Joseph Ballard - Tennis and Pickleball Director josephb@delnorteclub.com
Joseph was born in Santa Rosa, California and has grown up in the Sacramento area since the age of 3. In his childhood, he was very involved in Scouting, receiving his Eagle Scout award at the age of 16. He was formerly a soccer player and transitioned to tennis where he really found his place. After high school, he was assistant coach for the Roseville High tennis team and began as an assistant coach at Sierra View Country Club. He quickly moved up, taking on the role of Director of Junior Programs and Head Coach, which led to growing the junior programs, tournaments, and leading competitive USTA teams. He has coached beginner players as young as 3, advanced college players, as well as senior players. He received his Elite Professional USPTA certification at the age of 22, Racquetfit Certification, USPTA pickleball certification, and is a Certified Tennis Performance Specialist. His passion for tennis, pickleball and coaching continues to grow. He is excited to bring a wave of growth to the net sports community at Del Norte for years to come!
Laura Sax - Tennis and Pickleball Coordinator lauras@delnorteclub.com
Laura grew up in Bend, Oregon and began playing competitive tennis on her high school varsity team. She worked as a bankruptcy attorney in Los Angeles and then relocated to Sacramento and a career in corporate law until her oldest son was born. After many years away from tennis, Laura returned to the game when her three children reached school age. She is delighted to be playing again! She joined Del Norte’s tennis and pickleball staff in 2016 and has taught juniors and adults in group and private lessons, as well as leading several USTA junior tennis teams. Laura is a USPTA-certified Tennis Instructor and is the head coach of the Rio Americano High School boys’ tennis team. She loves sharing her enthusiasm for tennis and pickleball with players of all ages!
Tim Nevins - Tennis Assistant
Tim was born and raised in Sacramento, California and began his sports interest at age ten in the world of golf where he began to consistently participate in First Tee Tournaments within the Sacramento area. At the age of fourteen, he and his brothers began to take a liking to tennis. Over the next two years tennis was their primary sport playing as 4-6 times a week. While going to college Tim become an employee at Del Norte in June of 2021. Beginning his time here as a front desk employee, Tim developed fantastic relationships with the members of the club as well as pickleball players, which led to him checking out the sport everyone was talking about. His first time out was a disaster, but he immediately fell in love with the sport. Over the course of the past three years he has been playing and studying both the game Pickleball and Tennis with hopes of both tournament play as well as completing his instructor certification for both sports.
Are Tennis Classes, Private Lessons & Drop-in Play open to non-members?
Yes, non-members may take tennis classes & private lessons.
Interested in private Tennis Lessons? Click Here for more information.
Non-members may also participate in Drop-in play upon payment of applicable guest fees.
Is there a ball machine?
Yes, the ball machine is free for members to use on courts 5 or 6. First time users must go through a quick tutorial with our Tennis & Pickleball Director Joseph Ballard - josephb@delnorteclub.com. The ball machine is located in the tennis shed on court 6. Please ask for the key at the front desk.
More Questions? Check the FAQs for our Sport Courts
At Del Norte Tennis, our goal is to get more people out on the courts enjoying the sport that we love! Tennis is truly a sport for a lifetime, and that’s especially true at Del Norte.
Currently our program has over 50 kids, ranging in age from 4 to 17 years old, participating in our junior tennis program. Our three class levels, starting with red foam balls for the youngest beginners, and progressing to competitive live play for the most advanced group, offer something for every level of junior player. Our junior tennis program will continue throughout the school year in multi-week sessions and is growing year after year.
For the adults, we held our first-ever tennis “Switcholio” doubles event in July, which was a great success and a lot of fun! 32 players of all ages (including some juniors) and levels were mixed and matched with different partners for several rounds of play, culminating in a mini-tournament for prizes and bragging rights. We are excited about offering more programs and events like these in the future, and are looking forward to further energizing and growing the tennis community at Del Norte!
We periodically send out emails with updates on upcoming tennis events and programs, cancellations, or other tennis-related information to our members who have indicated an interest in tennis at Del Norte. If you would like to be added to or removed from this list, please contact lauras@delnorteclub.com.
