Courtside With Skip Hartman of Advantage Tennis Clubs
Tell us about your tennis background.
Skip Hartman: I started playing tennis at the age of eight at camp and then in the public parks in Manhattan, specifically, a park that no longer is there on 63rd Street and York Avenue that I could ride my bicycle to. I was a good junior player, having played in high school as the number one singles player, going undefeated in my senior year. I never played in any Eastern Tournaments because all of the tournaments were in Long Island and Westchester, and my parents did not have a car.
When I got to college as an unknown, I walked on to the Princeton tennis team as a freshman and played through my senior year. During college, I became an assistant tennis pro at a summer camp, playing with some of the best players in the world at the time, including three-time Grand Slam singles champion and 18-time Grand Slam doubles champion, Darlene Hard. I left the camp to become the summer tennis pro at the River Club on the East Side before getting my law degree. I practiced law for a few years until there was an opportunity to create an indoor tennis business by using a bubble on public land. The concept was to rent public park tennis courts for the winter, put a bubble over them and return them to the public for the outdoor season. In 1969, I convinced the New York City Parks Department to do just that, which led to the license for what became Stadium Tennis Center in the Bronx, the first site of its type which I ran until 1997. I partnered with Bob Kelton, who ran the Fieldston Bath and Tennis Club in the Bronx and was my high school tennis coach, to form HCK Recreation on this first project. We went on to do about a dozen more projects and now are operating three indoor tennis clubs.
What do the Advantage Tennis Clubs provide to the New York City tennis community?
Indoor courts, a clean environment, good lighting and air conditioning, among others. But the thing that is unique to Advantage is the game-arranging. One of the most difficult things about the game of tennis is finding a good match for a regular game. Availability, skill level and personal lives are just three of the obstacles in this never-ending hassle. Each Advantage Tennis Club has at least one staff member whose sole responsibility is to arrange games between players with similar skills.
Is there a specific teaching method that the pros at Advantage Tennis Clubs adhere to?
For many years, the pros at Advantage Tennis Clubs adhered to the Van Der Meer system of teaching tennis, including progressions and stroke analysis. For upcoming juniors, this is still the preferred method of teaching; however, adults get a much more flexible program emphasizing the ability to play points, not necessarily perfect their form.
Tell us about the Advantage Passport.
In addition to membership costs at any of the three clubs, for a small fee, you can obtain the Advantage Passport. This essentially makes you a member at all three clubs. You can call and arrange games at any of the clubs and only pay member rates. This gives you the ability to play for free after 12 noon at Roosevelt Island Racquet Club for 12 weeks during the summer, as well as to play outdoors free from May to October at New York Tennis Club.
Tell us about Roosevelt Island Racquet Club.
Roosevelt is very convenient to get to, and has 11 Har-Tru courts year-round indoor with an adjacent pool that members can use.
What is special about Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club?
Location, location, location! It’s hard to beat a club right on 42nd Street. Manhattan Plaza is now year round indoors and boasts cushioned, all-weather courts and a full-service health club with a pool.
What makes New York Tennis Club unique?
Outdoor courts set in a lovely area with trees and grass, a very pleasant escape from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan during the summer. In the winter the six Har-Tru courts are a few minutes longer to get too from Manhattan, but are less than half the price of Manhattan clubs.
What is unique about the two Advantage Tennis summer camps?
The Sea & Sport Camp at New York Tennis Club is unique in that it has such an array of waterfront activities using the SUNY Maritime campus. Campers learn to swim, sail and kayak, and even go on motor boating excursions. The location is very safe as the SUNY Maritime campus is gated with security. Roosevelt Island offers an incredible sports camp with a top-of-the-line tennis program. The Island is also an extremely safe location.
Did your time at camp as a child influence you toward opening such great camps for Advantage?
As a child I attended camp from the age of six on up and I enjoyed the experience. It was my first introduction to the sport of tennis. Any time you can introduce children to sports, it is a great thing and has a profound impact on their life.
In your opinion, what makes tennis such a great sport?
Tennis is a healthy activity that encourages you to be fit. Tennis appeals to your vanity. You want to look good on court, and that motivates you to keep fit and stay healthy. Tennis brings people together from all walks of life. At the public courts, you don’t know who is a CEO and who works in the mailroom. What is important on the court is who has a great backhand and which player can take over a match from the net. Tennis motivates you to become educated. It opens doors both socially and professionally. Some would say it is the envy of all other sports in that regard. Tennis is the sport of a lifetime.
