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New England Senior Slam Tournaments

We are excited to announce the third year of the highly successful New England Senior Slams Tournaments for senior players age groups 50-90.  The New England Senior slams are a series of three USTA/NE sanctioned tournaments, modeled after the pro Grand Slams, and played on three different surfaces:  hard court, clay and grass.  There again will be a “goody bag” for all players and a party with food, drink and drawings for prizes at all the Slam tournaments for all players and their significant others. Based on player feedback, we have made some significant changes to make the Slams even better this year.

The 2012 hard court Senior Slam at Yale has had the honor of being selected by the United States Tennis Association to become a National Category II Tournament for the age groups of 50, 60 and 70 men and women.  We are expecting more out of section players to participate which should provide some new competition.  The rest of the age groups will still be NE tournaments and both tournaments will be held simultaneously as one tournament at Yale. Congratulations to tournament director, Todd Nicholson, for this great achievement. 

We have changed our venue for the Grass Slam to the Essex County Club in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA.  Essex is a gorgeous country club with 10 beautifully maintained grass courts and 10 clay courts on site.  There are also indoor facilities nearby for use in case of rain.

For all of the Slams, the men have added the new NE 90 age category to accommodate some of our most enthusiastic longtime participants. The mixed 65 doubles, new last year, has been changed to mixed 55 doubles so that more players can participate.

The times of the Slam tournaments are also slightly changed. The Clay Slam at both locations has been pushed back a week later in August to reduce conflict with USTA League playoffs. The Grass Slam is the week after Labor Day as last year but starts on Friday and ends on Monday rather than Thursday through Sunday so as to allow some men's age groups to avoid conflict with their national grass event.

The 2012 date for the Hard Court Slam at Yale is Thursday, June 7 to Sunday, June 10. The dates for the Clay Slams are Thursday, August 9 to Sunday, August 12 for Beverly and Friday, August 10 to Sunday, August 12 for Concord CC. The 55 mixed doubles will be played at Concord CC and the new men's 90 category will be played at Beverly. The Grass Slam at Essex County Club dates are Friday, September 7 to Monday, September 10.

The NE Senior Slams were a great success in both its inaugural year 2010, and last year, 2011. You can read about each of them by clicking on the "Breaking News" link on the left of this page where you can find the stories.

To provide all of these amenities and more, we are seeking sponsors. There are different levels of sponsorship; if you know of an organization or individuals who might be interested, contact Ken Miller at kmiller@neseniortennis.org or call him at 978-369-3045.

Below is a description of the venues. These are some of the best in New England.

Yale - hard court

The new Cullman-Heyman Indoor Tennis Center at Yale

The Yale Tennis Center, aka Connecticut Tennis Center, was home to the Pilot Pen pro Tennis Tournament, held just before the US Open. There are 22 cushioned hard courts outside. This is where the hard court Slam is played. The above picture shows the eight court Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center which opened in 2008 and received a USTA award in 2009 as the outstanding tennis facility in New England. This indoor facility is used for indoor backup for the hard court NE Senior Slam tournament. The Yale Hard Court Senior Slam was selected as Adult Tournament of the Year for 2010!

The Yale Hard Court NE Senior Slam tournament can be accessed here. The Category II national Senior Slam tournament at Yale can be accessed here.

Concord Country Club & Beverly Golf and Tennis Club - clay court

Concord CC Tennis & Pool Clubhouse - picture from recent tournament The Concord Country Club was founded in 1895 as the Concord Golf Club. It moved to its current location in 1913 when it bought the Brown Farm and also changed its name to the Concord Country Club as it added other sports facilities including tennis. The original barn became the current clubhouse. Various improvements have been made over the years. The most recent upgrade (2005) created a new pool, increased the number of clay tennis courts to eight and added a clubhouse catering to both users of the pool and the tennis facilities.  The Concord Country Club has been host to sanctioned Sectional USTA/NE tournaments for many years in the 50s and 60s age groups that have garnered some of the largest senior draws in New England. The Concord CC was chosen as adult tournament of the year for 2009 by USTA/NE. The previous 50s sectional has become the clay Slam for the men's age groups 50 and 55 and the women's 50 age group and the mixed 55 doubles, new for 2012. The Concord CC Senior Slam tournament can be accessed here.

Beverly Golf and Tennis Clubhouse The Beverly Golf and Tennis Club was built in 1910 by the United Shoe Machinery Corporation which at that time was the largest employer in Beverly and one of the world's leading manufacturers of shoemaking equipment. The club was a social and recreational facility for the United Shoe employees. United Shoe employees used the facilities until 1971 when the Clubhouse and surrounding 300 acres were sold to a private developer. In 1978, the city of Beverly purchased the Clubhouse and 168 acres that the city continued to use as a golf course. The developer retained the additional 132 acres for housing and conservation. In November, 1982, the city's nomination of the Clubhouse for listing in the National Register was approved and it was also included in the Massachusetts State Register of Historic Places. There are today ten clay courts and the tennis facilities are managed by the Bass River Tennis Club. Many very successful sanctioned senior tennis tournaments are held at Beverly Golf and Tennis Club hence its selection to be the site of one of the clay NE Senior Slams. The age groups for the Beverly Clay Slam are 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85 and 90 for men and 60 and 70 for women. The men's 90 age category is new for 2012. The golf course is public so for those interested, it can be arranged to play golf. A player or significant other/friend should bring their clubs if they are interested in playing golf. The Beverly Clay Senior Slam tournament can be accessed here.

Essex County Club - grass court

                         The beautiful grass courts at Essex County Club                                                       The Essex County Club Clubhouse

The Essex County Club was founded in 1893. The original Club House was completed the same year. At that time, the grounds included a full size polo field, two clay tennis courts, and a nine hole golf course. Today, the Essex County Club boasts an expanded beautiful clubhouse, a Donald Ross designed eighteen hole golf course which was established in 1917, ten grass and ten clay tennis courts, three paddle tennis courts, and a full time swimming pool.

The presence of ten clay courts on site means that even if there is some sporadic drizzle, play can still occur on the clay courts. In addition, if there is heavy rain that precludes use of the grass courts the next day, the clay courts can again be used. Also -- one alert to players; there is a strict whites only dress code.

Manchester-by-the-Sea, where Essex County Club is located, is near the ocean as the name implies. There are many great attractions in the area.

The Essex County Club Grass Senior Slam tournament can be accessed here.

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Revised: 01/20/12