New Members
If you want a key, they are available for a £5 deposit from the bar. The key allows you access to the courts at all times, so please keep it safe. Guest fees are payable if you bring a non-member to play, at £5 a day for up to four times in a calendar year.
Adult members can ask for a Member's Card that allows 10% off bar purchases. One parent/guardian of a mini pr junior member can ask to be a Social Member for free (normally £30) and therefore receive a Member's Card as well. Request a card at the bar. It normally takes a week or so to produce it, when it can be collected at the bar.
The main matters to think about when playing tennis at Farnham Common are shown below.
Adult members can ask for a Member's Card that allows 10% off bar purchases. One parent/guardian of a mini pr junior member can ask to be a Social Member for free (normally £30) and therefore receive a Member's Card as well. Request a card at the bar. It normally takes a week or so to produce it, when it can be collected at the bar.
The main matters to think about when playing tennis at Farnham Common are shown below.
Members' Information and Etiquette
Members' Responsibilities
1 Courts and pavilion must be kept locked when not in use. Court and pavilion keys are available from behind the Club Bar (£5 deposit for each).
2 Shoes must be suitable for tennis and non-marking. Only sports clothing suitable for tennis may be worn.
3 Guests may be introduced by members at £5 each per day (£2.50 for juniors and students), paying at the Club Bar at the time or at the next opportunity if the bar is not open, or to a committee member. A guest may not play more than four times a year.
4 Tennis balls are provided for club matches and many club events, and are often left on the pavilion table for general play. Please leave any unwanted used balls in the box by the sink in the pavilion so they can be recycled.
2 Shoes must be suitable for tennis and non-marking. Only sports clothing suitable for tennis may be worn.
3 Guests may be introduced by members at £5 each per day (£2.50 for juniors and students), paying at the Club Bar at the time or at the next opportunity if the bar is not open, or to a committee member. A guest may not play more than four times a year.
4 Tennis balls are provided for club matches and many club events, and are often left on the pavilion table for general play. Please leave any unwanted used balls in the box by the sink in the pavilion so they can be recycled.
Weekly Regular Activities
1 Weekday evening play (April to September)
Monday ladies
Tuesday general tennis
Wednesday club evening (all welcome)
Thursday men
Friday juniors
Monday ladies
Tuesday general tennis
Wednesday club evening (all welcome)
Thursday men
Friday juniors
2 Weekend play (all year)
Saturday (to noon) juniors
Saturday (pm) matches and general tennis
Sunday (from 10:30) club morning (all welcome)
Sunday (pm) matches and general tennis
3 General tennis
General tennis is where members make their own arrangements to play and since the club has six courts general tennis is available at most times, but is subject to the court availability and precedence rules set out below.
General tennis is where members make their own arrangements to play and since the club has six courts general tennis is available at most times, but is subject to the court availability and precedence rules set out below.
Court Availability and Precedence (updated November 2020)
1. Senior Club matches and other inter-club competitions, as well as club tournaments have precedence on court, usually using any of courts 1 to 4.
They are mainly known well in advance and are on the club fixture lists on the website and in the pavilion, although rearranged matches
(due to postponements) are not always able to be shown in advance.
2. Club Sessions These have next precedence, usually using courts 1 and 2, and courts 3 & 4 as necessary. These include
◦ Monday at 6pm, Ladies’ night
◦ Wednesday at 2pm and 6pm, Mixed social tennis
◦ Thursday at 6pm, Men’s night
◦ Sunday morning from 10:30am Mixed social tennis
3. The Coaches
◦ Saturday mornings between 9:00am and 12:00pm. When coaching junior classes, the Coach has precedence on courts 1-2 and courts 5-6.
At this time, courts 3 and 4 are reserved for use by members.
◦ At all other times the coaches have precedence on courts 5 and 6 only.
◦ *On Tuesday evenings until 6.30pm in the winter when floodlights are needed, the Coaches may use court 1 & 2
◦ *Monday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons from 4pm to 6pm. When floodlights are required, Court 2 can be used for coaching for juniors and adults,
and on Saturday evening from 6.30pm for members of FCTC.
◦ *On a weekday, in the daylight, the coaches may use one of the tiger turf courts for private lessons to adult FCTC members only,
when these courts are not being used by members.
