I just started learning to play tennis but have been tennis curious for over a decade. This is a…read morehidden gem, the most beautiful tennis court in Oakland, tucked in a former quarry among eucalyptus trees that provide shade. For tennis lore, check out the wooden clubhouse built by the WPA in the 1930s. Book a court online for popular times in tie afternoon / evening / weekends, or walk on in the daytime.

This place is beautifully located in a canyon surrounded by eucalyptus trees complete with birds…read moreflying overhead. I came here for the first time on Friday night and boy was I impressed. I felt like I had traveled to some secret tennis haven as my tennis partner and I were the only ones for much of the time we were out there. And, best of all this place was ranked as one of the best tennis facilities by the USTA sometime in the early 80's. I can picture it now...all these 80's kids with their white short shorts and sweaters and wooden rackets...Those were the glory days. I am sure of it.

This place was recommended by a friend from our pickleball group, and I'm glad we checked it out!…read more The young gentleman who helped us was friendly, knowledgeable, and very patient in answering all of our questions. One of the best things they offer is their demo paddle rental program. You get 30 days to try different paddles and can check out up to three at a time. During that period, you can come back and swap them out as many times as you'd like to find the right fit for your game. The rental fee is applied back to your account as store credit once you return the paddles, which can be used toward a future purchase. Just keep in mind there is a $2 per day late fee if you return them after the rental period. They also sell demo paddles at discounted prices, so it's worth keeping an eye out if you're looking for a good deal and don't necessarily need a brand-new paddle. This is a great option for anyone getting into pickleball or looking to upgrade their equipment without making a blind purchase. I'll definitely be back!

This place is the best! Shout out to all the young guys that are usually working there - they're…read morealways happy to help answer all my tennis racket/string questions! I recently did the racket demo program. It is awesome, you get 30 days to try as many rackets as you'd like, 3 at a time, for $40. The $40 is like a down payment toward the racket you eventually end up choosing! Bryce helped me out the first time I came in - gave me all the basics in a very friendly and approachable way! I swapped rackets many times lol and it was always pretty quick and easy. Anytime I needed a recommendation, I felt like I could trust what they were telling me from their own tennis experience! I ended up getting a Head Gravity racket with pretty blue, Mach 10 strings to match lol - I couldn't be more pleased with my choice! The price match they offer can also be handy - even though they ended up having the cheapest prices in store when I went, it's good to keep in mind if you happen to see a cheaper price online, they'll honor it, according to their policy! Tennis can be expensive haha so just keep this policy in mind! They're a small shop but I feel good supporting local! Sometimes they might not have what you're looking for, but they're happy to get it from their other location/order it for you and they're always really good about calling you when your item or racket is ready! For example, they had to get my racket and some racket head protection tape from their other store, on different occasions. They called me each time when it was ready. For your fellow tennis lovers, keep this place in mind - they have gift cards! I actually got a gift card for my birthday lol that I used towards my new racket. I also bought tennis balls here as part of my tennis friend's birthday gift - recommended by Bryce - and they ended up being great balls! Dunlop Grand Prix! I will always appreciate the help, knowledge/recs, and friendly service from Courtside - come support them if you need anything for tennis!

I had a tennis match recently where I had a minor toe injury that I realized might be due to my…read moretennis shoes. I thought I should go to a local store and get some advice on shoes. Tom was super helpful. He recommended wide shoes and also helped measure my shoe size since it can be different for wide shoes, and it totally was. The shoes were reasonably priced and comparable to anything you can find online. But you can't beat a personalized shopping experience with Tom, who helped explain what different brands offer shoe-wise and also measured my feet to be sure. Tom is a true gem and it's always awesome to support a local business with owners like him who have a true passion for what they do. He used to own a bigger store downstairs but during the pandemic, his business suffered and now he's upstairs but still clearly knows all of his tennis stuff. I would definitely come back to support his business whenever I need tennis gear. The only downside is that parking is street parking and you do have to pay for it.

My wife and I recently got back into tennis after watching the US Open. I haven't played tennis…read morebefore, so I didn't have my own racket, but my wife still had some rackets from high school that desperately needed to be restrung. Through Yelp, we found Montclair Sports offered restringing services and I am beyond satisfied with my experience working with Tom. To start, Tom is a seasoned professional in his craft, with over 50 years of experience. We brought over our two beaten up rackets to the shop and Tom walked us through his recommendations for the rackets. We ended up going forward with restringing only one of the rackets, but we actually purchased a new Babolat racket there on the spot. Turns out, the racket my wife had been using her whole life was completely the wrong size! At no time during the racket shopping process did we ever feel like Tom was trying to upsell us. He patiently answered all our questions and I trusted Tom's guidance in every step of the process. Honestly, you won't find a nicer guy in the business; I cannot recommend his services enough.

Chabot just had a facelift over the summer and probably has the best courts in the East Bay. The…read morestaff is caring and the pros are great. The best part of the club is its sense of community and lack of tennis snobbery. I joined because Chabot truly reflects the diversity of the East Bay. It also has the lowest membership cost, which makes it affordable to more people. This is a non-profit, member-owned club, so decisions are made with members as the highest priority. Highly recommend to those who want to meet other tennis enthusiasts and find a community.

The best deal for tennis players in the Bay Area. CRRC members are diverse and very friendly and…read morewelcoming. There are six courts, lighted at night. USTA tennis, at various levels. Two excellent tennis pros. Every weeknight ( except during pandemic) hot court starts from 5 to 7, no reservations needed. Join us and we will help you find friendly members to play with. I've been a member for 30 years. Come play with us and make new friends. Steve D.

