Central Park Tennis Center

As a chess player and owner of Premier Chess, I am not your typical athletic type. However, in an online auction benefiting the play Addy and Uno, I won a tennis lesson with Expert Tom Weiss, which took place at the Central Park Tennis Center (near 96th and Central Park West). Whether you are an absolute beginner tennis player like me or a veteran, this is a great place to get exercise and have fun.

One of the biggest drawbacks of living in the city is the lack of outdoor places to get exercise; however, this is a great place to do so if you don’t feel like going to the gym. The courts are open to public; it costs $15 dollars to buy a 1-hour permit from the NYC Parks department. You will likely see some leftover tennis balls around the courts but you do need to bring a racket. There are some good places to buy equipment on the Upper West Side, including Modell’s on 77th street and Amsterdam.

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If you’re going to check it out, try to go during the week when the courts are less crowded. A lot of people meet their friends to play matches- either singles or doubles. Others take lessons. Tom Weiss taught me some of the basics; e.g, the best way to hold the racket, running techniques, the importance of strategizing ahead, etc. In event you don’t want to hire an outside instructor, the Central Park Tennis Center also has several of their own.

If you are like most people, including myself, physical exercise is likely one of your goals. If it is, do yourself some justice and and purchase a permit to play in the park!

Learn more about the Central Park Tennis Center here.

Featured images courtesy of Jesse Davis via Flickr.