March 2004 Monthly Archive
March 2004
Late-Year Rally Is Leading To An Optimistic 2004 Forecast
There's no denying that 2003 was a down year for racquet sales at pro/specialty stores. For the whole year, sales were down in units, dollars and average price compared to 2002. But if you take a closer look, 2003...
Court Construction & Maintenance Guide
Our special section can help you find new sources of business, and can help you get the job done right.
They're Certifiable!
Looking for someone to build or refurbish your courts? Try a builder who is certified by the USTC&TBA.
Higher Learning
Across the country colleges of all sizes are upgrading or building new tennis facilities.
Industry News
USPTA Inks Six-Year Deal With Lotto for Clothes, Shoes The U.S. Professional Tennis Association recently began a six-year partnership with Lotto Sport Italia that makes the Italian company the exclusive provider of official USPTA clothing and shoes. Lotto also...
Keep the lights on
Don't wait for the lamps to burn out before you change them.
Rewards for Participation Are Good for Your Business
Everyone knows that the acquisition of customers, or players, is much more expensive than retaining them in the first place. As one executive with Club Corporation of America once told me, "You have to sell a ton of French...
Meet and Greet
Some of the best marketing you can do is to simply let parents and kids get to know you and your program.
One Degree of Separation … from Tennis
Do you ever wonder what all those people are thinking about as you sit bumper-locked in morning rush hour traffic? Millions of separate consciousnesses all doing the same thing, encased in their metal shells, as if in their own...
Prince Premier with Softflex 16
Brand & model Prince's new Premier is a multifilament string designed for ultimate gut-like playability. To achieve this goal, Prince wraps its micro-filament core with filament outer wraps made of Softflex, which it tells us is the most elastic material...
Racquet Selection Map 2004
Our at-a-glance reference will instantly compare and differentiate all racquets.
Riding the Wave
These tennis e-tailers weathered uncertain times, and learned some lessons along the way.
Unique Tournafiber Irradiated 16
Brand & model Unique's Tournafiber Irradiated is a new and improved version of their multifilament, multi-wrap string, the original of which we playtested in early 2002 (see Racquet Tech magazine, May 2002, for the playtest report). Unique says that the...
Winning The (Hard) Court Way
These Facility-of-the-Year winners have features that are worth showing off.
Effective Tax Planning is a Year-Round Endeavor
Every tennis-related business owner and manager should recognize the need for — and the benefits that can be derived from — tax planning. The objective of tax planning is to defer or reduce taxes whenever possible. Unfortunately, tax planning...
Let's Help the Sport: Promote Foreign Pros, Kids' Events and Player Involvement
Quick, tell me, who lost in the men's final at the Australian Open? Who are the top three women on the WTA Tour right now? What country is Roger Federer from? You and I can likely answer these questions...
Pro Equipment: 2004 Australian Open
A "/ " denotes differing tensions between mains and crosses. A "-" indicates a tension range on multiple racquets. "NA" means player did not play or no information was available. Tensions above 38.5 are in pounds; 38.5 and below...
Nate Ferguson's stringing speed
Q: In your piece on Nate Ferguson, he says he could string Pete Sampras’ racquet with gut in twelve minutes when he had to. What special techniques did he use to achieve this level of speed and accuracy?...
Starting clamp
Q: When exactly is a starting clamp needed?...
Points vs. centimeters of balance
Q: What the heck is a point? When they say a racquet is “6 points head light,” what does that mean?...
Calibrating the Calibrator
There is always a big discrepancy with those “spring loaded” tension calibrators. Unless you work for a calibration center, it is difficult to find one that is accurate. I use a force gauge, but they are a bit pricey. This...
Calibration vs. Technique
I have a drop-weight stringer. For best tension accuracy, the manufacturer recommends keeping the tension arm level to within plus or minus five degrees when tensioning a string. I created a template that allows me quickly and easily to measure...
Shoe Goo Grommet Strips
I have found a solution for old racquets with worn-out, unobtainable head guards. My first step is to try and get the member to purchase a new racquet that will allow them to take advantage of the more modern technology....
Alpha Clamp Pinning
I used to have a problem with the clamps on my Alpha Revo 3000 stringing machine. The problem was that over time the hinge pins in the clamps would slowly work their way out of the clamp and I would...
Speedier Crosses
When weaving crosses, I work one ahead of course, and I do so in such a way that the previous string, which is ready to be pulled, is already positioned next to the tension head. I don't rotate the racquet...
Minimizing Tangles
Because of my diverse customer base I buy individual packets of string rather than large coils. The convenience of a reel is that the string rarely tangles as do individual packets, depending on the amount of coil memory in the...
Handling the Long Side
If you have wondered what to do with that long, loose end on a one-piece job, try tucking it under the grip band at the top of the grip. It may or may not save you any time, but the...
A Restringing in Time
A promotion that has worked well for me involved giving our customers ten percent off if they bring their racquets to us before the strings break. Not only does it make us more money, it helps customers pay attention to...
Power of E-mail
I know that several members have already discussed the power of e-mail; however, here may be a slight variation of some of the common marketing uses of e-mail. Prior to placing an order with my supplier, I'll send an e-mail...
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