The news Roy Barth had waited for his entire career arrived on a warm September morning: Kiawah's tennis program had taken a huge jump in the industry's most respected rankings — all the way to number one.
"At first, I was taken aback," says Barth, who has directed tennis operations at Kiawah since 1976. "However, after I had calmed down, I realized that the ranking was justification of our hard work, professional staff and infrastructure improvements."
Tennis magazine, the game's definitive authority, named Kiawah as the finest tennis resort in the country — just six weeks after the opening of The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, the resort's ultra-luxurious hotel and spa.
Since the resort's inception in 1976, Kiawah's tennis program has always ranked among the nation's elite. However, it's the first time Kiawah Island has held the top spot in the rankings, which are published once every two years. Kiawah beat out Ponte Vedra Inn & Club in Ponte Vedra, Fla., and The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort in Longboat Key, Fla.
Tennis magazine bases its decision on the overall tennis program, including instruction, teaching staff, facilities, as well as other resort facilities such as lodging, cuisine, spa, service and value. Kiawah placed sixth in the 2002 rankings, but since then the resort made significant capital improvements to its tennis facilities along with the continued development of the program by Barth.
"This recognition is a result of our efforts to consistently improve our program," said Barth. "Each year, we evaluate what we can do to make Kiawah the finest resort experience for tennis players."
Barth has headed the tennis program at Kiawah Island since the resort opened. Previously, he played professionally for seven years during which time he was ranked in the top 50 in the world and competed against such tennis greats like Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors. In 1990, he was awarded the USPTA Pro of the Year, in 1997, Barth was inducted into the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame, and, in 1999, he was inducted into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame.
Kiawah has two resort tennis facilities: East Beach Tennis Club and West Beach Tennis Club. Combined, there are 23 clay courts (1 lit) and five hard courts (3 lit) situated amid the island's beautiful and natural surroundings. In addition, the resort also hosted the 1990 Men's Clay Court Championships and the 1998 KB Fed Cup tie between the United States and the Netherlands.
The Resort's special Adult Doubles Clinic/Drill topics include the volley, overhead/lob and serve/return. In each session, participants are exposed to the subtleties of winning doubles strategies, positioning, play-action drills, visualization and supervised doubles play. These doubles sessions complement the popular Adult Doubles Mini Camps. This nationally recognized program lasts three days (eight hours total), and exposes participants to many of the same facets of doubles as the clinics, but in a more intensive environment. Participants also receive additional court time and ball machine use after camp hours, plus an instructional manual from Barth.
"Our daily discussions and drills include information on how to handle pressure points through visualizing the pattern of play," says Barth. "It's important to play the game mentally as well as physically."
In addition to the special clinics, the Resort offers adult, parent-child and junior doubles round robins on a weekly basis. The Resort's dedicated tennis coordinator helps to arrange matches with other players through the NTRP rating system, while Kiawah's teaching professionals also compete in a doubles exhibition weekly during the summer months.
The Resort's dedication to instructing the game's youth - highlighted by the annual staging of the Southern region's Junior Clay Court Championship - is evident in the array of activities available at Kiawah.
The junior camps, which are for ages 7-16, include six hours of on-court instruction and incorporate basic strokes, singles and doubles strategy, play-action drills and supervised play. The camp takes place for two hours each morning for three consecutive days, with the afternoon open for complimentary court time. All junior camp participants receive a souvenir T-shirt, while a minimum of six participants is required to host the camp. "Our junior camps are extremely popular for the quality of instruction, and also the number of activities we offer outside of the tennis program - like ocean seining, biking, canoeing and kayaking," says Barth.
The Resort also offers a Junior Tournament Tough Workout, which is for competitive junior tournament-ranked players looking to work hard on their game. Each session is two hours long, with up to four separate sessions offered: groundstrokes, net play, serve/return and review/supervised play. At each workout, there is at least a 4:1 student to professional ratio.
Kiawah offers a variety of outstanding instructional programs for juniors and adults:
Junior Programs include:
Tiny Tot Clinics (30-minutes for ages 4-6)
Daily One-Hour Clinics (for ages 7-18)
Three-day Mini-Camps (for ages 10-18, Monday-Friday every week during summer)
Tournament Tough Clinics (for tournament players, Monday-Friday during summer)
In the Old Village of Mt. Pleasant you can dine and relax in the tradition of the post house, wayside inns where travelers stopped for good food and friendly conversation. The beautifully restored building dates from the 1800’s, but the food and service are up to the moment with the famous Maverick touch.
Surrounded by the beautiful beaches of the South Carolina coast, Seabrook Island offers a peaceful seclusion rarely disturbed by the outsider world. Premier resort amenities indulge your every desire. Tennis, horseback riding and a kids club are just a few of the experiences that may be yours. Discover your own private island.
Christopher Rose Architects comprises South Carolinians who bring personal knowledge and experience of the state’s architectural history and landscape to each design. Raised and educated in SC, we retain the influences of our youth combined with the studies and travels of adulthood. We approach architecture with an awareness of tradition.
The news Roy Barth had waited for his entire career arrived on a warm September morning: Kiawah's tennis program had taken a huge jump in the industry's most respected rankings — all the way to number one. 
Tennis magazine bases its decision on the overall tennis program, including instruction, teaching staff, facilities, as well as other resort facilities such as lodging, cuisine, spa, service and value. Kiawah placed sixth in the 2002 rankings, but since then the resort made significant capital improvements to its tennis facilities along with the continued development of the program by Barth. 
Barth has headed the tennis program at Kiawah Island since the resort opened. Previously, he played professionally for seven years during which time he was ranked in the top 50 in the world and competed against such tennis greats like Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors. In 1990, he was awarded the USPTA Pro of the Year, in 1997, Barth was inducted into the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame, and, in 1999, he was inducted into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame. 
The Resort's special Adult Doubles Clinic/Drill topics include the volley, overhead/lob and serve/return. In each session, participants are exposed to the subtleties of winning doubles strategies, positioning, play-action drills, visualization and supervised doubles play. These doubles sessions complement the popular Adult Doubles Mini Camps. This nationally recognized program lasts three days (eight hours total), and exposes participants to many of the same facets of doubles as the clinics, but in a more intensive environment. Participants also receive additional court time and ball machine use after camp hours, plus an instructional manual from Barth. 
In the Old Village of Mt. Pleasant you can dine and relax in the tradition of the post house, wayside inns where travelers stopped for good food and friendly conversation. The beautifully restored building dates from the 1800’s, but the food and service are up to the moment with the famous Maverick touch.
Surrounded by the beautiful beaches of the South Carolina coast, Seabrook Island offers a peaceful seclusion rarely disturbed by the outsider world. Premier resort amenities indulge your every desire. Tennis, horseback riding and a kids club are just a few of the experiences that may be yours. Discover your own private island.
Christopher Rose Architects comprises South Carolinians who bring personal knowledge and experience of the state’s architectural history and landscape to each design. Raised and educated in SC, we retain the influences of our youth combined with the studies and travels of adulthood. We approach architecture with an awareness of tradition.
