What is the average cost of a private instructor in tennis? I know the prices will range, but what would average be?

The cost of private lessons varies on the type of club, courts, state/city, time of day and experience of teaching professional.

Example: A top-notch teaching professional certified to teach by USTA at a country club charges about $60-120/hour; the club gets a % of the fees. If you are a club member with court privileges, that fee may be lowered. If you want prime time for your lesson, you may pay more. Some pros are willing to lower fees for early mornings or later afternoon lessons because they aren't busy at those times and would rather fill up their schedules. Some clubs add court fees on top of the private lessons -- after all, you may be on prime clay, hard or grass courts kept in perfect conditions, not to mention the ice water and towels kept by attendants.

Compare to this: A tennis coach who happens to run a tennis program for a town's recreation department may be just as qualified but may charge less because he is teaching on the high school courts (paid for by the town's taxes) or park courts (again, paid by taxes). This type of pro may collect a salary from the town and have permission to give private students on the side. Sometimes, you will be writing your check directly to his/her personal account. These arrangements can run between $35 - 60 an hour.

In general, the higher the pro got while touring, the more you will pay for the lessons. Remember, not all good tennis players end up becoming good coaches. Good coaches are often those who are managing directors of the tennis club with many years experience coaching individuals and teams to championships. High school coaches run the gamut but sometimes you can find a great coach who can and has led teams to championships consistently.

Last but not least: Not all players need top notch coaching to learn and improve. A beginner can learn about as much as he can handle from a less experienced teaching pro who is on staff at a tennis club. The extra finesse game learning offered by a top-notch coach may be wasted on a new player who is just happy to hit several types of shots.

Being a tennis instructor is good to consider