East Hampton Indoor Tennis clinics keep doubles lively year-round

What the 105 doubles clinic gets right

The reason East Hampton Indoor Tennis’s 105 doubles clinics keep drawing players is not mystery or nostalgia, it is usefulness. The format gives adult players steady, level-appropriate doubles in a setting that feels social without becoming casual, competitive without turning punishing.

That balance matters in a Hamptons tennis scene that often gets framed through juniors, summer prestige, and marquee matches. The 105s serve the part of the community that wants to keep playing, keep improving, and do it with enough structure to make each session feel worth the trip to Wainscott.

Why the format holds players’ attention

The clinic works because it asks players to think like doubles players, not just hit balls. According to the way the session is structured, ordinary winners count for 1 point, untouched groundstroke winners are worth 5, untouched volleys are worth 10, and untouched overhead smashes are worth 20. That scoring system turns every point into a little decision tree, rewarding angles, positioning, and shot selection instead of simple muscle.

That is part of the appeal. What might look, from the outside, like a gentle return to the court quickly becomes a lively tactical session, one that keeps people engaged because the game itself is doing the organizing. For players coming back after time away, or just looking for a smarter adult clinic than a rote feed-and-run, that structure makes the hour feel active from start to finish.

Who the clinics serve

The 105 doubles clinics fit adult players who want regular tennis, clear coaching, and a format that does not demand that they arrive already in top competitive shape. EHIT offers adult tennis clinics throughout the year for all levels of play, and that broad base is part of why the club has staying power beyond the summer surge.

The clinic also serves players who like the social side of tennis as much as the technical side. Doubles has always been the easiest place to build repeat pairings, small circles, and familiar rhythm, and the 105 format leans into that social stickiness without losing its focus on improvement. It is the kind of program that can feel welcoming on a first visit and still challenging on a tenth.

Dennis Ferrando gives the clinic its backbone

At the center of that continuity is Dennis Ferrando, who EHIT lists as Junior Program Director and Tennis Professional. That matters because he is not simply running drills from the basket line, he is part of the club’s long memory, a coach whose presence connects adult clinics to the larger life of the facility.

Ferrando’s role gives the 105s a local authority that players feel on court. He understands how to keep the pace moving, how to make the points competitive, and how to turn a doubles session into something that sharpens instincts instead of just filling an hour. In a place where people come and go with the seasons, that kind of familiar coaching voice gives the clinic continuity.

EHIT is built for year-round tennis

East Hampton Indoor Tennis opened in the winter of 1995 on a 24-acre property in Wainscott, and that year-round setup is the real reason clinics like the 105s matter. The club says it has 6 indoor courts, 18 outdoor courts, 2 platform/pickleball courts, and 3 padel courts, which gives it enough surface variety and capacity to function as more than a seasonal refuge.

The staffing tells the same story. EHIT says it has more than 25 instructors in summer and 10 to 12 year-round, and it says the club is open 7 days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., 365 days a year, including major holidays. That kind of access is what keeps tennis from disappearing when weather, travel, or the calendar would otherwise interrupt play east of the Shinnecock Canal.

The club’s other offerings also explain why it remains a true tennis hub rather than a single-program stop. EHIT runs adult clinics, junior clinics, lessons, match arranging, and camps, so the 105s sit inside a larger ecosystem where players can move from one kind of tennis to another without leaving the property.

How EHIT has kept evolving without losing its base

Part of the club’s strength is that it has expanded without drifting from its core identity. The clubhouse opened in July 2018, giving the property a stronger off-court center, and padel courts were added by 2024, another sign that the club has adapted to how racket sports are changing across the East End.

The broader story around EHIT reinforces that sense of continuity. The East Hampton Star marked the club’s 30th anniversary in July 2025 and identified Scott Rubenstein as its progenitor and managing partner, a useful reminder that the club’s adult tennis life is tied to a long-running family and community project. That long view is part of what gives the 105 clinic credibility: it is not a novelty, it is one more working piece in a facility that has spent decades helping people stay on court.

That is why the 105 doubles clinics keep landing. They are easy to enter, serious enough to improve your game, social enough to make you come back, and grounded in a club that stays open when the rest of the season thins out. In a Hamptons tennis world that often shines a spotlight elsewhere, EHIT’s doubles clinic keeps proving that the adult game still has a home, and still has plenty to say.