MYRTLE BEACH — Myrtle Beach leaders are considering building a racket sports complex — potentially on property the city already owns.
Following a backlash to the planned closure of the Grande Dunes Tennis Club, city officials began discussing the need for additional courts. They’ve recently been developing cost estimates for a new facility in the central part of the city.
“The time is upon us to do something,” City Councilwoman Debbie Conner said. “There’s a great need.”
Conner, who regularly plays tennis, said the city has fewer than 20 public courts, and the area is losing more privately-owned ones to development.
The Grande Dunes Tennis Club property is expected to be converted into 31 single-family residential lots, and she expects the Prestwick Tennis Club south of the city will see a similar fate.
“All the places where people play are going away,” Conner said. “There really is a big tennis community on the Grand Strand.”
When Conner brought up the subject at this week’s council meeting, her peers seemed supportive.
City Councilman Mike Lowder pointed out that the city already owns more than 20 acres just north of the John T. Rhodes Myrtle Beach Sports Center. Council members said such a central location would be important to ensure accessibility.
“We have an excellent opportunity there,” Lowder said.
Citing information she had received from the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA), Conner said the city would need 6.5 acres to accommodate 14 tennis courts, four pickleball courts and a 6,500-square-foot clubhouse.
The Rivers Lynch Tennis Center next to Myrtle Beach High School holds some of the few city-owned tennis courts.
Terry Massey/Staff
‘We’re in a court crisis’
City officials said a major complex should include courts for other racket sports, specifically pickleball, but the tennis component would be critical because that would open up opportunities for grants from the USTA.
The USTA recently provided about $300,000 for clay courts at the Waccamaw Regional Tennis Center at Stables Park near Pawleys Island, said USTA South Carolina Board President Mary Margaret Hyatt, who lives on the Grand Strand.
Like Conner, she worries about losing more courts to homes.
“It’s a huge hit to our area every time that happens,” Hyatt said, adding that the Grande Dunes club has over 500 members. “Obviously, if we continue to lose courts in the area, then we’re looking at a huge problem. It’s already a big problem because we don’t have enough. We’re in a court crisis. … In my opinion, it’s imperative that the city do something and provide all these players with a place to play.”
There are private courts like those at the Dunes Club, but the city offers few public options. The Rivers Lynch Tennis Center next to Myrtle Beach High School has courts, and there are several at Midway Park, too.
Tennis advocates see adding public courts as essential to growing the sport, and the USTA has set a goal of having 35 million players by 2035.
“We need the courts as part of the mission and the goal,” Hyatt said. “Here in Myrtle, we have people who are coming to visit and they want courts to play on. So it’s a multi-faceted issue.”
The Waccamaw Regional Tennis Center at Stables Park near Pawleys Island offers public courts.
Provided/Georgetown County
A driver of sports tourism?
Those who want a new facility contend a publicly funded complex would support sports tourism.
They point to the success of tennis centers in other parts of the state as examples of how a signature center can bring in those dollars.
For example, the Dr. Eddie Floyd Florence Tennis Center is a popular tournament location. Open since 2011, the center features 30 courts.
Tennis in Florence generates about $6 million in annual economic impact, according to local officials.
“It is more of an investment in our community,” Conner said.
Dayle Oakley agrees.
The board president of the Grand Strand Tennis Foundation, Oakley has talked about the need for more courts for years. She said a well-designed complex could compete for statewide tournaments.
“We’re a destination,” she said. “People could come and do more than just play tennis. … They would have hotels. They would be going to restaurants.”
What’s next?
City officials stressed that they are still in the early stages of this discussion. Some have already questioned where the funding for such a project would come from, and the debate arrives as they weigh other needs.
For example, in the coming years the city plans to replace its police headquarters. The tentative price tag for that project is already $105 million, according to city records.
Still, for locals who love tennis, they’re just looking for another place to play.
“We’re at a real crossroads right now,” Oakley said.