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
Sunday Afternoon Social Tennis finished for 2024 on 15 December and will restart in 2025 on 5 January.
In 2025, Sunday Afternoon Social Tennis will run on every Sunday afternoon from 5 January to 14 December (except for a few Sundays when major tournaments are on at UQ).
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: 2 p.m. to 6 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 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
Thursday Night Social Tennis did not run in 2024 because of the court lighting failures. The new court lights are scheduled to be installed by mid-February, 2025. Once the new lights are installed, Thursday Night Social Tennis will restart and will run every Thursday until 18 December. An exact restarting date cannot be given at this time.
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 as it is not a teaching program. 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.
MATCH & MIX LADIES' SOCIAL TENNIS
This is a special initiative that runs on Sunday mornings once a month.
Ladies' Sunday Morning Social Tennis finished for 2024 on 1 December and will restart in 2025 on 5 January.
The aim of the program is to encourage more fun female participation in community Tennis, as well as provide an opportunity to meet and socialise with other players after the playing session. Play some Social Tennis, try some Tennis Practice drills and find out about the opportunities available for female players. The program is open to members and non-members.
2025 Dates (1st Sunday of the month, except in August): 5 January, 2 February, 2 March, 6 April, 4 May, 1 June, 6 July, 10 August, 7 September, 5 October, 2 November and 7 December
Time: 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. January-April & October-December and 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. May-September
Check-In: Upstairs on Clubhouse verandah
Cost: Free (up to June because of funding through a Qld Govt Active Women & Girls Program grant)
Booking required: https://events.humanitix.com/match-and-mix-ladies-social-tennis
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 Sunday Afternoon Social Tennis and Thursday Night 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.
