I grew up watching my Dad play tennis here, and now it's finally my turn…read more After flirting unsuccessfully with baseball in high school, tennis is now becoming my go-to "racket/stick" sport. And after taking a few quick lessons to "get my game back" this summer, I can definitely say that I'm enjoying the additional time I'm spending here. And why not? There's lots to like. The club is nicely set at the bottom of the Berkeley Hills, right off Tunnel Road, where the silhouette of the Claremont Hotel towers over the club in the background. It must be made known that the members of the Berkeley Tennis Club (known as the "BTC"), are a very, very tight knit community, to the point where many members take a keen interest in management decisions, almost as if stockholders. As many members come here basically everyday, it makes sense that they would have a vested interest in making the club the best place possible. However this just reflects the caring nature of most members, as people here are extremely friendly, social, and down to earth. Upstairs in the main "clubhouse", there is a newly renovated workout area, with separate rooms for cardio and weight equipment that both contain large flatscreen TVs. As someone who enjoys working out, this is a key feature for me. Other amenities include: 10 tennis courts, a basketball hoop, swimming pool, hot tub, and a fitness center with cardio machines and weights. Not a bad deal. As I look back on my time I spent here over the years, I realize that this is the place where I learned how to swim. This is where I made some of my earliest friends. And now, hopefully, this can be where I finally learn how to play tennis.

I visited the club in July and the admin upfront was very disorganized. There was no manager…read moreavailable to speak with? I came here to see if could sign up for tennis lessons and also because I heard great things about the swim lessons but it was a total waste of time and no one was able to help me. Left a bad taste so I left and choose to go some where else.

This place is the best! Shout out to all the young guys that are usually working there - they're…read morealways happy to help answer all my tennis racket/string questions! I recently did the racket demo program. It is awesome, you get 30 days to try as many rackets as you'd like, 3 at a time, for $40. The $40 is like a down payment toward the racket you eventually end up choosing! Bryce helped me out the first time I came in - gave me all the basics in a very friendly and approachable way! I swapped rackets many times lol and it was always pretty quick and easy. Anytime I needed a recommendation, I felt like I could trust what they were telling me from their own tennis experience! I ended up getting a Head Gravity racket with pretty blue, Mach 10 strings to match lol - I couldn't be more pleased with my choice! The price match they offer can also be handy - even though they ended up having the cheapest prices in store when I went, it's good to keep in mind if you happen to see a cheaper price online, they'll honor it, according to their policy! Tennis can be expensive haha so just keep this policy in mind! They're a small shop but I feel good supporting local! Sometimes they might not have what you're looking for, but they're happy to get it from their other location/order it for you and they're always really good about calling you when your item or racket is ready! For example, they had to get my racket and some racket head protection tape from their other store, on different occasions. They called me each time when it was ready. For your fellow tennis lovers, keep this place in mind - they have gift cards! I actually got a gift card for my birthday lol that I used towards my new racket. I also bought tennis balls here as part of my tennis friend's birthday gift - recommended by Bryce - and they ended up being great balls! Dunlop Grand Prix! I will always appreciate the help, knowledge/recs, and friendly service from Courtside - come support them if you need anything for tennis!

Stopped by to get some new pickleball shoes and the owners were super friendly and helpful! They…read morehave a variety of shoes (even newer ones like the Wilson Rush 4.5's which I've been wanting to try on!) and other pickleball/tennis related things like balls, clothes, grip (even hesacore!!). They also offer a paddle trial - I think 1 month at $25 for you to trial up to 3 paddles at once. The owner mentioned you can keep trading them in during the month as well and the $25 gets applied to your purchase if you buy a paddle afterwards!

Grove Park is great, and I imagine even better after construction the sort of club house they are…read moreredoing. We love the tot-older kid playground area. One section has tot swings, sand box, playground and the other area has a huge slide and climbing structure. It's great for all ages, honestly. It has about 5 picnic tables (great for reserving for a bday party), and a little grassy area. Not a ton of shade, so on those sunny, hot days, be prepared. Next to the playground area, the park extends to huge grassy fields, basketball courts, bathrooms, and tennis courts. It's honestly such a great public park for South central Berkeley. Overall, five stars! Great park for all!

Tennis, basketball, playground and baseball field that people were playing soccer on Wednesday…read moreevening. Playground looked fun for little ones. Huge slide - everything well lit especially sports areas. Near bicycle boulevard so easily accessible foe nearby residents. People looking to save money on a gym membership might consider regular visits here.

