Campaign for Golden Gate Park Tennis Center


The Lisa + Douglas Goldman Tennis Center — Opening March 3, 2021!

GTC aerial shot

On February 26, 2021, Mayor London Breed announced that opening day for the Lisa + Douglas Goldman Tennis Center in Golden Gate Park will be March 3, 2021!

 

Before visiting or making a reservation, please read Facility Update & How to Reserve a Court web page for information about COVID restrictions and creating an account with Lifetime Activities, the operator of the tennis center.

Information about the Campaign for Golden Gate Park Tennis Center

Construction at Golden Gate Park Tennis Center

Aerial photo of GTC February 2021GGPTC October 13 2020091120_aerialGGPTC aerial Aug 29 2020August 6 2020Some courts are pavedGGPTC June 22, 2020GGPTC clubhouse June 11, 2020Aerial_051520

Photos from the Groundbreaking Ceremony: April 17, 2019

Mayor London Breed led the ceremonial "net drop"

The Vision

Since 1894 players of every age and ability have learned, played, and competed in an iconic location in Golden Gate Park. Billie Jean King and Rosie Casals played here. Peanut Louie Harper played here. And today, players from tots to seniors come to work on what matters — a love of tennis, perseverance, friendships and sportsmanship.  That’s the vision fueling a re-designed, re-imagined Golden Gate Park Tennis Center (GGPTC).

GGPTC will bring together tennis enthusiasts of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds and draw our community together for year-round healthy recreation ranging from instruction and casual play to leagues and tournaments.  It will be a place to develop skills and habits that can enrich and improve lives and to connect and have fun around a shared interest. The Center will encourage excellence.  It will be well-designed, in harmony with its Golden Gate Park setting, safe and accessible, and once again be the hub of San Francisco tennis, strengthening the SF tennis community. With shared tennis interests in common, the new Tennis Center will create formal and informal places to learn and gather, where a broad variety of users of all ages and skill levels can observe and learn by watching good players.  Most of all, the Center will be deeply San Franciscan in spirit — vibrant, accessible, beautifully designed, — and open to all.

The Golden Gate Park Tennis Center has a remarkable history. Now it’s time to think about the future.

Renderings of the future Lisa & Douglas Goldman Tennis Center

GGPTC courtsGoldman entry plazaTaube Clubhouse entry

We are well on our way to reaching the $30 million needed to renovate the 124-year-old “Cradle of Champions” and make it one of the best public tennis facilities in the nation. We continue to raise funds to protect against construction uncertainties, to support important programs like RPD's Tennis & Learning Center that will have a home at GGPTC, and get a jump start on the critical maintenance fund to preserve this wonderful asset for future generations.

THE CHALLENGE   

  • Cracked court surfaces, eroding base
  • Poor drainage
  • Inadequate lighting
  • Outdated, undersized clubhouse
  • Non ADA-compliant
  • Absence of a tournament-level competition court

THE OPPORTUNITY

  • Replace all courts from their foundations to improve drainage and resulting court conditions.
  • The new courts will be spaced according to USTA regulations, which will improve circulation and allow for efficient programming and simultaneous use of courts for a variety of user groups.
  • Construct a new clubhouse to host expanded program offerings (including youth programming) as well as amenities found in other clubhouses (locker rooms, pro shop, reservations desk).
  • Add lighting for night-time play.
  • New landscaping plan will include patios and gardens which will be perfect for socializing and watching matches.

Features

Features of the new GGPTC will include:

  • + 17 tennis courts
  • + A 7,800-square-foot clubhouse which will encourage community and serve players, spectators, visitors, and students with a lounge, recreation room, locker rooms and kitchen
  • + Beautiful garden and patio spaces for gatherings, events, relaxing and viewing
  • + A sunken court with permanent seating – the “heart” of play at the new Center
  • + Lighting on all courts will allow for an additional 20,000+ hours of play annually
  • + A single entry point through a beautiful reception area ensures our players, especially youth, are safe
  • + Online reservation system
  • + A small pro shop with stringing machines
  • + The first lit dedicated pickleball court in San Francisco

Schedule

Having surpassed the $27 million mark in fundraising, a groundbreaking ceremony for the Golden Gate Park Tennis Center renovation was held on April 17, 2019. Construction is expected to take 16 to 18 months, with a grand opening of the renovated facility in early 2021.

For more info, visit the Frequently Asked Questions about the renovation project.

Partners

The Tennis Coalition has funded several court renovation projects over the years and is currently spearheading its biggest project to date:  the renovation of the Golden Gate Park Tennis Center into a city-wide treasure that will be home to all tennis enthusiasts.

We are raising the necessary funds to update and upgrade the legacy courts and clubhouse in Golden Gate Park which were constructed between 1894 and 1954.  The project is a collaborative partnership between the Tennis Coalition San Francisco, San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department and the San Francisco Parks Alliance, which serves as our fiduciary sponsor.

Supporters

Supporters of GGPTC “There’s amazing history at the Golden Gate Park Tennis courts. As a youngster, I grew up playing there, and it was incredible knowing how many great champions played on these very same courts before me.”
- Brad Gilbert, 20-time singles champion, coach, ESPN analyst, Bay Area native

Community Engagement

Several meetings have been held to solicit input from the community on the proposed GGPTC renovation:

February 24, 2016  Stakeholder Meeting

March 10, 2016  Community Meeting #1

November 16, 2017  Community Meeting #2

February 1, 2017  Community Bagels & Coffee

January 10, 2018 Community Meeting #3

Photos from community meetings

Pictured here: Jen Gaarder-Wang, a regular player at GGPTC, and daughter Ellia pose with London Breed, President of the Board of Supervisors.Lois SalisburyJan. 10 community meeting audienceAfter the overview, attendees were invited to visit four “open house” areas in the auditorium, where they could ask questions of representatives from the Tennis Coalition, EHDD and the landscape architects relating to court use, court design, the clubhouse, and the Golden Gate Park context.

Frequently Asked Questions

See our list of Frequently Asked Questions.

Have a new question to propose? Contact Tennis Coalition SF Executive Director Paula Murphy at paula@tenniscoalitionsf.org.

 

GGPTC News

Questions? Please contact:

Paula Murphy, Executive Director
paula@tenniscoalitionsf.org