Tennis Regulations 2020

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Mountain View Country Club

2020 Tennis Regulations

General

Welcome to the 2020 season at Mountain View Country Club! Our tennis courts are open for play and we are operating in compliance with Vermont’s “Stay Home/Stay Safe” Executive Order and related guidance.

Many of the procedures below are new to us. We greatly appreciate your patience and good will as we do our best to make them work for you. As governmental guidance and best practices evolve, we will modify these procedures and post the revisions on our website (www.mvccvt.com), as well as on our Pro Shop bulletin board.

No written procedures can possibly address the full range of circumstances that may arise in the daily operation of a golf, tennis and social club. We all must therefore follow a golden rule:

When in doubt, take the safer course of action!

Pro Shop Manager Brian Titus, or the staff member then on duty, acts as our “designated health and safety officer”, with authority to stop or modify activities to ensure compliance with health and safety rules. No member, guest or board member has the authority to overrule the judgment of our health and safety officer.

Individuals not abiding by these Regulations will be asked to leave the Club premises immediately.

Preparing for your Arrival at MVCC

  • First and foremost, if you feel sick or have someone at home who is sick, please stay home. Also, please consider that as of the date below, the State of Vermont is asking adults 65 and older and those with underlying medical conditions to continue to stay at home to avoid serious illness.
  • The USTA advises that you arrange to play only with family members or others who live in your household or with individuals who are considered to be low risk.
  • Tennis courts must be reserved (and, where applicable, paid for) in advance either, for members, on-line via our ClubExpress reservation system (click here) or, otherwise, by calling the Pro Shop (533-7477), in each case up to three days in advance, and providing your credit card information. Tennis players arriving without a court reservation will not be permitted to play.
  • Each tennis player and lesson participant must provide their contact details and certify that they are a person who has met, or is not subject to, Vermont’s minimum quarantine requirements. This contact information and certification must be made to the Pro Shop prior to participating in tennis play, or in an individual lesson, clinic or camp.  A parent or guardian must provide this contact information and certification for a junior tennis player.   
  • Tennis balls and a limited range of hats, apparel and other items are available by calling the Pro Shop in advance and providing credit card information or through our Pro Shop on-line store (Click Here). Your purchases will be ready for you outside the Pro Shop when you arrive at the Club.
  • Tuesday Women’s Day, Wednesday Men’s Day, and Sunday Round Robin events require advanced sign-up, either on-line or by calling the Pro Shop.
  • No bathroom facilities are available at MVCC at this time. Please consider this before you leave home.
  • Bring antiseptic wipes and hand sanitizer for your use before, during and after play.

Upon your Arrival at MVCC

  • Please arrive no more than 15 minutes before your scheduled court time and remain in your car until ten (10) minutes before your court time.
  • The driveway up to the Clubhouse and Kid’s Club is closed until further notice.
  • Please practice appropriate social distancing at all times, including maintaining a distance of at least 6’ between yourself and others and avoiding extended socializing or tailgating before or after your game, clinic or lesson.
  • Please wear a cloth face covering any time you are interacting with our employees or others from outside your household.
  • Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before going onto the court and use antiseptic wipes to wipe down the handle of your racquet.
  • Bring your own water bottle and towel. Do not share with anyone.
  • Consider bringing a portable seat to maintain 6’ separation during rest periods and between sets.
  • Consider wearing gloves that can be thrown away or washed after use.
  • The USTA advises to “use every second court where practical.” We are only booking courts 1, 2, 4, 5 & 7. Courts 3 & 6 will remain closed at this time.
  • The USTA advises that “[a]lthough unlikely, it’s possible that a tennis ball can transmit the COVID-19 virus…” Precautions to take with respect to tennis balls during play include:
    • Open and use only a new can of tennis balls. If you use “old” balls, consider spraying the balls with a sanitizer.
    • For singles play, open two cans of balls with different numbers on each set of three balls. Each player serves with their own can of balls.
    • For doubles play, each server uses only their own tennis balls. The other three players keep their tennis balls separate from each other’s tennis balls at the side of the court.
  • During Play:
    • Practice social distancing by staying at least 6 feet apart from other tennis players at all times.
    • If you play doubles, be especially aware of social distancing and do your best to avoid proximity or incidental contact with your partner. Consider letting a point go in order to maintain distance. At the end of a point, no high fives or close contact to discuss strategy.
    • The server should be the only player picking up their tennis balls. All other players should use their racquet or feet to direct the ball to the server, who will pick up the ball.
    • When a tennis ball from another court comes on your court, use your racquet or feet to direct it back to the other court.
    • Stay on your side of the court and avoid changing ends unless sun or wind causes the playing condition to be significantly different on opposite sides. When you do change sides, each player/doubles team should change at opposite ends of the net.
  • After You Finish Playing:
    • Continue to stay at least 6’ apart. No high fives or hugging as you come off the court!
    • Use the broom sweeper and the line brush to prepare the court for the next group on the court. Prior to using the sweeper and line brush, wash down the handles with the antiseptic solution provided at courtside. Only one person should use the broom sweeper and only one person should use the line brush. After use, each sweeper and brush should be again washed down. Please carry your trash and recyclables home with you after completing play.

