Austin, Texas — The USTA today announced that the Polo Tennis & Fitness Club in Austin, Texas, is one of 33 winners in the USTA’s annual Outstanding Facility Awards program, which recognizes excellence in the construction and/or renovation of tennis facilities throughout the country.
The Polo Tennis & Fitness Club features 10 outdoor tennis courts, three new dedicated pickleball courts, and three new Padel courts. This is now the only club in Austin, TX with clinics open to the public in three racquet sports. The courts are complemented by their newly renovated, two-story fitness center, full-service pro shop, and resort-style pool. Polo also offers High-Performance scholarships for low-income players and provides housing for international players. At Polo, junior players who started playing with the club at 4 years old have graduated with Division 1 college tennis scholarships. In May 2022, the Polo Tennis & Fitness Club graduated seven high school seniors from its High-Performance Junior Academy program who all received collegiate tennis scholarships.
“Great tennis facilities like the Polo Tennis & Fitness Club help us to grow the game at the grassroots level, and we are proud to recognize them for their ongoing impact on the sport of tennis,” said Craig Morris, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA. “Polo Tennis & Fitness Club has embraced many of our tennis initiatives and kept the sport at the forefront of its community each year.”
“This award is a testament to our entire team’s effort in elevating the experience for our members and guests,” said Dan Carozza, Director of Racquets and Club Manager. “Our owners have shown steadfast commitment to add value and amenities by adding state of the art pickleball and padel facilities, and our program directors have made a huge impact on players of all ages and abilities.”
“We take great pride in winning this award from the USTA, and know how special this is given the hundreds of quality nominations there were in the private club space,” said Joe Stevens, Co-Owner of Polo Tennis and Fitness Club. “As an ownership group we invested in new racquet facilities this year to help grow the sport, offer new amenities to our members, and bring new players to our facility.”
To be considered for an award, facilities must be under the jurisdiction of a park and recreation department, an educational institution, a nonprofit corporation or be a private or commercially-owned-and-operated facility that offers both USTA and public programming designed to help grow tennis.
Facilities were judged on the following criteria: overall layout and adaptation to site; excellence of court surface and lights; ease of maintenance; accommodations for players, spectators and press/officials; aesthetics; graphics (including the use of signs and landscaping); amenities such as casual seating for spectators, food services and social areas; and the facilities’ participation in USTA programs.
Nominated facilities were voted on in the following categories: Public Courts that are either small tennis centers with 2-10 courts or large tennis centers with 11 or more courts; Private Facilities that support the USTA and other “growth of the game” programs open to the public; and Educational Institutions such as colleges, universities, public and private grade schools, middle schools, or high schools.
For more information on Polo Tennis and Fitness Club, please visit: www.polotennisclub.com
For media inquiries, contact Joey Hanf at: j.hanf@cliffdrysdale.com
About Polo Tennis and Fitness Club
Under new ownership since 2008, Polo Tennis and Fitness Club has been a hub for tennis and social life in southwest Austin for two decades. One of the most popular and prestigious clubs in Texas, the facility boasts a strong staff of professionals and hosts a number of regional and national events. The High Performance Academy program is internationally renowned and features some of the best players in the state. The club features Austin’s only Plexi-cushion Prestige tennis courts providing an orthopedic-friendly playing experience. The subsurface cushioning system reduces stress on joints allowing for longer play with less fatigue. All 10 courts have low profile lighting & covered cabanas. The 8,500 square foot clubhouse includes an all encompassing fitness center as well as men’s and women’s locker rooms. Effective July 2022, the club features three lighted Pickleball courts, as well as 3 lighted Padel courts, the only facility of its kind in Austin. Finally, the resort style pool boasts an architecturally unique three level pool with its own rock waterfall with a continuously circulating water filtration system. For more information, visit: www.polotennisclub.com
About Cliff Drysdale Tennis
Founded in 2001 by International Tennis Hall of Fame member Cliff Drysdale and partner Don Henderson, specializes in daily tennis and fitness operations and management for resorts, hotels and private clubs; sports design and construction consultation for companies interested in building world-class facilities; educational programs, summer camps, clinics and retreats; and resort, hotel corporate outing planning and leisure operations. Cliff Drysdale Management’s property portfolio currently boasts 33 tennis facilities nationwide, including multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal ranked tennis resorts on Tennis Resorts Online’s Top 100 list. In July 2018, Troon, the leader in club management, development, and marketing acquired Cliff Drysdale Management. The acquisition brings together two influential sports management companies that have been excelling at locations around the world for more than two decades. For more information, visit www.cliffdrysdale.com
