Frequently Asked Questions
Our team has compiled a list of frequently asked questions. Please contact 604-822-2505 if you have any further questions that are not answered by this page.
About the UBC Tennis Centre
No membership is required to play at the UBC Tennis Centre! However, we do offer a Perk Pass for purchase, which will allow you to book a max of 2 hours of court time 7 days 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 Neighbourhood 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 when you present your UNA card in person at the time of the registration and/or booking. 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/faculty of UBC. We also offer programs specifically for staff/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.
We do not accept American Express currently.
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 strongly encouraged, and a shirt must be worn at all times. Please visit our Policies page for more information on our dress code and court etiquette.
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 a variety of 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 Clinic will be able to rent a racket for free during their clinic sessions. We do not have youth rackets available at the Operations Desk. 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. A great place to purchase tennis equipment is at Rackets & Runners.
We do not sell red/orange/green balls. We do sell cans of Penn ATP tennis balls (3 balls per can).
This depends on many variables. Please ask a coach or the front desk for more information. If you are looking to re-string your racket, we do have a racket stringing service where your racket can be re-stringed in 48 hours (about 2 days). If you really want to get technical, we can have our certified stringer call you and discuss your needs when you drop your racket off for 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 and let us know how many tennis balls you require as well as what date you would like to pick them up.
Planning Your Visit
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 are subject to change; we encourage patrons to visit this website for regular updates as well as 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.
Court Bookings at the UBC Tennis Centre
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.). Half hour court times may be permitted from time to time depending on the UBC court schedule for that day. 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 7:00 pm. If you would like to book more than 24 hours in advance, Perk Passes are available. Once purchased, you will be able to book a single court up to a week in advance. For more information on how to book courts, visit our Court Booking page.
We now have an online booking system! You can book by visiting the 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) as well as through email as long as you have a credit card on file with us. 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.
Programs and Lessons at the UBC Tennis Centre
Water, tennis rackets and non-marking athletic shoes (tennis shoes are 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. Currently unavailable during COVID-19 reopening. Adults in our 1.0 Clinic are not subject to the demo racket fee.
Yes! All of our coaches are Tennis Canada certified.
Our coaches are currently very busy and have a full program load. However, we do offer one-off private lessons. Please contact the Centre for more information (604-822-2505), but availability may vary. If you would like to be added to our private lesson waitlist, please fill out the request form.
Yes, as long as the coach has agreed to the transfer and the program you wish to transfer to has available space. Any cost differential will be covered by the participant.
Yes, but only after missing one class for adult programs. You can register after missing two weeks of classes for youth programs. 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.
Yes, please speak with your current program coach or you can reserve an evaluation timeslot with our reception desk or by calling 604-822-2505.
The Red level programs do not have match play. The Orange Fundamentals and Competitive match play begins at 3:30pm. The Green, Youth and Teen Fundamentals match play begins at 4:00pm. The Green Competitive, Teen Competitive, Challengers, Champs, and Elite match play begins at 5:00pm.
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. Evaluations are available for intermediate to advanced players unsure of their level. Players new or relatively new to tennis would register in our Adult 1.0 or 2.0 Clinics.
No, there are no make-up classes provided and we do not permit clients to attend other sections that they are not registered for.