Tennis Lessons, Clinics and Camps

Our tennis professional Laura Laramee provides individual tennis lessons, daily cardio tennis clinics, daily junior tennis clinics, and three junior tennis camp sessions. Participation in an individual lesson, a cardio tennis clinic session, a junior tennis clinic session and a junior tennis camp session must be booked in advance.  

Individual Lessons

  • Contact the Pro Shop (533-7477) or contact Laura directly (802-673-7047) to arrange for individual lessons.
  • Individual lessons are limited to no more than 4 people.
  • Please wash or use antiseptic gel to clean your hands prior to and after your lesson.
  • Only Laura will touch tennis and/or lesson equipment at the court. Laura is responsible for sweeping the court after lessons and ensuring that equipment is cleaned prior to the next lesson.
  • Please practice appropriate social distancing at all times, including maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet between yourself and Laura and other lesson participants.
  • Only Laura will pick up tennis balls. Players taking the lesson should use their racquet and feet to direct the tennis balls to a location(s) for Laura to pick them up using the ball pickup tube and/or tennis basket to the extent practicable.
  • If you plan on serving during your lesson, please provide your own tennis balls and plan on picking them up yourself.

Cardio Tennis Clinics

  • Laura will hold cardio tennis clinics at 1pm Monday through Friday starting June 22.   Contact the Pro Shop (533-7477) to sign up for a cardio tennis session.  Signup starts three days prior to a session.   
  • Each cardio tennis session is limited to 6 participants, with sign-up priority provided to members and permit holders.  
  • Please wash or use antiseptic gel to clean your hands prior to and after your clinic.
  • Only Laura will touch the tennis and/or clinic equipment at the court.  Laura is responsible for sweeping the court after a clinic session and ensuring that equipment is cleaned prior to the next clinic.  
  • Please practice appropriate social distancing at all times, including maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet between yourself and Laura and others participating in the clinic.  
  • Only Laura will pick up the tennis balls.  Players taking the clinic should use their racquet and feet to direct the tennis balls to a location(s) for Laura to pick them up using the ball pickup tube and/or tennis basket to the extent practicable.
  • If a clinic participant serves during the clinic, please provide your own tennis balls and plan on picking them up yourself.

Junior Tennis Clinics

  • Laura will hold junior tennis clinics Monday through Friday starting June 22.   First priority is given to children who participate in a family membership or hold a playing permit.
    • The 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. clinic (for ages 4 through 7) is limited to 4 participants.
    • The 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. clinic (for ages 8 through 12) is limited to 10 participants.
    • The 11 a.m. to noon clinic (for ages 13 to 19) is limited to 10 participants.  
  • Contact the Pro Shop (533-7477) to sign up for junior tennis clinics.  For daily sessions during any particular week, signup starts two weeks prior to the start of that week’s first session.  (For example, on Monday, June 29 you may sign up for any of the daily sessions held during the week of Monday, July 13 to Friday, July 17.)  After you signup, please contact Laura (802-673-7047) to make arrangements to pay for the sessions that you have signed up.  
  • Please wash or use antiseptic gel to clean your hands prior to and after your clinic.
  • Only Laura will touch the tennis and/or clinic equipment at the court.  Laura is responsible for sweeping the court after a clinic session and ensuring that equipment is cleaned prior to the next clinic.  
  • Please practice appropriate social distancing at all times, including maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet between yourself and Laura and others participating in the clinic.  Avoid extended socializing or tailgating before and after your clinic.
  • Only Laura will pick up the tennis balls.  Players taking the clinic should use their racquet and feet to direct the tennis balls to a location(s) for Laura to pick them up using the ball pickup tube and/or tennis basket to the extent practicable.
  • If a clinic participant serves during the clinic, that participant must provide their own tennis balls and plan on picking them up themself.  

 Junior Tennis Camps

  • Laura will hold three Junior Tennis Camps:  Each from 9 a.m. to noon July 20-22; July 27-29; and August 3-5.
  • Information on each session, including when signup starts and the maximum number of participants in each camp, will be provided in coming days.   

Pro Shop/Clubhouse

  • The Clubhouse, including the pro shop, club room, bathrooms and basement storage facilities, is closed to all persons other than authorized MVCC staff until further notice. All interaction with our employees in the Pro Shop will be through the window to the right of the Pro Shop entrance.
  • Our Staff has been instructed to follow appropriate social distancing and hygiene procedures including wearing cloth face coverings over their nose and mouth when in the presence of others. Please treat them with the utmost courtesy and cooperation.

Thank you for your continuing support of Mountain View!