Code of Conduct:

Stowe Tennis Club is committed to promoting and preserving the well-being and dignity of all its members and staff to ensure a positive and inclusive experience for all. The Club believes that all staff and members are entitled to work and participate in club activities in a respectful environment free from harassment, discrimination or abuse. This includes actions that are offensive, threatening or discriminatory. All persons associated with the Club should show respect and concern for the safety and welfare of others at all times. Members and staff are encouraged to bring to the President’s or Board of Director’s attention any concern about any aspect of the Club or violation of its Code of Conduct.

As a member of Stowe Tennis Club, you are required to abide by the following Code of Conduct:

• All members must respect the rights, dignity and worth of all participants regardless of age, gender, ability, race, cultural background, religious beliefs, gender identity or sexual orientation.
• Bullying, harassment, discrimination, or intimidation of any sort will not be tolerated and will be penalized.
• All members should be positive role models and treat other players, members of Staff, the Board and other members with the same level of respect that they would expect to be shown to them.
• Violations will result in penalties up to and including loss of membership. Penalties will be determined at the sole discretion of the Board of Directors.
• Members are responsible to stay up to date with and adhere to the rules in the Member Handbook.

Facility Use: 

The clubhouse, locker rooms, courts and pool are open to members 24/7.

Please check your guests in when the Pro Shop is open. See our guest policy below. 

As a courtesy to staff and your fellow members, dispose of all trash and recycling responsibly, collect all belongings, and provide supervision for your juniors members. The last member to leave the premises (at any time) should make sure that all clubhouse and pool house lights are off and that all the doors are closed but not locked - including the pool gate. 

Note that the following are not allowed anywhere on club property (including parking lots):

1. Firearms or weapons of any kind.

2. Smoking of any kind, including e-Devices.

3. Illegal drugs.

4. Dogs. 

Dress Code:

Proper attire in accordance with the STC dress code is required. Members, please advise your guests regarding the dress code before they arrive. If using the pool, shirts and bathing suit cover ups are required to enter the clubhouse. On court, we ask that all members and guests wear tennis shoes with low profile tread and tennis apparel with no large logos, graphics, or branding that is not tennis-related or created by a tennis brand. Gentlemen, shirts with sleeves are required (no sleeveless shirts or tank tops). Ladies, full-length athletic tops that cover the abdomen are required. No cutoffs, jeans, biker shorts, casual clothing or leggings not covered by a skirt or shorts. 

Our Services, the Pro Shop, and Payments:

The Stowe Tennis club offers nine outdoor clay tennis courts, a swimming pool, a clubhouse including locker rooms, showers, and the Pro Shop. The opening day is typically late May, or whenever the courts are ready for the season. The closing day is roughly mid-October or after the first deep frost. The Pro Shop is open from 8am to 5:30pm daily in the summer, and 9am to 5pm daily in the fall. 

The swimming pool includes a pool house with a bathroom, additional locker rooms, and an outdoor shower. A lifeguard is on duty at the pool during the 10-week school vacation period from Monday through Friday, 2pm to 5pm. 

Private, Semi-Private, and group lessons are offered by our resident pro, Mike Tasi. Call our Pro Shop during open hours to book a lesson. Cancellations must be made 24 hours in advance or the lesson will be charged. Our prices are listed on our website under Lessons.

The Junior Program is run in the afternoons, Monday through Friday for 8 weeks during the school vacation period. For more information, please see Summer Tennis Program. 

Towel service is offered. Small hand towels can be taken with you to the court, and larger towels are available in clubhouse locker rooms for showering. Please bring your own towels for the pool, and refrain from bringing clubhouse towels with you to the pool area. 

Coffee service is offered at the clubhouse. 

Drinking water is provided on the clubhouse porch. No water is offered on the courts at this time. Please remember to bring your reusable water bottle and fill up before heading out to play. If you forgot your water bottle, please ask for a water bottle at the Pro Shop. 

The BBQ Grills are available for the membership to use and are located on the deck and at the pool. Reservations for group use can be made in YourCourts up to 14 days in advance. Please see Court Reservations for more information. Please use respectively and be sure to clean and cover when finished. 

Racket stringing is provided by our resident pro Mike Tasi. Rackets can be dropped off at the Pro Shop and payment can be made by cash, check or Venmo payable to Mike Tasi. 

The Pro Shop offers cans of tennis balls, logo-wear and other tennis apparel, accessories including grips, dampeners, sweatbands, hats and visors for sale.

For payment, we accept cash, check and all major credit cards. Members can store their card on file for their convenience or request an invoice be sent via email for any charges due. 

The Pool Rules and Policy:

All members, guests and junior program participants must be able to swim competently to use the swimming pool and must obey all posted signs. The ability of a minor to swim competently is based on the discretion of the parent or guardian. A signed waiver is required to use the pool. Minors (under the age of 18 years) must have their parent or guardian sign the waiver in advance if not present during pool use. Minors under the age of 16 years must be supervised at the pool at all times by an adult or other swimming supervisor at least 16 years of age.

