Galveston, Texas · Founded in 2003
a labor of love
Painting the lines on the grass court
From the highway, you'd never guess what sits tucked behind the wall of foliage. Bamboo shoots lean together in a dense curtain, jasmine spills over the fences, and old oaks stretch their branches wide, a hand-built barrier of green designed to keep out the noise of Galveston traffic. Step past it and the air shifts: the salt of the gulf breeze rolls off Offatts Bayou, brushing across two courts that anchor the front yard. One is a lush patch of grass, temperamental and alive, demanding hours of mowing, rolling, and care. The other, a hard court painted in two tones of green, rests under lights angled just right so the neighbors can still sleep while play carries on deep into the night. Between them, a raised terrace and the windows of the house give a perfect vantage point, so no rally, no joke, no flash of temper goes unwitnessed. The family mantra, "There is no family in tennis," hovers over every point, half warning, half invitation to swing freely, even against your own blood.
"There is no family in tennis"The Family Mantra
The courts are storied, stitched together with memories of Sunday morning doubles where strangers and neighbors rotated through games until noon, and with lessons that ranged from a child's first forehand to a clinic run by Grand Slam champion Owen Davidson. When Hurricane Ike surged through Galveston and flooded the yard, the grass court seemed doomed, but the water pressed it down, healed it, and left it stronger, a survival that earned it the nickname "The Living Organism." Today, both courts remain tended with the same care given to friendships forged here. Some come for a competitive set, others for the simple joy of hitting under the coastal sky, but everyone leaves with the same impression: this is not just a home, it is a sanctuary where tennis itself has been given life. And for me, every return to Galveston is also a return to this place, a reminder of what it means to share something you love.
Play suspended on all outside courts due to snow.
Painting the lines in windy Galveston
5 fun doubles points on the grass
We had the pleasure of having legendary Owen Davidson teach a clinic on the grass. He is most known for his Grand Slam titles with Billie Jean King. We all received great tennis instruction, but even better stories.
Every year during Wimbledon, we gather on the grass court in all whites, the only proper attire, and play with wooden tennis rackets. It is our small, steadfast tribute to the oldest Grand Slam, and to the way the game used to be played.
You can even play barefoot
Conditions vary from day to day, we even play through the winter when it's cold.
When Hurricane Ike made landfall in September 2008, we braced for the worst. There we expected a lot of destruction on the island and we assumed the court was finished. Grass and saltwater are not friends. But, when we returned to the island, we couldn't believe it. It seemed to have survived, and not just survived. The sheer weight of the water had compressed the surface, and when play resumed, the ball bounced truer and faster than it ever had.
