TEMPLETON, June 16, 2020 (by Steve Pratt)
Templeton Tennis Ranch (TTR), host of the Central Coast Pro Tennis Open, has engaged Tim Gray as its new Director of Court Sports to lead the tennis and pickleball growth and programs at the club. Gray has over 20 years of collegiate tennis head coaching experience and just completed his fourth year at Brown University in Providence, R.I. Prior to Brown University Gray was the Associate Director of Tennis at the Meadowood Napa Valley Resort in St. Helena, Calif., and previously coached at Auburn University, Florida Southern College and Washington College.
Gray has coached both men’s and women’s collegiate tennis where he has achieved an NCAA Division lll National Championship, four NCAA Regional titles, 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and seven conference championships. Gray’s accomplishments include coaching teams to upsets over the No. 1-ranked team in all three NCAA divisions.
Gray’s wife, Christine, will also be joining TTR’s coaching staff as she is also an accomplished player and coach. Christine played tennis at Brown University and has coached at Auburn University and Wellesley College. She is currently a Senior Consultant with Donavan Tennis Strategies, where she helps guide prospective college tennis players and their families through the recruiting process.
“We are very excited to have Tim and Christine join TTR and head up our growing tennis and pickleball programs,” stated Chris Fouquet, TTR General Manager. “We will be expanding our club offerings to include more clinics and instruction for new tennis and pickleball players, as well as more competitive play opportunities for experienced players. A new series of cardio and fitness tennis programs will also be starting soon. Tim is extremely passionate, well connected, and very dedicated to the sport of tennis and while fairly new to pickleball, he is ready to take the helm and deliver an amazing program.”
Gray added, “I am very excited to be part of a quality facility like TTR. Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America right now and TTR has established itself as the ‘place to play’ on the Central Coast – my goal is to build on that momentum and add the structure necessary to deliver high quality tournaments on a large scale. In tennis, we desire to expand our outreach to kids and families and re-awaken the sport of tennis locally. Christine and I are positive we can encourage youth to play and excel in the sport. We look forward to developing some exceptional programs (and players) here in San Luis Obispo County!”
TTR will also be expanding its social activities as both Tim and Christine are certified sommeliers!
Following a shutdown during the recent Covid-19 pandemic, TTR re-opened for tennis and pickleball on May 18 but the fitness center remains closed as are the saunas, showers and locker rooms. According to Fouquet, some of those areas, including the gym, were set to reopen on a limited basis next Wednesday, June 17. In addition, Fouquet said the fourth annual Central Coast Pro Open $60,000 women’s USTA Pro Circuit event scheduled for Sept. 20-27 could likely still be played, but a formal decision will be made in the coming weeks on the status of the tournament.
