Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Omni Grove Park Inn has been a landmark in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains since it opened in 1913. The original Inn, constructed of granite, endures, its Great Hall dominated by massive fireplaces and its rooms notable for their Arts & Crafts furnishings. Two newer, more contemporary wings bring the total number of rooms to 513.
Recreation abounds, including 6 tennis courts (3 indoor, 3 out), an 18-hole Donald Ross golf course, and an expansive sports center (with indoor swimming pool, racquetball court, and separate cardio and weight rooms), and a 43,000-square-foot spa. Omni Hotels & Resorts acquired the Inn in mid 2013 and invested $25 million in resort upgrades.
The tennis allure resides in the setting 2,500 feet up in the Blue Ridge Mountains and its three indoor courts. Guests looking for activity can choose from nine weekly adult clinics, most taught by head pro Wayne Forester. He grew up playing tennis in Asheville and later at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, but a degree in textile materials science landed him a job with Nike helping to custom-make, design, and produce tennis shoes which afforded an opportunity both to travel extensively and to work directly with such Nike athletes as Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Pete Sampras, and Andre Agassi, to name a few. It was a dream job, but in 2005 a love of teaching—which he’d pursued while going to college and while working for Nike—and a love of his native Asheville brought him back home in 2005 and a job at the Omni Grove Park Inn.
“We have a special thing at Omni Grove Park Inn,” he told me. “We take care of members and hotel guests, but the complex is open to outsiders as well.” The indoor courts—which were resurfaced and got a light upgrade when Venus and Serena Williams stayed there during the Fed Cup tie in 2018—allow play year round. Forester and a staff of two part-time pros see to the needs of adults and juniors, whether that’s a private or hitting lesson, a clinic, Cardio tennis, summer kids’ camps, or Forester’s occasional “Fireball Triples,” a fast-paced game with three players on each side of the net utilizing an orange ball. Forester also offers specialized League Team training for your team with advance registration. The retail shop within the Sports Complex offers both tennis balls and attire for purchase, however is not expansive enough to offer racquets or shoes.
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33 Reviews on “Omni Grove Park Inn”
My husband treated me to another weekend getaway recently to our favorite place…an family tradition for us now. We, of course, had to come back with our tennis rackets to take advantage of another opportunity to work with Head Pro, Stewart Atkins. He was awesome…once again! The resort is beautiful, service is world-class, and the fun and recreation can’t be beat! Thanks again, Stewart…see you next time!
Stewart Atkins did a masterful job of helping my with some tennis problems. I appreciated his patience. Only problem was he is booked solid. Never fear, I got a session during my stay and would love to have another next visit.
My son and I took a private lesson with the pro Wayne Forester. I have been playing tennis for many years, and this was an exceptional lesson. Wayne was able to quickly point out specific ways to improve our game. He did this in a way that was both easy to understand and patient. I would highly recommend this tennis center.
Wayne Forester is an AWESOME tennis teacher. This was my first time with a racquet and he was incredibly patient, encouraging and explained things in a way that made sense to me. His follow-up, an email explaining what I learned, was a nice value-added touch to the overall amazing experience.
Clinics are great
The head pro, Stewart Atkins, has an approach that is based on getting the best out you. His skill is in helping you achieve your goals by hitting rather than drilling, which I think most people would agree is a far more enjoyable way to improve your game. This makes it far easier to put what you learn into game situations. I am hitting the ball noticeably better – a real unpleasant surprise for opponents who have managed to beat me before now! I managed to speak to a number of regular local members at GPI and was impressed with the unanimous popularity of Stewart and his team.
My husband and I attended a clinic with Stewart and took a couple of private lessons from Wayne. Both pros are truly outstanding, we couldn’t have been more pleased with the experience. The doubles clinic was fast paced, fun and informative we would have loved to attend more of these. Both pros are patient, encouraging, and focus on tips that will improve your game without starting from scratch. It was great to have the option of indoor courts if the weather is bad and the Grove Park is in a beautiful setting. We would highly recommend this resort and are looking forward to returning.
My husband and I had one tennis lesson with Wayne Forster and could have spent the rest of the trip with him. He had excellent insight as to strengths and weaknesses in our game, was infinitely patient and had great concise suggestions for improvement that are going to be really helpful in the evolution of our game and which are doable. Can’t say enough good about him.
