4 min read
With origins dating back to 1735, Farmington Country Club is a staple of the community with a rich history, and its tennis scene is evolving with help from Universal Tennis. Carlos Romero and Rich Karban are two providers at Farmington responsible for adult and junior tennis, and they’ve relied on Universal Tennis to innovate their programs.
In a new series, Universal Tennis is spotlighting Farmington Country Club as the Club of the Month.
“Universal Tennis has a lot of players in the system, making marketing events easy,” said Romero, Farmington’s junior development director. “I can do outreach to coaches I know, but I can attract more players in other communities because they’re on Universal Tennis and can see our event. It just brings in more people to play.”
The Farmington Country Club boasts a digital club membership of 270, having run more than 25 Universal Tennis events since joining the platform in 2021.
Providers Romero and Karban host adult intraclub leagues, club tournaments, junior matchplay, junior tournaments, high school pre-season showcases, progression ball play days, and Universal Tennis Junior Circuits.
“I love the efficiency of the software,” Romero said. “I don't waste much time making draws myself or communicating with the parents. The communication tool is awesome. I can select ‘message players’ and send out a message, so everyone is on the same page.”
Balancing Public and Private Events
Farmington is a private member-only club, but some events encourage outside players to compete on the 15 outdoor clay courts and three indoor hard courts. Romero balances member and non-member demands by hosting public events around slower club hours (weekend afternoons, for example).
Public events allow club members to meet new players and participate in more varied competitions.
“I want my players to see the level of players at other clubs and towns, and Universal Tennis has helped us do that,” Romero said.
Junior Tennis at the Farmington Country Club
In 2022, Universal Tennis launched Junior Circuits to create more match opportunities for young players across three UTR Rating divisions with the chance to qualify for post-season district and state championships. Farmington has hosted three Junior Circuits qualifiers.
The UTR Rating plays a considerable role in Romero’s junior programming structure, as he organizes his players based on rating.
“UTR Rating is the motivation for players to compete and train and for coaches to keep track of development,” Romero said. “For example, a player might start the year as a UTR 1.5 and end up a 3.0 after a great year, so we can make a goal to get to 4.0 the next year.”
Adult Tennis at the Farmington Country Club
Adults at Farmington are also interested in developing their games with competition, albeit with a social spin. Karban, Farmington’s adult programming coordinator, organizes an intra-club doubles league, presented by Universal Tennis, with more than 100 players competing in a seven-week league with teams drafted by staff based on UTR Rating.
“Using UTR Rating helped at the beginning of the league when we didn't know everyone’s level,” said Karban. “Adults that have played quite a bit of the UTR Intraclub League matches or outside tournaments have reliable ratings. At the lower level, adults are more interested in moving up. Once at the higher level, they’re interested in learning for social purposes.”