Greener Grass by the Coast
On our licence plates we proudly slogan “Beautiful British Columbia”. People here are proud of the ocean at the coast and the rain forest lining the mountains. We pride ourselves in the nature around us and when it comes to tennis for 5 months out the year we play with the most outstanding surroundings. And with all that pride and grant sentiment, this article is dedicated to the oldest operating grass tennis courts in Canada, and what I’ve granted the name “Wimbledon of the Americas”.
The South Cowichan Lawn Tennis Club was founded in 1887, it started as the settlers from England got bored of settling and decided to do something good with the land; Play Tennis. And so they did; to this day these beautiful tennis courts hold a few of the most magical traditions tennis in BC sees on a yearly basis. I’ve had the privilege to play at this facility on only three occasions and in 18 years of playing tennis I never found myself in a more historic place.
Grass courts are something of a fantasy for most tennis players. You don’t see them often. You don’t play on them often. The ATP grants 3 tournaments to the greens every year. They are massively expensive to maintain and to make matters worse, the few private clubs that have grass courts for members charge you initiation fees of $65,000. AND those members don’t even play on the grass.
Wimbledon being the place of worship of our sport, deserves all the praise it gets. It gives players, attendees and spectators around the world a connection to history and belonging hard to match. Tennis belongs at Wimbledon, players ache to play at Wimbledon. So much so that Ash Barty (3 times GRand Slam Champion, World number 1, Australian Olymplian, and many more) said: “[Winning] Wimbledon, which was my dream, the one true dream that I wanted in tennis, that really changed my perspective”. So to imply a small club across the ocean has any significance to the Mecca of tennis is a grant statement, I know. So let me tell you why I said it.
Simon and I played a doubles tournament and the competition was fierce, we all dressed in white, spectators were watching and every team took each encounter like a Grand Slam match. By the end it was clear that winning this event meant the prestige of the whole community. Lucky for us the final event was against an ex pro from the 80’s and his daughter, so we had beers and played the match barefoot. Unique and fun experience that keeps a tradition alive year after year.
A few years later, Beckett decided to bring Tenncom to the world. And to inspire what Tenncom should be, we went to the same grass courts to play. We froze in time that special moment. The picture you see on our home page is from that occasion.
Lastly, there is an event I hope to play this year. An homage to vintage tennis where all players must use wooden racquets in their matches. How cool is that!! A community that surrenders to the beauty of their tennis club and allows visitors to enjoy, as they do, of their traditions, their green grass and the fresh breeze of Canadian summer days. Magical.
I hope many of you have the chance to graze through the Wimbledon grounds, or visit the Roland Garros beautiful complex. But for me, who doesn't have $5000 lying around to go across the pond, I’ve found joy in this unique place off the Cowichan Valley, BC that I can share with my friends. I have found something special on these grass courts, a space almost frozen in time that will bring you the sort of peace and happiness that only grass plains bring. Cowichan Lawn Tennis Club brings joy for the few lucky ones around the world who have visited this corner of the Americas.
And yet I know this grass tennis club deserves to be their own Tennis Lawn without the shadow of Mecca, it’s another corner of the world magical in a way that’s almost lost and forgotten. With a warm community that knows the treasure they have and love the privilege of sharing.