I had an unfortunate encounter with the front desk staff today when I went into Berkeley Tennis…read moreClub. I went to the front desk with the wrong information, and rather than being offered support, I was immediately treated like a child and my personal space was invaded. I was previously interested in becoming a patron, but am not interested in being condescended to at any establishment.

I visited the club in July and the admin upfront was very disorganized. There was no manager…read moreavailable to speak with? I came here to see if could sign up for tennis lessons and also because I heard great things about the swim lessons but it was a total waste of time and no one was able to help me. Left a bad taste so I left and choose to go some where else.

Nicole is a brilliant, insightful, and fun tennis teacher. She knows everything about tennis and…read moreespecially how to teach every aspect of tennis.

Still the best Pro Around Knows her stuff- up to you…read morewhether or not you want to go thru the heartache and trauma of improving your game in a REAL way. The more Pissed I get at her the closer I am to a BIG IMPROVEMENT thank god she is Canadian meaning - kind patient and good at ignoring my complaining ... Teaches out of Oakland Hills now- which is a nice facility also and the VIEWS are to die..

Amazing park -- huge and full of charm! There are plenty of picnic tables and spots to sit, and you…read morecan even BBQ here with a beach view. There's a tennis court and a nice fenced dog park, too. Perfect place for a relaxing stroll with your paw buddy. Lots of trees for shade make it super comfortable and plush grass. Washington Park is a hidden gem -- peaceful, relaxing, and one of my favorite spots. Love this place!

Washington Park has been a long time favorite of my family. You have the swings for both bigger…read morekids/adults and then another set for the little ones. You've got a pretty cool baseball field with more field area for some other activities like ultimate frisbee, etc. You've got 2 different play structures and there are bathrooms. There are tables with benches throughout the park and if you'd like to have a party there, you can do so through the parks and rec department. They even have some great basketball courts and I enjoy seeing the pick up games in action! Some sad things are that the bathrooms are never clean. I am not a fan of taking my little ones in there and try to avoid it. I often find drug paraphernalia or needles on the ground and/or tables near the benches, and there's no shade in the park area except for one bench. As much as I love coming here since it is located near businesses like restaurants and we get to run into some friends there, I try to avoid it.

Just started taking lessons with Tony this past week and it's been fantastic so far. He was also…read moreable to schedule a lesson for me within 24 hours of reaching out, which was great to see - he really takes this seriously. I highly recommend taking a lesson with him and I'll absolutely continue learning from him. He's a patient and energetic instructor and you'll definitely get a good workout as well during the lesson!

Best coach: helpful, good work out and always plays points at the end to train for match wins!read more

Was at The Hills during a World Cup match and got a little loud cheering -- apparently that…read morebothered some other guests. Honestly that made me feel bad because the last thing I want to do is make people uncomfortable, and I wasn't even the only one watching the game, so I'm still kind of confused about the whole thing. I totally get people come here to relax and I respect that. But there's no sign anywhere that says "please be quiet," so the only way I can respect an unspoken rule is if someone actually tells me it exists. I'm from Oakland, where people just say something if you're being too loud -- I've had it happen to me in a cafe before and I just said "oh sorry" and toned it down. I own it when someone tells me. But I can't read a room I don't know and guess at rules nobody says out loud. Instead of anyone saying anything to me in the moment, nothing was said at all -- until later, when I asked what happened and was told management wanted to launch an investigation? That felt like a lot for a noise thing during a soccer game. If someone had just said something when it happened, I could've easily stepped outside to watch instead. 3 stars because most members here are genuinely nice -- I've been asked more than once if I'm from Mexico lol, probably bc I'm the only Latino there, and it's fine, people just don't know. That's a separate thing from the noise situation though, which I still think is worth mentioning. Locker rooms are clean, pool's clean, vibe was chill until this happened.

Horrible smarmy management. We were taking swimming lessons at the hills. Really thought the…read moreinstructors were great, my kids loved the classes. We stayed 10-15 minutes past what their policy stated a couple times (not on purpose) bc it's really hard to corral small kids out of the pool and to get dressed especially when you can't enter the bathrooms with them bc they are the opposite sex. The smarmy manager was constantly watching our movements, i felt hounded by all the monitoring.. It felt was very stressful and unwelcoming. Management was also cowardly and Instead of sending reminders of policies themselves, management has their instructors do their dirty work. Our lessons got cancelled without any warning. I think we didn't fit their aesthetics so they were looking for a reason to remove us. Very inhospitable, snobby, horrible communication, and passive aggressive.

I have been looking for a coach to help elevate and improve my tennis. I have tried many coaches…read moreand the sessions are ok. A friend recommended Josh Bernstein Tennis and wow was this a game changer. Within 5 minutes of hitting he saw why was wrong. Unlike other coaches who change you and start from zero. Josh keeps it simple and is very fun to work with. He books up fast so you gotta schedule your appointment ASAP. Thank you Josh B I'll definitely be back for more sessions to improve my game.

Found Josh on yelp and stopped by for a lesson. The hour went by super fast and I had a ton of fun!…read moreJosh is super easy going and didn't make me feel bad that I was terrible. Would definitely suggest for people anywhere from beginner to advanced. He's easy to communicate with for scheduling and was nice when I forgot my racket and had an extra. Also the courts were beautiful and super fun to play on, it oversees the entire Bay Area.