Hosted my son's first birthday party here, I definitely recommend making a reservation, the park…read morewas packed and busy with parties and other events and activities on a Saturday in early October. It was a great time and we will be booking this location for more family hosted events

What a cool spot this park is. Of course as always Berkeley has the best parks :)…read more We came on a school day off Monday before 5pm. Our daughters loved it. Ample opportunities for endless play. Gigantic slide and climbing structure is for sure the highlight among big kids! Plenty of swings, big seesaw, little sand area for smaller kids and much more! Lots of greenery and shaded spots as well. Spotted tennis area too. What a cool place. Luckily ample parking as well nearby :)

I love playing here during my undergraduate tenure at Cal. You can join Tennis at Cal to meet…read morepeople of the same playing ability/level. I recommend to always book the court prior playing here, so that you won't get interrupted in the middle of your match. It's hard to play here during the day because RSF holds tennis classes here.

We came here to hit tennis balls at night, so much fun! The courts are in pretty good shape too…read more I'll be back.

JP is a great coach and I am so lucky I found him. He has offered me great tips that have really…read morechanged and improved my forehand. He is good and thorough at spotting areas for improvement and has a great way of explaining what needs to change to make it better. He sees it and immediately knows what is wrong. He'll video it, show you and help you fix it. I really like that in a coach. Rather than just settle with the bad patterns I bring on the court, he is relentless and patient in changing my habits and making me a stronger player. He is super encouraging too. I highly recommend JP!

JP is the best tennis instructor I've worked with - he clearly understands the game as an expert…read more He quickly identified my level and knew how to take me to the next one (which is what I was looking for). Good variety in drills and playing, learned some new techniques, and overall just a ton of fun to play and work on my game with!

I like Cedar Rose Park…read more - Plenty of street parking. - There are bathrooms - I wouldn't say super clean, but they exist. - 2 playgrounds - 1 older structure and 1 pretty big and nice tot/older kid structure with sand pit and swings. Not epic, by any means but suffices. Why you love Cedar Rose Park is for the huge field. On most weekdays, kids are having soccer practice (and it can host multiple teams) and there will be a gaggle of dogs playing - it is most definitely a dog meetup at least at that 6/7pm hour. Weekends are filled with families and birthday parties. Part of the bike route connecting downtown Berkeley and the Ohlone Greenway, so a nice bike route with benches sprinkled amongst it with tennis/pickleball courts across the street. Overall a great, green open space in our little city.

Nice small park in a residential area in Berkeley!!…read more The Ohlone Greenway trail, goes through this park. The large grassy area was filled with people the day I was here. There's also a small community center and playground here, and it seems very popular with the local residents. Nice park!!

There's truly something for every age group at this park…read more A nice playground for the kids, basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts for adults and teens, and if you walk to the grassy area next to hidden cafe there's so many adults and families enjoying the outdoors picnicking. Great spot for casual hangs.

A very nice, somewhat hidden park in Berkeley…read more It seemed small at first glance, but as you keep walking, you go past the grassy area where people congregate to Strawberry Creek and some small bridges, to a playground, to basketball and tennis courts. I would describe it as long, and much easier to find on foot than in a car, that's how I found it at least. A good find in Berkeley!!

I cannot recommend the East Bay Tennis League highly enough -- it was pretty much the saving grace…read moreof 2020 for me. It's a freakishly affordable, easy way to get matches with players matched to your level, and while the competition's good, people are nice and chill. I'm a big fan. Before I found it, I was trying (and failing) to use NextDoor and Craigslist to find matches with local people -- not one of those panned out. I joined figuring that the cost was so low, I had nothing to lose -- and was then amazed at how well-run it was, and how populated it was by cool people to play with. Upon joining the EBTL, I had almost as many matches as I wanted (some people play one every so often, while others are managing to get in 3 a week or more!). How it works: matches are self-scheduled. The algorithms the league uses to sort people into groups of equal levels work very well, esp. after you've played a few matches. The app for phones is very easy to use and well-designed, but if you want to just use your computer, that's fine (and well-designed too.) Matches are "competitive" in the sense that people play scored matches and try to win... but 99% of the participants are easy-going and understand that no one's going to Wimbledon anytime soon. (And while only "matches" count for the purposes of the league, it's been a great way to meet people that I just want to hit with, as well!)

Great app to meet new local players in your area and similar skill level. Best part is its flexible…read moreand even a tournament style playoffs at the end of n each season. App is simple and easy to use.