Platform tennis had come to the Deep South in resounding fashion.
Two courts were being built as part of a recreational complex and the game was to be incorporated into the intramural program for both men and women with the courts available from 7:00 am to midnight.
The court deck was very tough on the tennis shoes of the day. Shoe Goo was the answer!
Court builders started cropping up all over the country. And they brought innovation – different deck materials (aluminum, steel, plywood) and on grade construction. You could even build your own court from a kit for $6,000!
The APTA Concept:
A Grand-Prix tour of Men’s and Women’s APTA sanctioned tournaments leading up to a Grand Prix playoff Championship. Players would earn points at each tournament during the season to become eligible to play in the Grand- Prix event at season’s end. Each tournament would have a purse with a larger purse to be apportioned at the Grand-Prix Championship. A “leader-board” would be posted at each tournament to show the current standings of the competing teams.
For the men’s tour, the number of qualifying tournaments might be as many as eight – for the women, as many as five. They might be selected from the following markets:
Chicago: November 5 & 6
Philadelphia: November 12 & 13
Cleveland: November 19 & 20
Boston: December 3 & 4
Rye: January 7 & 8
Short Hills, N.J.: January 21 & 22
New Canaan, Conn.: February 4 & 5
Washington: February 11 & 12
The proposed budget exceeded $250,000.
Membership of the APTA as of August 3, 1973 included both voting members (clubs and individuals with courts) and non-voting members (those that did not own a court).
The Manhattan Platform Tennis Club on East 48th Street in New York City was the venue. Eight teams competed for $4,000 in prize money.
The first meeting of the newly established council took place on October 13, 1975. The Minutes reflected the discussion on the Council’s Charter (Membership, Purpose and Functions) and an emblem to be awarded to past presidents
The APTA/Hertz publication Off the Wires covered the Presidents’ Cup and Regional tournaments
The publication was designed to keep players up-to-date with tournament activities and results in the different APTA Regions.
The first Off the Wires
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