This started long before Gulf Beach Racquet Club.
“Tennis has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. It started with my mother. Decades later, I somehow went from finding my way back to the game… to building the damn club.”
Gulf Beach Racquet Club
West Pensacola, Florida
A new kind of tennis club is coming to West Pensacola.
We're building green Har-Tru clay courts, programs for grown-ups and juniors, and a clubhouse worth sticking around for after the match. And we're doing it as a nonprofit, for the people who live here.
It's time to move some dirt.
We've spent a very long time in planning, development and approval.
That part is done. Development approvals are complete, and Gulf Beach Racquet Club is moving into construction.
No opening date yet. We've learned our lesson about predictions. When it's real, you'll hear it here first.
- PlanningComplete
- Development approvalsComplete
- Construction beginsWe are here
- Site workComing up
- Courts and Har-TruComing up
- LightingComing up
- ClubhouseComing up
- LandscapingComing up
- Match pointComing up
A real tennis club. Not a stuffy one.
Nonprofit, on purpose
Gulf Beach Racquet Club is a registered 501(c)(3). It exists to grow tennis in West Pensacola and give the community a place to play.
Built around the courts
Everything starts with green Har-Tru clay. The clubhouse, the programs and the social calendar all grow from there.
For the whole household
Clinics, leagues and junior tennis are in the plan, plus a Member Child Watch so parents can actually get on court.
Green clay. Yes, really.
Our courts will be green Har-Tru clay. Not red clay, not a blue hard court. Green.
If you've only played on hard courts, the first time you slide into a forehand is a moment. Clay is a little kinder to knees and hips, the ball sits up a beat longer, and points tend to last. It's tennis the way a lot of us fell in love with it.
- Softer underfoot than hard courts, so joints tend to complain less
- Slower, higher-bouncing ball, which means longer rallies
- Generally plays cooler than a hard court in the summer sun
- Players at every level can slide, scramble and get one more ball back
What we're planning on court
These are planned programs. Schedules, pricing and instructors will be announced as we get closer.
Adult clinics
Group instruction for building skills and fixing that one shot.
Private lessons
One-on-one time to work on your game.
Ladies drills
Drills, reps and good company.
League play
Team tennis for players who like a scoreboard.
Cardio Tennis
High-energy drills set to music. A workout that happens to involve a racquet.
Junior tennis
Programs to get kids playing, learning and loving the game.
Mixers and social tennis
Rotating partners, low stakes, new friends.
Club and special events
The reasons you'll stay long after the last ball.
Parents get to play too.
We're planning a Member Child Watch Program during select tennis programs and events.
While you're on court, your kids hang out with supervised activities like games, crafts and movies. It isn't daycare. It's the reason you can finally make it to drills.
Planned program. Details, including ages, times and policies, will be shared before opening.
Grips, strings, snacks and an app.
The everyday stuff that makes a club easy to love.
Pro shop
Club merch, balls, grips and whatever you forgot to pack. Plus a demo racquet program, so you can try before you buy.
Full-service stringing
Drop off your racquet, pick it up ready to play.
Concessions
Cold drinks and snacks for between sets. And after. Mostly after.
The club app
Court booking, payments and event registration, right on your phone. No phone tag, no clipboard sign-up sheets.
Planned amenities. Details will be announced closer to opening.
The clubhouse, as currently imagined.
This is the concept we've been working from: white brick, a navy front door (you may sense a theme), a standing-seam roof and plenty of glass.
Design details will keep evolving as construction moves forward, so think of this as the direction, not the blueprint.
Founding Members
For the people who believe in this before there's a single line on a court.
We'll be offering Founding Memberships. Details are still being finalized, and nothing has been announced yet. The people on our list will hear first.
For local businesses
Court sponsorships, Founding Business Partners, event sponsorships and junior program support. If your business wants a hand in building something West Pensacola will use for years, we'd like to talk.
From Dirt to Match Point
The construction journal. If it happened, it's here.
Join the list.
Be first to hear about Founding Memberships, construction milestones and opening news. No spam. We're too busy moving dirt.