This was our 4th visit to the Grove Park Inn. Our family loves playing tennis and we often take vactions where tennis plays a big role in what we do together. We have given several tennis resorts a try in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina but we always want to come back to the Grove Park Inn because the instruction is top notch. Stewart’s coaching works well with our level of tennis and he always gives us pointers to take home so we can continue to work on what we learned at the Grove Park.
The city of Asheville is quite relaxing with great restaurants and of course, the best beer in the south which gives us plenty to do while we are relaxing between lessons. We would highly recommend booking a clinic or private lessons at the Grove Park. The instruction along with the atmosphere is by far the best we have ever experienced which is why we keep coming back year after year.
I had the best vacation I’ve ever had at Grove Park. The Spa was phenominal. I attended a tennis clinic one day and enjoyed it so much, scheduled two more sessions with Wayne Forester. Wayne was a terrific instructor. The drills were fast-paced and fun. Wayne had us practice until we could execute what he was teaching. His instruction will definately make me a better player.
My wife and I recently spent four days at Grove Park Inn. We heard that Stewart Atkins was the best pro around. This certainly proved to be true. We both took private lessons every day. Stewart took our games to a whole new level! My wife is serving and volleying like a a pro. Stewart has simplified our strokes and made tennis even more enjoyable. His clinics are fun and exceptionally professional. The inside tennis courts are phenominal. We just can’t say enough! We are planning a trip back as soon as we can.
My wife and I fell in love with the Grove Park…breathtaking! Being fairly new to the game, we found Stewart to be the perfect…and patient instructor! We left our vacation with a new hobby…thanks Grovepark!
My family and I stayed at the Grove Park Inn during an extremely busy weekend (later to find out that the “hightened security” was because the President and First Lady were with us at the hotel). We were surprised to be treated like royalty, as well, especially during such a stressful time for all of the GPI staff. We were very happy to be able to squeeze in a tennis lesson and work out with Stewart Atkins. We are already planning our next trip back to the beautiful mountains if WNC…perhaps on a weekend that is a little more low-key! 🙂
I go back to the Grove Park Inn once a year where I spend a day at the spa and work on my tennis. It is a great place with a warm atmosphere. The tennis program is terrific, indoor and outdoor courts. Wayne, one of the pros, is a great teacher. He is great at pinpointing your weaknesses and giving you tips to improve them. Months later I still remember his tips in my head. Apparently, they have had a really successful training program sending a number of teams to national competition but they are also good to intermediate players like me.
Excellent tennis professionals that teach great lessons and clinics
I am a beginner to tennis, but always loved the game and wished I could do better – especially against my father-in-law. After a one hour lesson with Wayne (which was closer to two hours) he had me understanding more than I thought was possible, and had me hitting hard and accurate. I did one lesson that week, and it was enough to put my father -in-law on notice when he barely beat me the next time we played. I just wish I did a lesson/day when I was there. Wayne was great – I couldn’t have asked for more.
I’m a 4.5 player always looking to hit with a pro when I travel on business. Wayne was terrific. We exchanged long, hard rallies; he gave me several good tips, which immediately paid off in my USTA matches. Not only that, the price for a 90 to 120 minute private lesson was the deal of the decade. Great fun, highly recommended.
I am a beginner to tennis is every sense of the word but wanted to give it a try since my husband absolutely loves it. I am so glad I met with Stewart! He is funny, easy to be around and really helped me get past a life long block of thinking I can’t learn to play tennis. Thank You! Turns out, I’m not as clumsy as I thought…
First of all, the Grove Park Inn itself is one of the most atmospheric venues I have ever visited. Its remarkable golden-age glamour evokes images of the Great Gatsby, and the splendour of the turn-of-the century rich and famous. Its location in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, its friendly and attentive staff, the numerous antiques and unique arts and crafts furnishings, make this a hotel and rsort like none other. The numerous placards illustrating the notable personalities throughout the ages that have stayed there are a veritable Who’s Who of the twentieth century.
As an avid tennis player who has been nationally ranked, I have taken lessons from many top-notch professionals through the years, and visted many tennis resorts. I must say that the level of tennis and the level of service here was above and beyond what I am used to! Tennis professional Wayne Forester is an amazing player and instructor, and one of the friendliest as well! After hitting with me, and giving me some great tips, he also arranged for excellent hitting partners for the remainder of my trip. I truly enjoyed the time i spent at the Grove Park Inn, and in particular, with its tennis personnel.