When a lifeguard is on duty (please see above), minors at least 11 years old may take a swim test performed by the lifeguard on duty and upon passing, may swim without a parent or other swimming supervisor present. When the Junior Program is in session, all registered participants 8 years and older may use the pool provided that a lifeguard is on duty and the liability waiver has been signed by the parent or guardian.

Please note that large inflatable pool toys are no longer allowed at the pool - thank you for your cooperation! 

Court Reservations, Usage and Courtesy:

Each adult member has advanced court booking privileges and is provided with a login to our court reservation system. Reservations can be made from 7am to 8pm online or by phone to our Pro Shop during opening hours (see "Our Services"  above). Reservations can be made one day in advance starting at 8am. Each member can reserve one court per day in advance, at a maximum of 90 minutes of duration. Additional court usage is permitted on the day based on availability. On-the-day walk-up reservations are welcome anytime there are empty courts, and reservations can be extended on the day if availability allows. Please cancel your court reservation or otherwise inform the Pro Shop at your earliest convenience as a courtesy to your fellow members who may wish to use the court(s) in your place. 

Junior members can use available courts on a walk-on basis and call the Pro Shop for court availability information. Junior members do not have advanced reservation privileges. 

The BBQ grills on the deck and by the pool may be reserved up to 14 days in advance for parties of four or more.

Please see our online court booking instructions for more info: Court Reservations

On the way to your court, please check in with the Pro Shop staff or review the reservations displayed on the monitor inside the clubhouse as court assignments are subject to change. Those who prefer early court reservations (before 8am) please check in with maintenance staff before playing. Your court assignment may change depending on the morning court preparation routine.

Reservations and court assignments are subject to change due to court conditions, maintenance, the weather, or at the discretion of staff to maximize court resources. See general policy for Court 2 reservations below, as well as Unplayable Conditions below.

When walking to your court, please walk on the grass and avoid crossing another court on the way. Be courteous to active play and minimize distractions and loud conversation. 

At the end of your court time, please sweep and line your court so that it is ready on the hour or half hour for the next group. Check with the Pro Shop or the reservation monitor before extending your play time. 

If you are the last reservation of the day, please sweep the court as a courtesy to our court maintenance personnel, but the lines are not necessary. 

The Ball Machine:

The Stowe Tennis Club offers a ball machine for use by the membership. The cost is $10 per use, with the option to pre-pay 10 uses for $100 or place a card on file at the Pro Shop. Members may use the ball machine for free after taking a 60-minute or longer private lesson or after redeeming a volunteer credit. Please pay or confirm with the Pro Shop before heading out to court 2 to use the ball machine. 

To reserve the ball machine online, log into the YourCourts reservation system and select a reservation for Court 2. Under reservation "Type", select "Ball Machine, Court 2". As a courtesy to your fellow members, please cancel your reservation if your plans change, otherwise the $10 ball machine fee still applies. 

The policy for Court 2 use is as follows: If Court 2 is reserved for "Casual Play" instead of the ball machine, members may call the Pro Shop to request use of the ball machine. "Casual Play" reservations on Court 2 may be moved to another court (if available) as a result. Likewise, if Court 2 is reserved for a weekly club-sponsored round robin or summer tennis program, members may call the Pro Shop to request use of the ball machine which will be accommodated as long as courts are available elsewhere. Thanks and we appreciate your cooperation and understanding! 

Unplayable Conditions and Facility Closures:

Please defer to the instructions of our Pro Shop staff when conditions change. The courts should not be used under unsafe circumstances (lighting) or conditions (when too wet to play). Playing on a wet court could cause damage for the rest of the season. 

Pro Shop staff may close the facilities at any time when unsafe circumstances or conditions are present. This includes the swimming pool. 

Current conditions will be posted on our website (Home) underneath the webcam, on our Facebook Page, and on YourCourts reservation site. The Pro Shop staff will also be available to report on conditions, but keep in mind that the Pro Shop may close when courts are unplayable for the foreseeable future. 

Guest Policy:

Members 16 or older may invite guests to use the club’s facilities. All guests must be checked in by staff upon arrival. The hosting member must remain on-site while the guest is using the facilities. Guests must observe all club rules and policies such as our dress code. The guest fee of $15 for tennis and $5 for the pool must be paid at the Pro Shop by either the guest or host. Guests cannot exceed four (4) visits to play tennis or ten (10) visits to the pool per season unless the hosting member redeems a Volunteer Credit. If a Volunteer Credit is redeemed for a free guest visit, the visit does not count towards the guest’s total number of visits for the season - see Volunteering below for more information. Applicants on our waitlist may play tennis up to eight (8) times per season. Additionally, a waitlisted applicant may use four (4) of their guest visits to attend a club-sponsored weekly round robin without a hosting member required. All pool guests must sign the release of liability before using the pool. Minors who are not accompanied by their parents must have their parents sign the release before arriving to swim. The release of liability can be signed online on our website or in person at the Pro Shop. Children under 2 years of age swim for free. 

