North Carolina’s Hope Valley Country Club is serving a hardcourt success model.
There was a time, not so long ago, when the tennis pro shop sat silently many weekday afternoons, and racquet sports felt like a holdover from another era — elegant but fading. That time is over. Modern racquet sports boom is powered by the rapid accessibility of pickleball, the surging luxury appeal of padel, and an overarching cultural shift toward social, multi-sport recreation. What was once a single-sport tradition has splintered—and multiplied—into a thriving ecosystem that’s reshaping what private clubs offer, build, and promise their members.
Need a perfect case study? The tennis and pickleball program at Hope Valley Country Club in Durham, N.C., has never been in better shape, and as the club gets ready for a golf course renovation, it’s never been more poised to take the next step.
Over the past three years, there’s been a transformation of the program at the Bobby Jones Links managed club under Alec Moore, director of racquet sports at the club. Moore, who came over from Southern Village Club in Chapel Hill, N.C., three years ago, has certainly made sure that the lesson program and clinics flourish. He has prioritized rebuilding a culture centered on community, connection, and inclusivity.
“When I got here, the program was budding for someone to come in and listen to our membership,” Moore said. “I really tried to create a spot where people really want to enjoy their free time. I wanted a place where we know people by name, and what their children are doing. We’ve really emphasized community building and providing a space for people to find friends and recreation and lead healthy lifestyles.”
Moore, who grew up playing baseball, did not pick up a tennis racket until age 14 at a local parks and recreation summer camp. He quickly fell in love with the individual problem-solving aspect of the sport and the sense of control it offered. This early passion eventually led him to a career in coaching and leadership, including his current role on the RSPA (Racquet Sports Professional Association) North Carolina board.
With the golf course shutting down for nine months in January for a renovation by Kris Spence, there’s also a big opportunity to take tennis and pickleball to a new level. The racquet program is ready to welcome HV’s golfers onto the court to further enhance the already vibrant community.
“We’re laying the groundwork to make 2027 the year of racquet sports at Hope Valley Country Club,” Moore said. “As the primary athletic amenity that’s going to be open next year, we’re really trying hard to make sure a space for all our members to come out and enjoy the club.”
While pickleball has certainly been growing, tennis is still the backbone of the program at Hope Valley. There are seven Har-Tru tennis clay tennis courts, one championship hardcourt, and a new lighted pickleball complex with three dedicated courts. For bigger pickleball events, the hard surface tennis court is also marked for pickleball to add two more pickle courts to use.
Year to year growth of the racquets program has been 10 to 15 percent, but this year has been especially strong. With little rain this year, Moore has seen participation up 30 percent this year, but good weather is a small part of the equation.
One of the key elements over the past couple of years has been cardio tennis, which has injected new energy into the program. It offers a team-based, high-energy atmosphere with music that breaks down the “quiet” country club stigma.
“It’s really the backbone of our clinic programs,” Moore said of cardio tennis. “Right now, we’re running five days a week. Peak season, we’re running seven days a week. It’s a great platform. I think cardio tennis has made tennis very accessible to people. You don’t have that stigma of rigid rules, or you have to play a certain way. It’s a vibe. It’s an experience.”
The cardio tennis clinics have led to more league participation as well, with an average of 30 to 40 teams per year, levels 2.5 to 4.5, annually across all seasons. But pickleball, which is doing well in its own right, has also been a bit of a gateway to tennis, Moore has found.
There’s also been steady growth among juniors, and Moore has established junior team tennis at Hope Valley, which are similar to USTA leagues for adults.
“It’s really cool to see even our younger kids get into competition,” Moore said.
Juniors have also gravitated towards pickleball, which Moore says is an easier entry point for both adults and kids. You can enjoy it right away, and often when the kids get a pickleball paddle in hand, it’s not long before they want to try tennis, too.
But one of the biggest draws of juniors to pickleball has been the glow pickleball play Moore has instituted. It’s played at night with blacklights around the courts and balls that glow.
“We play loud music, and the kids get all decked out in neon clothes,” Moore said. “It’s a really cool experience.”
While a majority of Bobby Jones Links clubs are a bit golf-centric, Moore has found that he gets ample racquets sports support from the Atlanta area-based management company. In fact, as an Elite level RSPA professional, Moore offers his help to other clubs as well on behalf of Bobby Jones Links.
“A couple of years ago Bobby Jones Links began managing Woodlake Country Club (in Vass, N.C.). They built out their own pickleball courts, so I was able to visit and meet with their leadership team to help guide their decisions. With BJL being so collaborative and accessible, I have that platform, which is pretty cool.”
Likewise, Moore has received collaborative support from BJL.
“Anything I ever need, from marketing or budget, accounting, our regional VP of Operations is great,” he said. “And any time I call the support center, the crew there is always happy to help and jump in with anything that we need.”
