Facility Spotlight: Stonegate Country Club

Running a smooth tennis tournament requires a lot of commitment, a great facility, partnership, and above all else, communication is key.

And that last component could not be more true for the Stonegate Country Cub General Manager Jeff Bailey and Tennis Director Zach Juhre.

Both Jeff and Zach are relatively new to Stonegate and got their partnership and tennis goals kicked off during the pandemic. Jeff joined on about a year and a half ago and then he started partnering with Zach Juhre in early 2021 through PBI, a tennis management company.

And while COVID presented some unique challenges, Jeff and Zach were able to work together and accomplish hosting a USTA NorCal Adult Tournament at Stonegate for the for the first time this year in February.

There was a need for tournament hosts throughout the pandemic, and because Stonegate had never hosted Adult Tournaments before, Jeff and Zach collaborated to build an experience that both the facility and players would enjoy.

“The first step was that we had to open the Board’s eyes to the program and get them to agree with running a tournament,” said Zach. “Jeff was great in assisting with this, and then we had to execute and show we could run a successful tournament so we would be invited back and could run future tournaments.”

As the tennis program partner, Zach brought the proposal, dates, and other tournament details to Jeff for them to start the process and map out approval and what needed to get done.

“Zach did a great job communicating to us what he needed and how we could support him to run a tournament at Stonegate,” Jeff said. Because of that, “I was able to serve as the middleman and explain to our members and the Board what hosting a tournament would mean and look like for our facility.”

The pair was also challenged by COVID regulations and worked together with the Board to find the right mix of policies and regulations to ensure all of the members and players were safe.

Jeff has also been active in USTA NorCal tennis for several years, playing in leagues and in various tournaments along the way. While not always necessary, being a player has given him a unique perspective on hosting a good tournament.

“My involvement has helped me to see the perspective of what a good tournament looks like, what players want and need from a tournament, as well as what good communication is,” he said. “Taking that, I want to make sure we are fair, and even over communicate with our participants. We want to do our best to help the participants play some of their best tennis.”

“Not all clubs and facilities are the same and not all are ready to host tournaments right off the bat,” Zach added. “You have to consider details like shade on court, facility setup, and access to water. Jeff has participated in tournaments and sees these details, so it was helpful that he understands what goes into it.”

Originally, Jeff and Zach explored running an Adult Tournament at the facility because they wanted to offer something for a national qualifier, but based off of their success, they discovered they touched a need in their county and tennis community.

And now that Jeff and Zach have established a great partnership and process for hosting tournaments, they hosted another tournament this summer and look forward to working together to host more USTA NorCal tournaments this fall and next spring.