--- title: "How much does tennis cost? Club, courts, coaching and kit" description: "The cost of tennis: club membership or court hire, coaching, racket, balls and shoes, with a worked yearly example and ways to play more for less." author: "Wealtie Team" published: 2026-11-13 updated: 2026-11-13 category: "Budgeting" canonical: https://wealtie.com/blog/cost-of-tennis --- # How much does tennis cost? Club, courts, coaching and kit The cost of tennis depends on whether you join a club or hire public courts, plus coaching, a racket, balls and shoes. In a worked example, a year of weekly tennis on public courts costs about 400. ## Key takeaways - The cost of tennis depends on club or public courts, coaching and kit. - In a worked example, a year of weekly tennis on public courts costs about 400. - A club costs more but includes courts, partners and social play. - Group coaching costs far less than private lessons. ## How much does tennis cost? Tennis can be cheap or expensive, depending on where and how you play. Public courts in parks are often free or cheap to book. A club membership costs more but gives you better courts, partners to play with, leagues and social events. Coaching adds cost, especially private lessons. You'll also need a racket, balls and proper shoes. In a worked example, a year of weekly tennis on public courts costs about 400, while a club membership with coaching costs about 1,300. ## What does a year of tennis cost? Here's a worked example of three ways to play weekly, in round numbers that work in any currency: | Option | A year | | --- | --- | | Public courts | 400 | | Club membership | 700 | | Club and coaching | 1,300 | ![A year of weekly tennis. Public courts: 400, Club membership: 700, Club and coaching: 1300.](https://us-1-s3.polodev.net/wealtie-blog-media/posts/2026/11/a-year-of-weekly-tennis-public-courts-400-club-membership-8363c43ae7.webp "Source: Worked example in round numbers") The public courts figure covers your share of court bookings, plus a racket, balls and shoes. The club figure includes membership, kit and balls. Adding a weekly group coaching session at 15 brings it to about 1,300. ## What are the main costs of tennis? ### Courts Public courts are often free or charge a small hourly fee, which you split with your partner. Clubs include court time in the membership, often with floodlights and indoor courts for winter. ### Club membership A club gives you access to courts, partners at your level, leagues and social sessions. Many clubs offer cheaper memberships for juniors, students, families and off-peak players. Some charge a joining fee in the first year. ### Coaching Group coaching is the cheapest way to improve, often costing a small amount per session. Private lessons cost more but give focused feedback. Many players mix the two, booking a private lesson every month or so to work on one problem, and practising it in cheaper group sessions in between. This gives most of the benefit of private coaching at a fraction of the cost. ### Racket, balls and shoes A beginner racket is affordable and fine for learning. Balls lose their bounce and need replacing regularly. Tennis shoes protect your feet and the court, and wear out with regular play. ## What else adds to the cost of tennis? As you play more, extras appear. Restringing a racket is a regular cost for frequent players. Tournaments and leagues have entry fees. Clothing, a racket bag, grips and dampeners add up over time. Indoor court hire in winter can cost far more than outdoor play in summer. Travel to matches and coaching, plus drinks at the clubhouse afterwards, are small costs that build up over a season. If you're paying for a child's tennis, squad training and competitions can raise the cost quickly as they improve. ### Find a regular partner Playing with the same partner each week makes it easy to split court fees and balls, and you're more likely to keep going. Many clubs and parks run partner-finding sessions or social mix-ins, where you can meet players at your level for a small fee or free. ## How can you play tennis for less? - **Use public courts:** often free or cheap, especially at off-peak times. - **Book group coaching:** much cheaper than private lessons. - **Look for off-peak or junior memberships:** many clubs offer lower prices. - **Buy a second-hand racket:** good rackets are easy to find used. - **Buy balls in bulk:** cheaper per tube, especially if you share with a regular partner. - **Play in summer, rest in winter:** skip expensive indoor court hire if you can. - **Join free taster sessions:** many clubs and parks run open days and free coaching events. ## Is a tennis club worth it? It depends on how often you'll play and how much you value the extras. If you'll play several times a week, want regular partners and leagues, or need indoor courts in winter, a club can be good value. If you'll play once a week in summer, public courts are usually cheaper. Divide the membership by the number of times you'll play to see the cost per session. The same thinking applies to [golf](https://wealtie.com/blog/cost-of-golf) and [gym memberships](https://wealtie.com/blog/save-money-on-gym-membership). ### Tennis for children Many clubs and schools run cheap group sessions for juniors. Borrowing or hiring a racket at first saves money while they find out if they enjoy it. [How to save money on kids' activities](https://wealtie.com/blog/save-money-on-kids-activities) has more ideas, and [how to save money on sports kit](https://wealtie.com/blog/save-money-on-sports-kit) helps with gear. ## How do you track tennis costs in Wealtie? Add a club membership as a [recurring transaction](https://wealtie.com/features/recurring), so it logs itself on its date. Put courts, coaching and kit in a sport category among your [expense categories](https://wealtie.com/features/categories), and set a [budget](https://wealtie.com/features/budgets) for it. ## Questions people ask ### How much does tennis cost? In a worked example, a year of weekly tennis on public courts costs about 400. A club membership costs about 700, or 1,300 with weekly group coaching. ### Is a tennis club membership worth it? It is if you'll play often, want regular partners and leagues or need indoor courts in winter. Otherwise, public courts are cheaper. ### How much do tennis lessons cost? Group coaching is the cheapest way to improve. In a worked example, a weekly group session costs about 15. ### How can I play tennis cheaply? Use public courts, book group coaching, buy a second-hand racket and look for off-peak or junior memberships. *This article is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Your situation is your own; check the numbers that apply to you before you act on them.*