Tennis Through the Eyes of an “Old Pro”

By Bob Kurlander

TURNING TENNIS PRO:
I was a very young Tennis Pro in the late 1940s with jobs at the Mountain Ridge Country Club, NJ and the Mayfair Inn, Stanford,
FL. I was not satisfied with my income.

I was offered a lucrative job with the Gilman Paper Company, New York City, NY that required my moving to Montgomery, AL to promote and sell a packaging machine that filled chemicals into multi-wall kraft bags, manufactured by Gilman.

I had a lot of success with this marketing venture and was moved back to the New York office. A career with Gilman looked good with an excellent pension for my old age. BUT, my love for TENNIS changed everything!

My brother, Jack convinced Playboy Hotels International that his Great Gorge Ski Area was a great place to build a hotel that they were planning. He suggested I renew my Tennis Life by accepting the Director of Tennis with Playboy. My Tennis Career was back on track - which my book deals with.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 18, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483654782

Bob Kurlander

BOB KURLANDER- AUTHOR With his wife Marlene

Book preview

Copyright © 2013 by Bob Kurlander.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 05/13/2015

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

600395

Contents

Chapter 1 Worthwhile Tennis Instruction

Chapter 2 Court Surfaces

Chapter 3 Tennis History of the Old Pro

Chapter 4 Brother Jack’s Noted Success

Chapter 5 Wrap Up

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my wife Marlene and my son Bob.

INTRODUCTION

A n event occurred during the 1950’s in the sport of tennis that had impact on the game.

OPEN TENNIS WAS BORN

After my Junior competition, when Amateur Tennis ruled, tennis was a week-end sport for me.

I had to make a living so I became a Junior Underwriter for Niagra Fire Insurance Co. While there, a business associate who knew my junior tennis success, suggested I accept the pro job at Mountain Ridge Country Club in Caldwell, NJ, which he could arrange. I accepted and joined the newly formed Professional Lawn Tennis Association.

I WAS NOW A PRO

My initial summer at Mountain Ridge went OK, but it was necessary for me to find Winter pro jobs. So, I took my deluxe Volkswagon to Daytona Beach, FL where Gene Primm operated a well known tennis club.

My search found Ed Copeland who was a Florida native and an excellent tennis pro. He solved my problem by securing for me the pro