happens a message is normally sent out well in advance to the club Whatsapp group.
Coaching
1. The club has a coach for 3-4 days a week. Will Purdue can be contacted at info@willpurdue.com or on whatsapp at ‭07464 309302‬. He organises both group lessons for different ability levels as well as individual coaching.
Tournaments
1. About once a quarter the club organises friendly tournaments, normally during the morning on either a Saturday or a Sunday. All members are welcome to join irrespective of their ability.
Other social events (xmas party, summer events)
1. The club organises other social events during the year. A Xmas party in December and a Summer party in June/July. Even summer barbecues, when the weather is auspicious. Details are provided by the organisers well in advance.
Dress code
1. It is essential that proper tennis shoes are worn in order to maintain the court surface as well as for safety. In general, members and their guests should wear tennis clothing and footwear at all times on court.
Club communications
1. Formal comms (AGM, courts maintenance, special events, etc) are sent out by the club secretary by email to all registered members.
2. Informal comms -but still tennis related- are exchanged by all members on the club whatsapp group. We encourage all members to be part of the club whatsapp group, but that is of course non mandatory. Whatsapp is very often used to organise play outside of the usual social slots, sometimes with little notice.

Renting the clubhouse
1. The clubhouse can be rented for parties or other activities (eg, Bridge Club). The rent of the clubhouse is a fixed amount per hour. For grown-up parties the club can often provide a barman and drinks are sold according to the club price list. If the renter wants to bring their own beverages there is a corkage fee to be paid. Bar purchases can be made paying in cash or by card. For further information contact Frankie Pinner, frankie.m.pinner@gmail.com
Contacts:
1. General info: prioryparkkew@gmail.com