Carmel Valley Ranch Play The Clay Event

5-2-09

I had artichokes on my pizza Friday night. I followed that up with artichoke chowder and an artichoke and asparagus omelet for lunch yesterday at Jeffries, a cozy and pleasant, bustling restaurant that featured not only good food, but the serenading of the Cannery Rogues, a barber shop quartet. Needless to say, I have tried to get in the artichoke spirit but I think I am about artichoked out!

The day began with some uncertainty about the weather but, in the words of Homer, dawn spread her rosy colored fingers across the sky, and there was sun. Indeed the weather remained very nice until our clinic ended, when it promptly began to rain. This was a positive development as there were 10 people who showed up for the event. They consisted of a mixture of Carmel Valley Ranch members, local residents and a few out-of-towners. About half had played on clay previously but even among those the experience was limited. One relayed that he is really only able to play on clay due to his knees.

I was impressed with the level of talent. All the players knew their way around a court. After a brief warm-up Tim and I started with the most basic and typically the most disconcerting aspect of playing on clay – the footing. Participants learned about sliding – why it’s important and how it’s done. After that we transitioned into strategy. As we had mostly doubles players we discussed the differences between doubles on hard courts and clay courts and after doing some drills to hone these tactics we played out points and then broke into groups for match play. It was awfully fun to be back on the teaching court and sharing some knowledge about clay court tennis. The group seemed to have a very nice time. Hopefully they will want to begin playing on clay more regularly and will share their experience with other tennis players.

After the clinic ended there was time to learn more about the Ranch. First of all, our hosts here are Tennis Director Clark Corey and Head Professional Rick Manning. Clark and Rick know how to make tennis fun. They clearly enjoy what they do and instantaneously put guests and members at ease. They are both PBI pros as the facility is managed by PBI, and they are extremely knowledgeable and definitely patient, as I peppered Rick with questions about the resort and the area.

The facility they manage is beautiful and includes two well-manicured Har-Tru courts and 10 hard courts. It’s called Carmel Valley for a reason, as the resort is nestled in the narrow valley with views of the hills rising up on both sides that produce a certain yearning to explore (note – for pictures check out the album on the Lee Tennis Facebook page). The view from the courts is particularly pleasing and might easily lead to an occasional boner as you get lost staring at the scenery and forget to be ready for the return to come right at you at the net.

Development of the Ranch began in 1976 with the golf course completed in 1981. The hotel opened in June of 1987. The entire property sits on what used to be fruit plantations. The last cash crop grown there was pears but when the Great Depression settled in they switched to cattle farming and it indeed became a ranch. The resort has what looks to be a challenging golf course that weaves its way up and down the hillsides. The rooms have been constructed in a modest fashion that suits the surroundings and they are nicely tucked away behind a canopy of trees so as to be hidden from view when you are on the tennis courts and golf course.

As afternoon rain set in Tim and I decided to make our way over to Pebble Beach Tennis Center to see how their two courts were performing. Tim conducted a maintenance seminar on the courts a few weeks back and led a renovation project, complete with drilling holes in the court and heavy scarification with the court devil, to improve drainage. He clearly did an excellent job because when we arrived the only courts still playable were the two Har-Tru courts. In fact they looked about perfect, despite the steady rain, and since these were the only two courts available the teaching staff had moved their very enthusiastic weekend group to these courts. We watched for a good 45 minutes, with it raining the entire time, and they were still playing as we left. Tim will be running another Play The Clay event at Pebble Beach on May 30^th so it’s nice to see those courts in such great shape.

Back at the Ranch our 3:30 PM clinic was rained out so Tim and I contented ourselves with computer work and catching up on phone calls. Hopefully the weather improves for tomorrow. We are on again at 9 AM.