A typical day of tennis camp does not, at least in my experience, end in the middle of a vineyard at a wine-paired dinner prepared by celebrity chef Andrae Bopp, working out of a food truck. And yet the three dozen or so of us who participated in a Tennis and Wine Camp in Walla Walla, WA one summer indulged in sumptuous winemaker dinners very much like that one every night of camp. Sometimes the chefs worked out of an actual kitchen, and sometimes the venue was the patio of a winery or a restaurant downtown, but every evening a well-chosen wine from a local winery accompanied each dish set before us. Days that began by stoking our passion for tennis segued to explorations of the wines Eastern Washington has become noted for.
We chose to stay in a modest hotel not far from the six hard courts, located at the center of Whitman College campus where the tennis took place. Days began early with a hearty catered breakfast set out on tables beneath the trees. It was a delightful setting for what we would soon realize would be a very different approach to tennis camp.
About The Camp
Greg Patton, one of the most dynamic figures in tennis, directed the program assisted by head men’s tennis coach Jeff Northam and head women’s coach John Hein. A much-decorated collegiate coach, Patton led teams to 17 conference titles, coached US Junior Davis Cup teams–whose members included Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Michael Chang, and Patrick McEnroe among others–and received the Tennis Educational Merit Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame. More recently he’s been much in demand as a motivational speaker.
Most tennis camps focus their attention on technique by devoting sessions to forehands, backhands, volleys, and serves. Patton’s road to a better game, in contrast, runs in a different direction. For these adult camps, he employed the same approach that took his Boise State University men’s team to a ranking as high as No. 2 in the nation. It’s also a method that instilled a love of the game in hundreds of kids in his junior camps.
About Patton’s Philosophy & Whats Sets These Camps Apart
“Our philosophy is to encourage the little kid that’s inside all of these you to flourish, blossom,” he began. “Have fun, be a little kid again, make friends.” His on-court sessions consisted mostly of playing games. “It’s been proven that the learning synapses are activated more by games than by drills,” he continued, “so you learn much faster.” He doesn’t eschew technique entirely: “We may give suggestions about a grip change, a swing path or footwork, but it’s not about perfecting a stroke.” There are a few drills, like mini tennis to help develop touch and racquet-head control—a drill, he pointed out that all the great players use—but turning practicing into a game, he assured us, is a better way to adapt to all the nuances of the sport.
Music, too, played a roll. It blared from speakers at the court—Patton says reggae is his favorite, but 60s rock and upbeat soul are all in the mix. “Music is rhythm and tennis is the most rhythmic sport in the world,” says Patton. “We put you in situations where you’re competing, but we keep it moving, like dancing. You’re just focused on being aware, present in the moment of now.” And that carries over into competition: “The goal, we tell our college players, is not to win matches. It is not to win games or even the point. The goal is to win the ball. All the great players have that ability to be incredibly focused.”
Ever-upbeat, Patton is a continuous font of inspiration and enthusiasm. He repeats a mantra of “Music, movement, language, touch,“ all the while encouraging us to bump fists, say “Great shot,” “make friends,” “remember why you love the game.”
First-Hand Experience of Tennis and Wine Camps
Once the tennis aspect of the camp wrapped up, we headed back to our room, only to be picked up later for yet another afternoon visit to a vineyard for a wine tasting and then a final farewell dinner. Over the course of the week, I must have tasted four or five wines from each of seven different vineyards. At one of these, Valdemar Estates, instead of tasting wines, I got to blend my own by mixing various percentages of syrah, grenache, and mourvedre until I had one that precisely suited by taste. Then based on those percentages, the winery blended a full bottle, let me cork and draw a label for it, and then sent me home with my own private label.
Although the general format of the camps remains the same from year to year, Northam always looks for ways to introduce variety for the quite simple reason that so many people come back time and again that they want something a little different. That always means variations in the wine and food experience, although he tries to include that celebrity chef, Andrae Bopp, for at least one of the dinners. This coming summer there is one shorter camp built around an Alison Krauss concert. In other years there have been tours with an expert in terroir, classes on wine pairing, or a focus on women winemakers. And from time to time, former WTA pro Gretchen Rush, who reached the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open joins in. In the fall, the format changes to a pro-am camp with the tennis teams. And after twice taking his men’s team to Cambodia, Northam has now scheduled a January trip there for a dozen campers.
Camps take place on selected dates from June to October. All in all, it’s an exceptional experience. One caveat: it books up quickly.
If you’re interested in other Tennis & Wine camps in other cities, we also suggest checking out these TRO listings:
- Ritz-Carlton, Bacara – Santa Barbara, CA
- Chateau Elan Winery & Resort – Braselton, GA
- Meadowood Napa Valley – St. Helena, CA
- Enchantment Resort – Sedona, AZ
- Silverado Resort – Napa Valley, CA
