Ocean Grove Tennis Club ready for summer of fun

THE Ocean Grove Tennis Club (OGTC) is celebrating the upcoming summer by sharing its facilities with the local community for the first time in two years.

This summer, OGTC is running several events and activities open to the community which it hopes will be taken up and enjoyed.
On the tennis front, the club is welcoming Jacob Grills to its Tennis Fanatics Coaching team.

“Mr Grills began his tennis journey at the OGTC as a junior and this led him to travel the world as a professional tennis player, winning and getting into finals in events in Australia, Asia and Europe,” OGTC president Leon Eyck said.

“Along the way he has also proved to be a worthy hitting partner with some of the tennis greats including Venus Williams, Rodger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.”

Mr Grills has also undergone training with Tennis Australia as part of their Wheelchair program including playing alongside Dylan Alcott, which has inspired the OGTC to start gauging potential all-ability and wheelchair tennis programs for 2022.

The OGTC also has two coaching clinics lined up over the summer. The first is slated for January 10 to 11 and the second will run on the 13th and 14th.

Both events are available to members and non-members with limited spots available. Head to the Tennis Fanatics website for more details and to register your interest at www.tennisfanaticsgeelong.com.au.

Socially, the club has plenty of events scheduled throughout January with events such as social tennis, live music, food (catered by local cafes) and operating the club bar.

OGTC’s January program of family-friendly events commence with an afternoon session on January 1st starting at 2pm hosted by Kim Elise Cooper, which precedes weekly Friday evening sessions starting at 6pm on January 7 (Dirty Stopouts), January 14 (Dallas Holden) and finishing on January 21 (Princess Planet).

A $5 cover charge applies to the events, and the club encourages people to book online prior to the night to ensure it has sufficient catering available.

“We now have an online booking system through play.tennis.com.au for access to our courts,” Mr Eyck said.

“This allows non-members to pay online for court usage including under lights in the evening up to 11pm.”

New arrivals in town and those visiting over summer can now take advantage of OGTC summer membership of $55/person or $90 for a family that provides access up to the end of March.

Lastly, the OGTC recently welcomed four new life members to its ranks; Pauline Lucas, Anne Trebble, Richard Proctor and Donna James.

“Life memberships at OGTC are not a reflection of tennis competition success but are issued to members of our club that have made an extended and outstanding continuation to the club as a whole,” Mr Eyck said.

“These members have all made a fantastic contribution to the club over and we pass on our congratulations and gratitude on behalf of all our members past and present.”

For further information on any of the above events, contact the club via [email protected] or online at play.tennis.com.au/OceanGroveTennisClub.