Over the past week he has been conducting a holiday tennis clinic. The emphasis is as much on fun as it is on learning the skills of the game.

With the assistance of assistant coach Cory Greenwood, the youngsters participate in a variety of skill and interest-building activities.

They are also encouraged to watch the ‘summer of tennis’ programs on television, and the television in the clubhouse is tuned to the tennis.

With modified cross court games for the younger children using softer balls, which enable the youngsters to more easily return balls hit to them.

Older and more experienced youngsters play games against each other either in the long format or the new-style fast format, Fast 4 tennis. All the youngsters do some drills during the camp to hone their skills.

When the sun gets too hot on court or the rain starts to fall, the youngsters can retreat indoors where they participate in the tennis quiz, helping to improve their knowledge of terminology, and the big tournaments they see on television.

Ridland’s next Goulburn tennis camp for the holidays is January 22-25. It will cater for tiny tots to teens. It is not too late to book your youngsters in for the final camp for January.

Ridland also runs the pro shop at the Bishop Street courts and can advise parents on suitable racquets for their youngsters, as well as racquets for parents or grandparent who are also interested in making tennis a family activity.

If you have a racquet that needs restringing or a new grip, Ridland is the person to talk to. He can be contacted on 0428 770 289.

People can talk to him about key membership of the Goulburn Tennis Club and the benefits of being part of the club. He also takes bookings for parties and corporate tennis bookings. 

Once school resumes, the regular kids’ Friday tennis sessions will swing back into action along with competitions and coaching for both individuals and groups.

Juniors have plenty of opportunity to compete in both local and regional competition and the Goulburn tennis squads tasted plenty of success last year. Ridland and Greenwood will be conducting coaching for all ages including adults and helping players prepare for competitions.

This year the junior development series regional tournament will be held in Goulburn just after Easter. Some of the Goulburn members will also be competing for their school and looking to Australian ranking tournaments.