Social Tennis
Social Tennis is a great way to have a game in a relaxed and friendly environment without the pressure or commitment of Fixtures and Tournaments.
However, Social Tennis is not a teaching program. People wanting to learn how to play should attend some coaching classes such as the Adult Group Coaching Beginner Course run by the UQ Sport Tennis Centre (https://uqsport.com.au/tennis-coaching). Players doing coaching courses would benefit from attending the Tennis Club's Wednesday Night Tennis Practice program. Players should not attend Social Tennis until they have mastered the basic shots, can sustain a rally, know the basic rules and understand the scoring system.
The Tennis Centre at UQ is run by UQ Sport. UQ Sport offers group and private coaching lessons. The UQ Tennis Club is not permitted to offer coaching in any of its programs.
Sunday Afternoon Social Tennis
On 10 March, Sunday Afternoon Social Tennis will switch from the 2-6 p.m. timeslot to the 1-5 p.m. timeslot. This is because it is too dark to play after 5 p.m. without lights. The 1-5 p.m. timeslot will be used until the end of October or until the court lights are fixed.
Open to the UQ community and the general public. High to low levels catered for*. Pre-booking not required. Regular or occasional attendance. Open to UQ Tennis Club members and non-members. Table Tennis, Snooker & TV available. The Smash Bar open from 2 p.m. Free tea, coffee & biscuits provided.
* While catering for low level players, Social Tennis is not for absolute beginners. Absolute beginners should enrol in a
Beginners Adult Group Coaching Course with the UQ Sport Tennis Centre and attend the Club’s Wednesday Night Practice Program.
Time: 2pm to 6pm (7 January to 3 March & 3 November to 15 December); 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (10 March to 27 October)
Format: Doubles (eight-game sets). Players rotated after each set.
Cost: $12 for UQ Tennis Club Ordinary, Associate & Junior Members and $18 for all others.
Check-In is upstairs on the Clubhouse verandah. Pre-booking not required (just turn up and check in on the day).
Parking: Parking is free on weekends in designated parking areas. Fines apply for parking in non-parking areas (such as on yellow lines).
Thursday Night Social Tennis
N.B. Because of court lighting failures, the UQ Sport Tennis Centre only has a 8 courts available for night play. This is not enough to run Social Tennis. Therefore, there will be no Thursday Night Social Tennis for the foreseeable future.
Open to the UQ community and the general public. High to low levels catered for*. Pre-booking not required. Regular or occasional attendance. Open to UQ Tennis Club members and non-members. Table Tennis, Snooker & TV available. The Smash Bar open from 7:30 p.m. Free tea, coffee & biscuits provided.
* While catering for low level players, Social Tennis is not for absolute beginners. Absolute beginners should enrol in a
Beginners Adult Group Coaching Course with the UQ Sport Tennis Centre and attend the Club’s Wednesday Night Practice Program.
Time: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Format: Doubles (eight-game sets). Players rotated after each set.
Cost: $12 for UQ Tennis Club Ordinary, Associate & Junior Members and $18 for all others.
Check-In is upstairs on the Clubhouse verandah. Pre-booking not required (just turn up and check in on the night).
Parking: Parking Fees apply from Monday to Friday between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Heavy fines apply for parking in a designated parking area from Monday to Friday without the appropriate payment or parking, at any time, in an area not designated for parking (e.g. on yellow lines). UQ now uses an electronic PAYG parking system called CellOPark which eliminates the use of paper tickets. Register on-line or download the free smartphone app. from www.cellopark.com.au. Payment can also be made by coins or credit card using ‘Pay by Plate Machines’. However, there are a limited number of these machines. Along Sir William Macgregor Drive (Blue Zone, $5/day), they are located near the Rowing Shed, near the old CityCat Terminal (opposite the Tennis Courts) and opposite the Swimming Pool. Along Blair Drive (Red Zone, $2.50/hr) they are located opposite the Swimming Pool and next to the Beach Volleyball Courts. There are also some ’Pay by Plate Machines’ in the car parks next to the Aquatic Centre and under the UQ Centre (Red Zones, $2.50/hr) and in the car park next to the UQ Centre under the Synthetic Playing Fields (Grey Zone, $2.50/hr but capped at $7/day). Staff, students and visitors are able to purchase an Off-Peak - St Lucia - Prepaid vPermit which is valid in all casual parking zones from 3:45 p.m. to 8 a.m. and is the cheapest option for regular players at night. For more information about parking or to apply for an Off-Peak vPermit, go to www.pf.uq.edu.au/parking.
Social Tennis Milestone Rewards
The UQ Tennis Club has introduced the 50 and 100 milestone clubs to reward its most regular Social Tennis attendees.
With 1 January 2020 as the starting point, players who attend Social Tennis 50 times will receive a ’50 club’ cap and those who attend 100 times will receive a ‘100 club’ cap. Obviously, with the COVID lockdowns and the closure for court reconstruction work last year, it has taken a lot longer than expected for players to start qualifying for the milestone rewards.
So, belatedly, the first players to reach the 50 visits milestone were presented with their ’50 club’ caps during Social Tennis on Sunday, 21 February, 2021. Further awards have been made monthly since then.
The top 150 attendees at Social Tennis can be found here.