*These 3 court precedents will be trialled until the end of 2020.
4 If members are waiting to play, players on court should limit their total playing time to one hour and/or play at most a tie-break set.
Court Etiquette
These general guidelines help keep games moving, show respect for others and preserve the good name of the club.
1 Warming up. Warm up courteously. Allow yourself and other players enough time to prepare and warm up the body for a game, especially in winter.
2 Ball safety. Keep your side of the playing area safely clear of balls. The net players should scoop up net balls quickly and feed the server with balls, where possible. Do not go onto adjacent courts to retrieve balls during play. Promptly pass balls which stray onto your court to the server on the adjacent court after a point has been played.
3 Scoring. The server should keep the score and call out the score clearly prior to each service, and the game score at the end of the game. Avoid returning a first serve fault. Be gentle when sending back balls to the server between points.
4 Ball In or Out. Be scrupulously fair in all line decisions. Players are responsible for line calls on their side of the net. Be generous with your decisions and accept those given against you. You should not make decisions or volunteer opinions on calls from the other side of the net. In the case of genuine uncertainty you should replay the point.
5 Service foot faulting. You should self-monitor your footwork and be respectful if someone comments on it. If in doubt, adopt your normal servicing stance but take a good step back.
6 Net-cord points. It is polite to apologise when you win a point after the ball hits the net cord.
7 Swearing. Foul language is a no-no. It’s offensive, off-putting and improves no-one’s game. So is frequent shouting. Do not hit, kick or throw a racket, ball or other object in anger.
8 Crossing. If crossing an occupied court to a vacant court, wait outside the court during a game and cross the court at the net when the game finishes, giving your apologies. Ditto when crossing to exit.
9 Court care. If you are the last players off a court please lower the net and lock the gate to the court.
10 Pavilion. Last player in the pavilion - if you're the last member to leave the club, ensure the toilet lights (and any heating) have been switched off and the door securely locked.
11 Supporting. Home matches are a great opportunity to watch and support our club teams and the bar. Be courteous and thoughtful, with applause for all players.
12 Finally. Respect your partner, be civil and enjoy the game!
Approved by the FCTC Committee on 23rd June 2014 - reviewed 15th May 2017
1 Warming up. Warm up courteously. Allow yourself and other players enough time to prepare and warm up the body for a game, especially in winter.
2 Ball safety. Keep your side of the playing area safely clear of balls. The net players should scoop up net balls quickly and feed the server with balls, where possible. Do not go onto adjacent courts to retrieve balls during play. Promptly pass balls which stray onto your court to the server on the adjacent court after a point has been played.
3 Scoring. The server should keep the score and call out the score clearly prior to each service, and the game score at the end of the game. Avoid returning a first serve fault. Be gentle when sending back balls to the server between points.
4 Ball In or Out. Be scrupulously fair in all line decisions. Players are responsible for line calls on their side of the net. Be generous with your decisions and accept those given against you. You should not make decisions or volunteer opinions on calls from the other side of the net. In the case of genuine uncertainty you should replay the point.
5 Service foot faulting. You should self-monitor your footwork and be respectful if someone comments on it. If in doubt, adopt your normal servicing stance but take a good step back.
6 Net-cord points. It is polite to apologise when you win a point after the ball hits the net cord.
7 Swearing. Foul language is a no-no. It’s offensive, off-putting and improves no-one’s game. So is frequent shouting. Do not hit, kick or throw a racket, ball or other object in anger.
8 Crossing. If crossing an occupied court to a vacant court, wait outside the court during a game and cross the court at the net when the game finishes, giving your apologies. Ditto when crossing to exit.
9 Court care. If you are the last players off a court please lower the net and lock the gate to the court.
10 Pavilion. Last player in the pavilion - if you're the last member to leave the club, ensure the toilet lights (and any heating) have been switched off and the door securely locked.
11 Supporting. Home matches are a great opportunity to watch and support our club teams and the bar. Be courteous and thoughtful, with applause for all players.
12 Finally. Respect your partner, be civil and enjoy the game!
Approved by the FCTC Committee on 23rd June 2014 - reviewed 15th May 2017