CourtSide Ep. 3: 30 Years Running Gates Tennis Center, with Sam Hitman

Sam Hitman has been managing Gates Tennis Center since 1993. In 30+ years he's turned a public facility into the host of the country's largest sanctioned tennis tournament, launched two more facilities across Colorado, and built a scholarship program for kids who can't afford lessons.Sam is the General Manager of Gates Tennis Center in Denver, Director of Tennis at Pueblo Tennis &amp; Pickleball Center, and founder of The School of Tennis Management. He and Evan go back to before either of them got into racquet sports, they played on a championship basketball team together at their local community center.In this conversation, we get into the parts of the job nobody puts on a podcast:How the public-private partnership with The Park People actually works, and what a $4.7M reconstruction looks like when the city owns the landRunning three facilities at the same time across different marketsThe real economics of public vs. private tennis facility pricingHow Gates added quiet pickleball courts, the paddles he tested, the investment, and a league that sold out in three daysThe School of Tennis Management, why he started teaching facility operators, not just playersIf you run a facility, manage programs, or want to understand how public tennis centers actually operate, this one's for you.ABOUT COURTSIDECourtSide is a podcast about the business side of racquet sports. Long-form conversations with the owners, directors, and head pros shaping tennis, pickleball, padel, and squash. Hosted by Evan Dechtman, founder of TopSpin Digital.New episodes every two weeks. Subscribe so you don't miss one.Want to be a guest? Book your spot: https://topspindigital.co/courtside/book<a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://topspindigital.co/courtside/book Email" target="_blank"> Email Evan directly: mailto:[email protected] show notes: https://topspindigital.co/courtside<a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://topspindigital.co/courtside TopSpin" target="_blank"> TopSpin Digital: https://topspindigital.co<a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://topspindigital.co HEARD" target="_blank"> HEARD Digital Marketing: https://heardmarketing.ioCONNECT WITH SAM HITMANGates Tennis Center: https://gatestenniscenter.info#CourtSidePodcast #RacquetSports #Tennis #Pickleball #GatesTennisCenter #FacilityManagement #Denver