Indoor tennis: how indoor courts work, cost and play

Kinds of indoor courts

• Permanent buildings. A purpose-built hall, usually with several courts under one roof, a front desk and often changing rooms. Many are part of a tennis club or a larger athletic facility, and they are open all year.
• Seasonal air-supported bubbles. In colder parts of the country, some facilities put a fabric dome over outdoor courts in the autumn and take it down in spring. The dome is held up by air pressure, so you walk in through an airlock door. The courts underneath are the same as the ones used outdoors in summer.
• Courts inside other buildings. Some schools, colleges and recreation centres have courts in a gym or sports hall. These may be shared with other sports, so lines and nets can differ from a dedicated hall.

Who runs them

Most indoor tennis in the US is run by private clubs and commercial tennis centres. Some are run by a city or a park district, and a few by universities or schools. Which you find depends on where you live. In a big metro area there may be a dozen options; in a small town there may be none within an hour’s drive.

A club does not always mean members only. Many clubs sell court time to people who are not members, and many offer day passes or guest rates. Others are strictly for members and their guests. Where a listing here is a club, it is labelled that way, and the best way to find out what applies is to call or look at the club’s own website.

How booking and pricing usually work

There is no national standard, and prices vary a lot by city and by club, so we do not quote figures here. These are the patterns that are common.

• Hourly court fees. You book a court for a set time, often one hour for singles or ninety minutes for doubles, and pay for the court rather than per person. Splitting it with your partner or the other three players in doubles brings the cost per person down.
• Prime time costs more. Weekday evenings and weekend mornings are popular and are often priced higher than daytime slots. Weekday mornings and early afternoons are often the cheapest and the easiest to get.
• Members and non-members. Members usually pay a lower rate, or nothing at all beyond their dues, and may be able to book earlier than non-members. Non-members may pay a higher rate, or a guest fee.
• Contract or seasonal time. Some facilities sell a fixed weekly slot for the whole winter. It guarantees you a court at the same hour each week, but you pay for the weeks you miss. If you only want an occasional hit, ask about single bookings instead.
• Cancellation rules. Most places require notice, often a day, and may charge if you cancel late. Ask when you book.

How indoor play feels different

• No wind, no sun. The ball goes where you hit it, and you never serve into the sun. Many players find this a relief, and it is one reason that indoor courts are good for working on a stroke.
• A consistent bounce. Indoor surfaces are maintained all year, and conditions do not change with the weather, so the bounce is steady from day to day. Our guide to court surfaces explains the common kinds. Indoor courts are often hard, carpet or a rubberised surface, and these tend to feel faster than the outdoor courts people grow up on.
• Lower ceilings. The roof is high on a good facility, but a lob can still hit a beam or a light, and some inflatable domes are lower at the sides than in the middle. Ask what the rule is. A ball that hits the roof is commonly replayed, or counts as out, depending on the facility.
• The lighting. Indoor lights are usually even, so there is less glare than at an outdoor court at night. But a ball against a bright ceiling can still be hard to pick up for a moment, so allow for it when you lob.
• Noise and space. Courts are often side by side with little room between them, and balls roll into the next court. Wait for a point to end and call for the ball politely.

What to bring

The main difference is footwear. Indoor floors need clean, non-marking soles, and most facilities require them, so check before you pack. Shoes that you have worn on a hard court outdoors may be fine if the soles are not black and leave no marks, but a facility can ask you to switch. Bring a clean pair or leave them at the door. A water bottle and a towel will do for the rest, and our guide to what to bring to the court has the full list.

Bring your own balls. Many indoor clubs sell them at the front desk, but not every facility does.

How indoor courts appear in the directory

A facility often has some courts indoors and some outdoors, so we list the number of courts and how many of them are indoor. A listing that reads 18 courts, 6 indoor is one place with two kinds of court, not two places. Browse by state in the court directory, or open the map to see what is within drive time of you and the people you are playing with.

Spotted a mistake?

If a court is listed as indoor and is not, or the count is wrong, you can report it from the court’s menu. If you know of an indoor facility that is missing, add it there as well. A person reviews each change.