NEWS

Platform tennis does exist in the South—get a feel for the charm of the hut-free, paddle-curious community in Charlotte.

By Kristin Davin

Greetings from the South, where platform tennis does exist—it's just much harder to find. It's not uncommon to see people playing paddle in shorts and tank tops, even in January. While the rest of Charlotte was losing their minds with excitement about the “snow storm” in January of 2025, the first snow in about four years, the platform community was apocalyptic because it was our tournament weekend. Our tournament budget went out the window as we bought huge propane heaters from a box store to blast underneath the courts. 

Original Charm

When I moved back to the south in 2017, the first thing I did was check whether there were platform tennis courts in the area. Coming from Chicago, I wasn't about to give up the sport. Fortunately, Olde Providence Racquet Club had two courts waiting for me—and a community that has since become one of the most vibrant paddle scenes in the South.

Charlotte's platform tennis setup is modest by northern standards. We've grown from two courts to three at Olde Providence, with one additional court at a member's home. A fourth court remains on our wish list. We have no hut, but what we lack in infrastructure, we make up for in atmosphere: free beer every league night and two roaring fire pits that keep players warm between matches. Loud music and bonfires have become a welcoming beacon to all players. It's an oasis in the middle of all the tennis here and a great way to take advantage of a chilly evening. Our unofficial logo is a burning paddle—a nod to the night one player, after a few postgame beers and a tough loss, tossed his paddle into the flames. It seemed fitting.

League Of Its Own

With only one club in town, our league includes everyone. This season, 114 players signed up, prompting us to expand from four teams to six. Each team has a captain, and we hold a draft before the season begins. On Tuesday and Thursday nights, we run matches at 5:30, 7:00, and 8:30, filling all three courts. The format is gender-neutral—you might see four men on a court, or three women and one man. The mix keeps things interesting and builds a tight-knit community. We also have a diehard early risers group that plays at 6 am before heading to work. On weekends, it's not uncommon for someone to bring out a grill for a post-match cookout while everyone watches football on our new 100-inch outdoor television. At the heart of it all is a friendly, welcoming community—though be on guard for a volley of trash talk.

Curious Clinics

Without a teaching pro, we get creative about bringing new players into the fold. Every fall, we host a "Paddle Curious" event, where we jokingly welcome recruits to "the dark side." With 37 tennis courts at the club, we have a deep pool of potential converts. We pair newcomers with experienced players, tap some kegs, and watch our league roster grow. This past December, we added a clinic specifically for new female players. We brought in George Laffey, a teaching pro who has migrated south, to run one court, set up the Volley machine on another, and had two members who learned to play in Chicago and the Northeast lead drills on the third. The twelve spots filled immediately. A few weeks ago, we started a “mixed-level open play” on Saturday mornings. Each week, four experienced players sign up to host and those newer to the game sign up to play and get some informal instruction. We started with planning for only two courts but have had to expand to three every week so far.

Tourneys, Top Talent, and Travel

The high     light of our season is the Queen City Paddle Battle, held this year on the weekend of December 14th. Our men's draw filled with 32 teams, the women's draw attracted 17, and mixed had 20. Teams traveled from Atlanta, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Rochester to compete. We brought in food trucks for lunch and threw a party Saturday night with a band and raffle.

Charlotte is a rapidly growing city, and each year we pick up a few skilled players from other regions. One recent transplant from Chicago joked that he expected to be one of the best players in town until he stepped on court with Randy Lofgren, Nathan Crick, and Claes Persson. Despite our location, we have players who are competitive at the national level. Beyond Charlotte, Region VII has pockets of activity. Atlanta has the most courts, but Chapel Hill, Charlottesville, Richmond, and Winston-Salem also have a few.

A small group of us travels for tournaments. We visit the hometowns of paddle players we've inherited from other cities. Some of us head to the Cleveland Masters, where our own paddle legends Eric and Nan Miller learned the sport—their friends always welcome us. Others go to the West Penn Open or Steel City Classic, where Charlotte player James Troutman's lovely parents, Margo and Jay, host us and cheer us on during matches. We typically take over the Atlanta Peachtree Invitational, where Peter Lauer delivers a master class in southern hospitality. In each of these locales, we make a point of supporting local establishments: the Greenville Inn in Cleveland, Bob's Garage in Pittsburgh, and Johnny's Hideaway in Atlanta. We figure if we can't win these tournaments on the court, we might as well try to win on the dance floor.

The southern paddle scene may be smaller than what you find up north, but it is growing—one fire pit, one Paddle Curious event, and one burning paddle at a time.

Kristin Davin is a Professor of Education at UNC Charlotte, a member of the APTA Board, and an enthusiastic fly-fisherwoman.