Central Park Tennis Center — Local services in New York

Been playing here for a while and it seems like the service has gotten worse.

So the receptionist who take your reservation won't tell you about their flat shoe policy until you step up to your court. So I saw these two guys come, check in for the reservation that they prior, and then the lady told them to either buy shoes at the store within the next 2 minutes or lose their court. So do not bring running shoes, no Alpha Flys or any of those, you need real tennis flat shoes.

Then I checked in for my 4pm court at 3:30 and my partner was on his way and he got here at like 3:43, but was waiting behind 3 other people checking in, only got to the front at 3:48 and they told us we lost our court because he was he was late to check in. The computer system wipes your court reservation at :45 on the dot every hour if both of you are not checked in. They literally don't tell people this. And then they have a 10 person waitlist every hour so you get put at the bottom.

Then there's a sorta dress code policy that isn't enforced by everyone, depends on who's working that day. I saw a worker yell at a adult guy to put his short back on, he was shirtless, because it's policy. I assume it's the same with women and sports bras?

Also if you have a reservation for a 7pm, their single day ticket sales end at 6pm. I had another incident when my partner came at 6:30 for our 7pm and they told him he couldn't buy a single day ticket, he offered venmo, has cash, and card, and they wouldn't take any of it. They gave our court away because they didn't want to sell us a single day ticket at 6:30. I just don't get why close the sales ticketing section when the last hour of play is usually 7-8pm but you're closing at 6?

All this is to say the customer service is rude and you can't argue with them. The courts are nice and well maintained. There's bathrooms and water...

Welcome to the Central Park Tennis Center – Quick Tips & Important Rules

To ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for all, please adhere to the following guidelines. Due to our high foot traffic and commitment to safety, these rules are strictly enforced:

Bring Proper ID • A photo ID is required along with your Tennis Permit or Single Play Ticket to register for a court.

Footwear Matters • Only completely flat tennis sneakers are permitted. This is essential for maintaining our clay courts and ensuring player safety.

Punctuality is Crucial • All players must arrive on time for their reservations. Late arrivals risk losing their court to players on the waiting list—no exceptions.

Partner Arrival Times • Daily Sign-Up: If your playing partner does not check in at least 15 minutes before the scheduled hour of play, you risk losing your court to waiting players. • Advance Reservations: Both players must check in no later than 5 minutes before the scheduled hour of play. If either player is late, the reservation may be forfeited without compensation.

Everyone Signs In • All players, including children, must be present in person to sign for their court. • Parents may not sign in on behalf of children.

No Pets or Wheeled Devices • No pets allowed on the premises. • No skateboards, bicycles, or similar items inside the building – these are fire hazards and will not be permitted.

Need Help or Have a Question? Call our Hotline: (212) 280-0206 • For Court Conditions: Press 4, then 1 (from 6AM–closing) • For Advance Reservations: Press 4, then 2 (10AM–2PM weekdays)

We appreciate your cooperation in following these rules to help keep Central Park Tennis Center safe, efficient, and enjoyable...

Signed up for the 6-week fall class this year after procrastinating since the spring of 2024. From the first day you clearly saw how disorganized the woman running the program is. I was placed in the beginner class, as I am a beginner ,but after 4 people in that class returned the ball to the coach, they were moved to a more experienced class because they had played before, and just one other person, aside from myself, played with that coach that 1st day, as she was a beginner too. By the next week, I was with a completely different coach with a completely different teaching style, and this happened every, single week thereafter. It's difficult to learn or even improve when different people are coaching you in a different way, in addition to the people that are not beginners that end up in the class with you again, such as this past weekend, where someone advanced ended up having a class by herself with the coach Spencer. Not to mention each week they try to move me into an advanced class b/c there's someone else that has the same sounding name as me, although spelled COMPLETELY different. Just a ton of confusion every week just getting started. You lose the first 15minutes every week that way. Overall, it was fun, but absolutely NOT worth the $600 I paid. There's a makeup class coming up because one was rained out a couple of weeks ago, and I'll be showing up playing just as poorly as I did on day one. If you really want to learn, get a coach, because you won't get much out of...