History
In 1985, tennis in Lincoln had reached a dead end. The "tennis center" consisted of 9 weathered courts at Woods Park and an 8' x 8' "shack" that served as a clubhouse. Year-round public tennis was unavailable. With the exception of the City Parks and Recreation summer lessons there were no programs to promote junior tennis. The Lincoln Junior Tennis Development Foundation which had been successful in getting juniors involved in tennis in the late 60's, lost momentum for the lack of community support and involvement. The only adult program offered were through the Parks and Rec Department and those were limited to summer play. Programs for seniors and wheelchair tennis were not available. There was no provision for the back-up courts for tournaments, university matches or recreational play. The UNL teams on occasion traveled to Omaha, a city 50 miles away, to complete rained-out matches. There were four indoor courts in Lincoln at a private club that was closed part of the weekend.
In the spring of 1985, a handful of tennis enthusiasts latched on to one man's dream to build a tennis facility for kids and one day donate it to the city. This man was Henry Cox. From Henry's dreams the wheels began to turn. Fifteen private investors formed the Woods Park Tennis Corporation and together with the city started development of Woods Tennis Center, a unique and what has become a highly successful, public/private venture. By the end of 1985, three of the existing courts had been covered and Lincoln's first year-round public facility was in business!
In December of 1986 a new clubhouse was built replacing the "shack". Upon its completion it was donated to the city. The clubhouse serves the players with locker rooms, showers, concessions, TV, tennis accessories, and small seating area.
Woods Tennis Center woke the tennis community up and went on to become the catalyst for the explosion of tennis in Lincoln. In the August 1991 issue of Tennis Magazine, Woods Tennis Center was recognized as one of the top 50 tennis facilities in the United States.
Today
Woods Tennis Center currently has six indoor courts and nine outdoor courts with lighting. The clubhouse built in 1986 has been replaced by a new, larger clubhouse. Recent improvements to the clubhouse have been the addition of a new register and defibrillator.
Future Plans
Due to recent vandalism on the West Bubble, Woods is seeking funding for hard sided structures to house the six indoor courts. Woods Tennis Center is also seeking city permission to build three more outdoor courts for the future.