USPTA Florida Grand Prix at Addison Reserve a Classy Affair

Posted by T. A. Niles Nov 2, 2008

I think I played my first tennis tournament in 1976, and I have played quite a few tournaments and other types of tennis events over the years. I write about many of my tournament experiences, but my recent tournament experience at the USPTA Florida Grand Prix event at Addison Reserve Country Club demanded mention over and above the usual.

The first mentions must go to the facility and staff that hosted the event. Jeff Bingo, director of tennis, and members of his staff, Head Pro Barbora Burns and Administrative Assistant Heather Kostenbauder to name a few, pulled out all the stops to ensure that the tournament players and Addison Reserve members had a superb experience.

Regarding the facility, the locker rooms were spectacularly outfitted and decorated with marble countertops, art deco porcelain sinks, and rich cherry wood lockers. All the standard amenities and toiletries were present, but the disposable toothbrushes did the trick for me. I was impressed.

The tennis courts were also in great shape, and were groomed prior to each match. I even had the pleasure of playing against the USTA Men’s 45 Clay Court Champion, Horacio Rearte, on the red clay, Grand Stand court. Ordinarily I wouldn’t associate the word “pleasure” with a 1-6, 0-6 loss, but Horacio is as classy a person as he is a player, and the venue was topnotch.

When I returned home from the event, I asked Mike Curran, a veteran of USPTA and USTA events if he had ever had tournament staff come around to the courts with cold towels and ice during a match. He replied, “No.” Neither had I, and it definitely made an impression.

I could say much more, but due to spatial limitations, I’ll just say “Great job!” to Jeff and his outstanding staff. Game, set, match…