Group Use Policy:

As a courtesy to management and your fellow members, please notify the Pro Shop staff in advance of any independently organized event involving multiple individuals or families that is not affiliated with a regularly scheduled round robin, tennis group, or other club-sanctioned event.

Group use includes independently organized groups who play tennis and groups who use the pool or clubhouse deck for parties or gatherings.

No exclusive reservations for all or part of the facilities are permitted, but members may create a group, party or gathering to use the club’s facilities concurrently with other members.

A group/party/gathering is defined as an independently organized event involving multiple individuals or families that is not affiliated with a regularly scheduled round robin, tennis group, or other club-sanctioned event.

The organizing member(s) must contact the club manager with the group/party/gathering request in advance and request approval. In most cases, approval is granted easily and the request functions as a common courtesy to management so that the club manager and staff know what, when and who to expect. Upon approval, the organizing member(s) may make a reservation in YourCourts for the courts and/or grill to be utilized. For the reservation of multiple resources (courts) at one time, it is the responsibility of the organizing member(s) to coordinate amongst themselves to make such reservations according to our reservation rules.

All guests must pay the guest fee and sign the waiver.

Considerations for approving the group/party/gathering may include: the total number of attendees, how many are members vs. non-members, how many individuals are under 16, and the day and time requested. For large groups of children under 16 at the pool, it may be required, at the club manager’s discretion, that a lifeguard be present and compensated by the organizing member(s).

After your group event, please dispose of all trash and recycling responsibly, collect all belongings, and leave the club as you found it. We provide compost for food waste in the clubhouse kitchen. Please empty any full trash or recycling bins and bring out to our new shed in the parking lot on your way out.

Membership Application and Letters of Recommendation:

Prospective members can complete our online application available on our website. See the Apply page for more info. Once an application is received, the applicant is added to our waitlist. When a membership becomes available, applicants are offered membership in the order in which the application was received provided that at the time of the offer, our membership coordinator has received three or more letters of recommendation written by current, certificate-holding members. The recommendation form can be found on our website: Recommendation for Membership 

Applicants or prospective members are welcome to take lessons at the club or play with a current member as their guest. Applicants may use the facilities as a guest a total of eight (8) times per season. 

Annual Dues and Donations:

Membership renewal begins on March 1st and can be completed online on our website or over the phone with the club manager. A late fee of $100 will be applied to outstanding membership dues after April 1st. Please pay your membership dues by Monday May 1st. The membership renewal period closes on May 1st. Accepted payments include credit card online or over the phone, and electronic check/bank transfer over the phone.

As a certificate-holding member, you may elect to take a bye for one season due to injury or personal reasons, forgoing annual dues and forfeiting your member privileges temporarily. There is a limit of one bye per certificate if taken for personal reasons. In case of injuries or medical-related issues, additional byes can be approved. In 2020, a one-time "Covid Bye" was offered that if granted, counts as an additional Bye. Please request a bye in writing by contacting us no later than April 1st. 

You may resign and release your member certificate at any time by delivering written notice to the Board of Directors.

If your 80th birthday will occur before November 1st of the current season and you've been a dues-paying member for at least 10 years, you are eligible to become an honorary member for life and receive free, non-voting membership. If you become an honorary member but your spouse is under 80 years old, your spouse can pay dues as a single member until they reach the age of 80.

Released certificates may be eligible for a refund according to the terms of the certificate when purchased.

Donations to the club's Enhancement Fund will be accepted separately through our Donate page by credit card, over the phone by e-Check/bank transfer, or by paper check in the mail to P.O. Box 1417, Stowe VT 05672.

More information can be found in our Online Dues FAQs. 

Volunteering:

As a member-owned club, all members are encouraged to take part in the care of it, whether this means serving on a committee, volunteering at events, or helping with the spring or fall volunteer workdays. 

In May, the club runs its annual Clean-Up Day to ready the facilities for the season. Close-Up Day is normally second to last Saturday in October to prepare the facilities for the winter. Volunteer activities normally consist of yard work, moving furniture, hanging up or taking down the nets and windscreens, and general cleaning. See our Events page for more information. Each member that attends a volunteer day will earn a volunteer pass. A volunteer pass can be redeemed for a ball machine use or to bring a guest for free. Attendance is taken by staff at each volunteer day and a list of passes is kept on file at the Pro Shop. Please check in with Pro Shop staff when you wish to redeem a volunteer pass. 

Additional volunteering during the course of the season is gratefully accepted. Please approach your club manager, a Board member, or a committee chair. For more information, see our Contact page. 

Thank you for your time to help take care of the club and its facilities! 

Feedback:

We'd be delighted to receive your feedback, ideas and suggestions for how we can make your membership experience better. Please send us your comments. 

Bylaws and Meeting Minutes:

Copies of the bylaws and annual meeting minutes are available in the Pro Shop.

This booklet was reviewed on February 26, 2023.