My wife and I went to the Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa over the weekend for our anniversary. What an incredible facility in every way. The rooms, dining, spa, everything was truly exceptional. On Saturday while my wife visited the Spa, I took a private lesson with Wayne Forester at their indoor tennis facility.
What a great time I had! Wayne gave just the right amount of instruction, along with a great variety of drills and games that were as fun as they were instructional. Wayne was quick to identify my strengths and help me understand how to build on and leverage them. As for weaknesses (and there are so many…) he gave great instruction on improving, but didn’t spend more time than necessary, something I really appreciated.
People go to Grove Park for their world-famous spa, and it truly is world-class. But I had the most fun of all during my tennis lesson with Wayne. So if you’re planning on going to the Grove Park Inn, I highly recommend you schedule time for a lesson with Wayne… it’s world-class, too!
While at the Grove Park Inn I took two private tennis lesson and was very impressed with the pro’s knowledge. Wayne Forester took his time with me giving me different approaches to my strokes, I certainly learned more in two days than my 5 years of playing tennis. Wayne was absolutely great. Thanks Wayne.
The tennis pros Stewart and Wayne were the best part of our girls’ weekend at the Grove Park. Highly recommend spending some time having them work with you if you are a tennis player at any level.
The tennis staff and facilities at the Grove Park Inn and Spa are outstanding. There are indoor and outdoor courts, which are a bonus.
A group of 3.0 team members and I visited the resort for a weekend tennis getaway…complete with a 2 hour clinic AND doubles playtime with the pros. The pros (Stewart and Wayne) at the resort made us feel welcome AND introduced us to some excellent new skills/techniques that we brought back to our home courts… We will definitely visit this resort again!
Wayne Forester was the best tennis pro. He really took his time to help and was so easy to work with. My improvement was within 2 lessons
My friend and I took a private lesson with Wayne Forester at the Grove Park Inn in July 2009. Neither of us had played tennis in years but I have taken tennis lessons off and on most of my life. Wayne was by far the best tennis coach I have ever had. He taught me things no one really has before, explained technique perfectly, he’s patient, encouraging and fun. Anyone interested in tennis at any level would be remiss not to spend an hour or more with Wayne at Grove Park.
While at the resort I attended a clinic and took two private lessons from Wayne Forester. He is by far the best pro I have ever taken from (and I have had lessons from many pros at many different resorts). Wayne was right-on with the suggestions he gave me to improve my strokes and serve. He was clear in his explanations and helped me to get the feel of doing it correctly. I know my game is better because of his instruction. He even wrote up some notes from our lessons and emailed them to me so that I could remember everything we worked on. The Grove Park Inn is surely lucky to have Wayne.
I attended an adult clinic and then did a follow-up lesson with head pro, Stewart Atkins. Both were excellent and Stewart was very accomodating about finding a time for a lesson, which I hadn’t scheduled before coming. Gorgeous location and very professional and personable staff. Weaknesses: none noted.
Personal attention to strokes and strategy; Stewart and Wayne both interested in improving individual performance and will help you work through problems
Fantastic fun. Stewart & Wayne were superb at working with each of us, giving individualized help, introducing new concepts, and did not attempting to discombobulate ingrained individual methods of racket grips. We had a wonderful time, great ‘different’ drills, and super guys to work with. We all left with new tricks in our bags to pull out on our matches. We walked (or hobbled – they worked us hard) away from the court improved players. The pros were extremely hospitable and even introduced us to Stewarts regular Asheville USTA team for some post-tennis fun. The tennis clinic at Grove Park is very reasonable in price as well. We definitely will return.
The facility if first rate and the tennis staff is most helpful. It is great to have indoor courts for inclement weather. They work well with either kids or adults and go to great lengths to help you get a game or clinic. Can’t wait to go back.
The tennis pro Wayne was extremely professional, fun and motivating! Any tennis lover would benefit from his expert guidance!
I had so much fun at the clinic, drill, with Stewart and Wayne. They kept everything moving at a fast pace and gave great tips on ground stokes, volleys and positioning. I wish I could go everyday,but will definitely be there when I am in Asheville….Rain or shine.
I I would highly recommend the tennis pros at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. We just returned from a weekend of tennis drills and a round robin, to use what we learned. I learned a lot of doubles strategy and came away with some very useful tips. The pros are experienced professionals, easy to work with, and awesome players and coaches.