2009 PTR Member of the Year: Ken DeHart
There are some people in this industry you just can’t avoid. Ken DeHart is just such a person. He’s involved in so many aspects of tennis — as a director of tennis, teaching pro, coach, teacher of tennis teachers, presenter, author and so much more.
“Ken’s spent nearly 40 years educating tennis teachers and coaches around the world,” says PTR CEO Dan Santorum. “He has a true passion for teaching tennis. But he not only shares his knowledge with others, he also takes the time to learn more and more about how to teach the sport. He sets a tremendous example for others.” And for the example that he sets, DeHart is RSI’s 2009 PTR Member of the Year.
DeHart has been the director of tennis at the San Jose Swim & Racquet Club in California for eight years. “We teach a lot of lessons, and a lot of my lessons are for non-members,” he says. “If I can convert one out of every five or six to memberships, I add a lot of value to our club. So much of my time in tennis has been on how do you market or create added value.”
For more than 20 years, DeHart has presented at the annual PTR Symposium and always received top marks, says Santorum. He’s a great clinician, hosted and helped produce three of the PTR’s most widely distributed DVDs, is committed to community and charity events, and is one of only a handful of pros who are Master Professionals in both the PTR and USPTA.
Continuing education has always been huge for DeHart, who has a master’s degree in education. “I attend as many continuing ed opportunities as I can,” he says. “And since I get to speak a lot, it forces me to have new things to talk about all the time.”
Tips for success
- Drop-in clinics let non-members test-drive the club and your instruction, and let members see new faces.
- Get involved in professional development — never stop learning and sharing what you’ve learned.
- If you pay enough attention to continuing education, writing articles, running events, etc., you’ll never get burned out.
See all articles by Peter Francesconi
About the Author
Peter Francesconi 
is editorial director of Tennis Industry magazine.
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