Coach Taylor Dent shares knowledge he learned playing professional tennis at The Birch Racquet & Lawn Club in Keller through programs for players of all skill levels. PLAY FOR FUN OR TO WIN From beginners to high schoolers with college- playing aspirations, this program is for anyone. Junior programs Schooling is provided for those in grades 5-12 who have goals of playing professionally. Full-time academy A lifelong sport, the facility o ers a chance to play and socialize with friends. Adult programs Full-day camps teach beginners and advanced beginners the game. Summer camps
BUSINESS FEATURE
Former pro tennis player Taylor Dent talks to young tennis players during a camp at The Birch Racquet & Lawn Club in Keller.
COURTESY OF THE BIRCH RACQUET & LAWN CLUB
The Birch Racquet & Lawn Club Former tennis pros coach the next generation of stars in Keller T he busy season for The Dent Tennis Acad- emy at The Birch Racquet & Lawn Club starts after school gets out for the summer. The Keller facility that features indoor and outdoor total courts—and room to grow. “I think actually Texas is a sleeper tennis state,” BY CODY THORN
Taylor said. “We came out there, and people thought it would not do well, but we know the business, and we saw how many tennis players there were based on our research.” The Dents saw the now-closed Shelingham Tennis & Swim Club for sale while searching for a place to buy in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. “We started getting familiar with all the towns, and that is what brought us to Keller,” Jenny said. The facility was built from scratch, and there is room to expand the future with plans for a club- house and another indoor tennis court. For now, the Dents are soaking in the relation- ships built from coaching. There is a full-time academy at the location giving future tennis pros a chance to learn from the Dents, mixing in school work and tennis. Players that have came through the program have gone onto numerous Division I programs. The focus is to develop a players’ game on the court, as well add- ing in physical therapy and nutritional counseling. “We really get to witness and participate in people building some really strong, lifelong, lasting relationships,” Taylor Dent said.
tennis courts will o er camps from early June through July. Spearheading the e ort will be the husband-and-wife duo of Taylor and Jenny Dent as well as Taylor’s father, Phil Dent. In terms of tennis acumen, the three were among the best in the world, and now they are teaching the next generation of tennis players. Phil, a native of Sydney, Australia, was ranked as high as No. 12 in the world—in 1977—and won doubles titles at the U.S. Open and Australian Open. Taylor, the president of the facility, was a tennis star at a young age. Both of his parents played profes- sionally, and his mom, Betty Ann Stuart, was a U.S. Open nalist. Taylor represented the USA in the 2004 Olympics—placing fourth in Athens, Greece. His wife, Jenny, who is the CEO of the facility, was also a pro tennis player. She played on the Women’s Tennis Association tour for seven years and reached as high as No. 52 in the world. The family moved from California to Texas in October 2020 to open The Birch, which features 15
From left, former tennis players Taylor Dent, Jenny Dent and Phil Dent operate The Birch Racquet & Lawn Club as well as The Dent Tennis Academy in Keller.
CODY THORN COMMUNITY IMPACT
The Birch Racquet & Lawn Club 660 Keller Smith eld Road, Keller 817-431-2000 www.thebirch.com Hours: Mon.-Sat. 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
KELLER SMITHFIELD RD.
JOHNSON RD.
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