the Hamptons
Junior tennis clinics in the Hamptons: red, orange and green ball, and where the groups are
Junior group lessons in the Hamptons run from the Town of East Hampton’s youth clinics at Lt. Lee Hayes Youth Park (spring, summer and fall) to club programs: SPORTIME Amagansett’s John McEnroe Tennis Academy groups for ages 3–18 on the red, orange, green and yellow ball progression, Sag Harbor Tennis’s junior programs on Mashashimuet Park’s 10 courts, and Southampton Racquet Club’s clinics. A junior racquet costs $35–59 at ages 3–5 (17–21 inches), $30–99 at 6–8, $69–159 at 9–10 and $99–159 from 11. Group prices are quoted by the club; none publishes a per-session rate.
Last updated · Reviewed by Hamptons Ace Tennis
Why groups first
Most children learn tennis in a group before they need a private lesson: the ball comes from a coach, a feeder and other children, the games teach movement, and the hour is fun in a way that an hour alone with an adult and a basket of balls is not. The progression the academies use, red foam ball on a small court, then orange, then green dot, then the yellow ball on a full court, matches the racquet sizes below, and a good program keeps a child on the ball and court that fit rather than the one that flatters.
Where the groups are
| Program | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Town of East Hampton youth clinics | Spring, summer and fall clinics at Lt. Lee Hayes Youth Park, 306 Abrahams Path, Amagansett; register through the Town’s online Recreation Programs; fees not published on the page | Town Recreation Department |
| SPORTIME Amagansett / JMTA | Junior tennis ages 3–18; John McEnroe Tennis Academy red, orange, green and yellow ball groups; 33 Har-Tru courts, mid-April to early November; non-members welcome in clinics with a surcharge | the club’s site |
| Sag Harbor Tennis | Junior programs, clinics and a summer camp on Mashashimuet Park’s 8 clay and 2 hard courts | the operator’s site |
| Southampton Racquet Club & Camp | Clinics and camp programs with Cliff Drysdale Tennis; camp includes a complimentary membership | the club’s site |
| Ross School Tennis Center | Six Hydro Har-Tru courts open to the public, under a bubble from mid-fall to mid-spring | the school’s site |
Hampton Racquet in East Hampton and East Hampton Indoor Tennis run junior programs too; their session prices are behind booking portals and brochures, so we do not print them.
What a junior racquet costs (2026)
| Age | Length | Price range |
|---|---|---|
| 3–5 | 17–21 inches | $35–59 |
| 6–8 | 23 inches | $30–99 |
| 9–10 | 25 inches | $69–159 |
| 11 and up | 26 inches | $99–159 |
Prices are a national retailer’s current range, not the floor and ceiling of the market; a club shop will fit the child and usually sell the same racquet. Court shoes run $80–180 in adult sizes; a case of 24 cans of balls $85–130, which is why clinics supply them.
How to judge a group
Ask the ratio (students per coach), the ball and court size for the child’s age, whether the coach holds an RSPA or PTR certification and a current background screening, and what happens on a wet day on Har-Tru, which does not play after rain. Ask, too, whether the group is level-matched or age-matched; the age-matched group is the one where the strongest child is bored and the newest is lost. We ask these before we send you to a program.
The calendar
Outdoor programs here run with the clubs’ seasons, roughly mid-April to early November; the Town’s clinics run in spring, summer and fall; winter groups move under the bubbles at Ross and East Hampton Indoor Tennis. School tennis in Suffolk County (Section XI) is a spring sport for boys and a fall sport for girls, which shapes when a middle-schooler’s group should peak.
FAQ
Common questions
What age should kids start tennis lessons in the Hamptons?
The programmes here take children from 3: SPORTIME Amagansett’s John McEnroe Tennis Academy groups run for ages 3–18 on the red, orange, green and yellow ball progression, Future Stars’ Little Stars take 3–5 and its Rising Stars 2.5–7, and the Town of East Hampton’s youth clinics run in spring, summer and fall. The equipment agrees: junior racquets run 17–21 inches at ages 3–5 ($35–59), 23 inches at 6–8, 25 inches at 9–10 and 26 inches from 11. What the age should be is a question about the child, not the calendar; we could not read a governing body’s guidance on it, so we do not print a rule. Our advice is a red-ball group for a small child and a private lesson only once the child asks for one.
Read the full answer →Group lessons or private: which is better for my child?
A group for a child who is new, young or there for the fun: the ball comes from a coach, a feeder and other children, the hour is games, and the price is shared — a camp week is $1,045–1,595 in Southampton and $1,095 on the East Hampton tennis track in 2026, and the Town of East Hampton runs youth clinics in spring, summer and fall. A private for a child with a specific stroke to fix, a tournament to prepare for, or a temperament that shrinks in a crowd; the published Hamptons rate is $175–190 an hour against a $113 national average. Most children here do both: a group for the season and a private when the group has found the problem. The good coaches will tell you which the child needs, and we ask them to.
How does Hamptons Ace Tennis work?
You tell us about the player once: who is learning, their level, what kind of lessons, when, and where in the Hamptons you are based. We put you in touch with one coach who teaches that age and level in your part of the fork, certified by the RSPA or the PTR and background-checked, and they call you within one business day. From there it is their rate, their schedule and their court, or yours. It is free for players and parents; participating coaches pay us a referral fee for the introduction. We are not a club, a camp or a coaching business, and we do not sell your details; the one coach we send you to is the only one who gets your number. We cover 9 South Fork towns and 6 kinds of coaching.
Related
Other services
Private & Semi-Private Lessons
One-on-one and two-player lessons with a certified coach: the $175–190 Hamptons rate one club publishes, New York and national ranges, where to play without a court, and what RSPA certification means.
Family Lessons
One coach, one court, the whole family: the permits and memberships priced for families, the season, and how a coach runs an hour for three levels at once.
Summer Camps & Clinics
Camp weeks for children: Future Stars’ published 2026 rates in Southampton and East Hampton, the club camps at SPORTIME, Hampton Racquet and Southampton Racquet Club, the add-ons and the discounts.
Tournament Prep & Competitive Training
For juniors and adults who compete: what UTR and NTRP measure, the Suffolk school seasons, where the year-round courts are, what an Elite-certified coach is, and the state of the local calendar.
Adult Lessons & Cardio Tennis
Adult privates, beginner series, Live Ball and Cardio Tennis: what the clubs run from beginner to 4.0-plus, what a lesson and a membership cost in 2026, and how to get back on court without a club.
Book a tennis coach for junior groups
Sixty seconds: who is learning, their level, what kind of lessons, and where you are based. One certified, background-checked coach who teaches that age and level calls you within one business day. Free for players and parents; nobody else gets your number.
We use what you send us only to put you in touch with the right tennis coach. Never sold, never used for marketing. Privacy policy.