That history is the real answer to the question of which private tennis clubs matter most. A single “best” list would require a scoring system nobody has published, so this is not one. What follows is the basis on which we would include a club, and the clubs that meet it, with the facts we could read on a club page or in a named publication.
What Earns a Club a Place Here
We used four tests. The club has to be private, with membership rather than a public gate. It has to have a documented role in the history of the game, such as a championship, a founding or a landmark designation. It has to run real tennis today, meaning courts and members and not only a museum. And the facts about it have to be readable on the club’s own site or in a named publication.
Fees are not part of the test. Private clubs rarely publish them, and none of the clubs below publish a figure on the pages we read. Where a number would help, we say it is not public and leave it there.
Where the National Championship Began: Newport
The Newport Casino opened in the summer of 1880. According to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which now occupies the grounds, it was the first major commission for the architects McKim, Mead & White, and the first U.S. National Men’s Singles Championship was played there on August 31, 1881. The Hall of Fame describes the Casino as a social club for Newport’s summer elite, with an invitation-only soft opening. The page does not describe current membership terms, so we make no claim about them.
The Stadium Club: West Side Tennis Club
No American club is more closely tied to the sport’s big stage than West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York. A June 2016 article published by the National Trust for Historic Preservation reported that the club was founded on April 22, 1892 by 13 players with three clay courts, voted in December 1912 to buy a 10-acre plot in Forest Hills, and hosted 60 U.S. Open Championships between 1915 and 1977 before the tournament left for Flushing Meadows in 1978. A 13,500-seat stadium went up in 1923, per the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The club had about 800 members and 38 courts on four surfaces, per the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Those are 2016 numbers and may have changed.
The stadium is now a concert venue. The Stadium page, published by West Side Tennis Club, says it hosts more than 30 concerts a year and gives members pre-sale tickets and seat selection ahead of the general public. A settlement with the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation now allows up to 28 concerts per year during an initial term, potentially rising to 29 in later years, per an October 2026 article published by QNS. That is a useful model for any club with an underused asset.
Grass at Scale: Longwood Cricket Club
Longwood Cricket Club is in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Its About Us page, published by Longwood Cricket Club, lists 25 grass and 19 clay courts and more than 700 members. The club says it added its first lawn tennis court in 1878 and that member Dwight Davis, founder of the Davis Cup, belonged to the club, per the About Us page published by Longwood Cricket Club. It also says it hosted the Davis Cup, the National Doubles and U.S. Pro tournaments between 1917 and 1999, per the About Us page published by Longwood Cricket Club. The page, published by Longwood Cricket Club, also says Arthur Ashe won the 1968 National Amateur Championship there. Longwood points prospective members to a “Request Information” link and gives no fee.
Reported court counts, not a ranking, and from different years. Philadelphia combines 18 grass, 9 Har-Tru and 2 indoor courts. Bars are scaled to the largest value shown.
The West Coast Original: Los Angeles Tennis Club
Los Angeles Tennis Club was incorporated on October 27, 1920, when 27 men met at a downtown bank, according to the club’s history page. Ten courts were built in 1924 and seven more in 1927, which the club says made it the largest hardcourt tennis club in the world at the time. It describes the Pacific Southwest tournament as a mainstay until the early 1980s and says it was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017. Membership terms are not on the page.
The Older Clubs Still Playing
A June 2025 Tennis.com feature on clubs that still keep whites on the court adds three more. It reports that Philadelphia Cricket Club, founded in 1854 and called the oldest country club in America, has 18 grass, nine Har-Tru and two indoor courts. It describes Seattle Tennis Club, founded in 1890 on eight acres in Madison Park, as having 19 indoor and outdoor courts and hosting the Washington State Open. And it lists the Meadow Club of Southampton, founded in 1887, as members-only with a strict all-white dress code. Those are the publication’s figures, not the clubs’.
What Operators Can Take From the Oldest Courts
Lead with the record. Every club above sells its history first. If your club has a championship, a founder or a firsts list, put it on the membership page with a date.
The same goes for the stadium or the lawn. West Side turned a historic asset into a revenue line and a member perk. See how clubs are turning big tennis weeks into racquet members.
Publish the facts you can stand behind. Court counts, surfaces and member numbers show up in press coverage whether or not you supply them. Keep your own page current and dated.
Plan the whole racquet program. Grass and clay now share space with pickleball and padel. Our guide to building a racquet program and our look at court-time economics cover how to fit them together.
Private Tennis Club FAQ
What is the best private tennis club in America?
There is no verified ranking. Clubs differ in history, courts and membership model, and none of the clubs here publish the data needed to compare them directly. The clubs above are included for documented history and active play.
Which American club has hosted the most U.S. Open tennis?
West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills hosted 60 U.S. Open Championships between 1915 and 1977.
How much does it cost to join a private tennis club?
The clubs discussed here do not publish fees on the pages we read, and we have not estimated one. Ask the club directly.
When is the 2026 ATP Finals?
The ATP Tour lists the 2026 Nitto ATP Finals as November 15 to 22 in Turin, Italy.
How We Did This
We read each page linked above. Club facts come from the clubs’ own pages and from the Hall of Fame where possible, and the 2025 feature, the 2016 preservation article and an October 2026 local news report supply the rest. Club websites are interested parties, and the preservation article’s figures are from 2016. We did not verify court counts or membership numbers independently, and we did not rank the clubs. Fees are not published for any club listed. For wider context, see what a country club membership really costs.
If your board is planning for the next racquet season, Private Club Marketing has worked only with private clubs since 2009 and brings that focus to country club marketing. Talk with us.
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