Frequently Asked Questions

No membership is required to play at the UBC Tennis Centre! All that is required of interested patrons is a UBC Recreation account. However, we do offer an  ACE Passfor purchase, which will allow you to book a max of 2 hours of court time 72 hours in advance, as opposed to only 24 hours in advance. For more information on court bookings at the UBC Tennis Centre, visit the Court Bookings page. 

The University Neighborhood Association (UNA) is a municipal council for the local areas on the University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver campus. One of the perks of becoming a member is a discount on our programs and court bookings.  Patrons must have a UNA affiliation added to their UBC Recreation account in order to access these discounts. Please email tennis.centre@ubc.ca with proof of your membership in order to have your UNA affiliation added. Visit the UNA Website for more information and to see if you are eligible to join.

Yes, all our adult programs are great for staff and faculty  of UBC. We also offer programs specifically for  staff and faculty during lunch at reduced rates. UBC Staff and Faculty received discounted rates on specific Adult programs and Youth Camps. The discount will automatically be applied at the time of registration, if it is available to you and applicable to the program. The Staff/Faculty discount will only be applied as long as your UBC Recreation account was created/accessed using your CWL login. Staff and faculty are not eligible for court booking discounts.

We currently accept Visa and Mastercard. We also accept cash and debit. We do not accept American Express credit cards. 

Proper tennis footwear should be worn at all times. Non-tennis footwear can damage the court surface and increase the risk of injury. Athletic attire is mandatory, and a shirt must be worn at all times. Please visit our Policies page for more information on our dress code and court etiquette. For all Tennis needs including rackets, attire and footwear, check out our partner store Rackets & Runners! 

We do not have a towel service.

We do not sell shoes or have shoes for rent.

We have day-lockers available in the changing rooms for $0.25 per use. Some belongings can be brought to court with you. However, please keep in mind that no food, coffee, pop, or beverages in open containers can be brought to court. Only water and beverages in re-sealable containers are permitted (e.g. the PowerAde bottles sold at the reception desk). 

Yes, we do have adult demo rackets available that can be rented from the Operations Desk for the duration of your visit to the UBC Tennis Centre. You can rent a racket during your court booking or program at the Tennis Centre for a small fee. A piece of ID is required as collateral while the racket is being rented. Adults registered in an Adult 1.0 program will be able to rent a racket for free during their  sessions. . If your child is registered in a current program, they may borrow a racket from their UBC Tennis Coach when they arrive for each session. We only allow one-day rentals while at the facility and do not allow long-term racket rentals.

No, we do not sell tennis rackets or racket strings. We do, however, have rackets that you can demo/rent during your court booking for a small fee. We recommend Rackets & Runners for all of your tennis needs! 

We do not sell red/orange/green balls. We do sell cans of Penn ATP tennis balls (3 balls per can).

Choosing racket strings depends on many factors. Please ask a coach or the front desk for more information.  We do not offer racket stringing services.

We are unable to provide you with cash back. We recommend you get change from the local banks as we are often unable to provide this service. This is partly due to keeping low amounts of cash for security purposes.

Yes! Used tennis balls are great for dogs, school projects, home décor, you name it! If you are interested in used tennis balls, please contact us at 604-822-2505 or tennis.centre@ubc.ca and let us know how many tennis balls you require as well as what date you would like to pick them up.

Whether by bus, bicycle, car, or on foot, there are a number of ways to access the UBC Tennis Centre. The main entrance to the new facility is accessible via Thunderbird Blvd to the west of the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. The entrance to the Tennis Bubble is located directly off of Thunderbird Blvd to the east of East Mall. Patrons using either facility must check-in at the front desk of the main facility. We encourage patrons to review details on our Contact Us page and to allow for extra time for their trips.

Please see the Campus + Community Planning's Construction Updates information as it is updated weekly and will help direct your trip to UBC.

Operating hours for the UBC Tennis Centre can be found on the Contact Us page. All hours and details may change; we encourage patrons to visit this website for regular updates and our hours during Statutory Holidays.

There is street parking with meters on East Mall (west of the Tennis Centre), and the multi-level Thunderbird Parkade on Thunderbird Blvd (across Thunderbird Blvd from the Tennis Centre). Please consult UBC Parking’s website for more information.

We book a minimum of 1 hour, and a maximum of 2 hours, on the hour (i.e. 1:00, 2:00, 3:00…etc.).  For more information on how to book courts, visit our Court Booking page.

You can book up to 24 hours in advance for your desired court time. For example, if you wish to book a court on Wednesday at 7:00pm, the earliest you would be able to book will be on Tuesday at 7:00 pm. If you would like to book more than 24 hours in advance, ACE Passes  are available for purchase. Once purchased, you will be able to book a single court up to 72 hoursin advance. For more information on how to book courts, visit our Court Booking page.

Yes, we do! You can book by visiting Court Booking. You will need a UBC Recreation Login to be able to book courts. We can also book over the phone (604-822-2505) or  via  email as long as you have a valid credit card on your UBC Recreation account. For more information on how to book courts, visit our Court Booking page.

The outdoor court has the same court fees as the indoor courts of the new facility. UNA members can rent this court for free when they reserve in person and present their UNA card. For information on how to book courts, visit our Court Booking page.

Water, tennis rackets and non-marking athletic shoes (tennis shoes are highly recommended). If you are not sure where to purchase these, Rackets & Runners is a good place to start with knowledgeable staff. If you do not have a tennis racket, we have rackets available to demo during your program for a small fee. Adults in our Adult 1.0 program are not subject to the demo racket fee.

Yes! All of our coaches are Tennis Canada and TPA certified.

We do offer private, semi-private, group of three and group of four lessons. Please contact the Centre for more information (604-822-2505). Availability is very limited, and coaches will give priority to players registered in programs.

Yes, as long as a coach has recommended the program and there is available space in the class. Requests will only be considered if they are received more than 15 days from the program start date. . Any cost differential will be covered by the participant.

For Adult programs, we accept registration up until the day before the second session. For Youth programs, we allow players to register up until the day before the third session. Late registrations are prorated and subject to available space.

For any competitive stream, your level should be confirmed by a UBC Coach or verified by sufficient past experience. If this is your first time at the Centre, an evaluation is a great way to determine your level. We offer free 15-minute evaluations. To reserve an evaluation timeslot please contact us at 604-822-2505.

For any Development, Competitive or High Performance programs, players must be assessed and approved prior to registration.  Contact tennis.centre@ubc.ca if you are interested in applying for one of these programs.

Learn & Practice programs feature a blend of instruction, progressions, high-volume drills, and cooperative play. Play programs offer an opportunity for players to play points and compete in a fun and controlled learning environment. For more information on our programs, visit our Adult Programs page.

Clinics are a structured lesson and focus on teaching technique and fundamentals. Drills are more of a practice session, they are fast passed and have you hit lots off balls, there is still a coach to organize drills and give feedback but we will not slow down the whole class to deal with detailed technical aspects; this is reserved for a clinic. For more information on our programs, visit our Adult Programs page.

A 1.0 player is a complete beginner player and a 5.0 is an open level player. The numbers increase with skill level and ability. Please consult our self-rating guide for more information. If you are unsure of your level, please talk with your current coach or our reception desk. Assessments take place during the first session of any adult programs for 2.5 level and above. Players new or relatively new to tennis would register in our Adult 1.0 or 2.0 programs.

No, there are no make-up classes provided and we do not permit clients to attend other sections that they are not registered for.