ABOUT THE CLUB
Decatur Athletic Club began as a six-court tennis club in 1972. Owner Bob O’Connell, a tennis enthusiast himself, purchased the Club and is still the owner today.

The Club has grown to become a leader in the upscale tennis and fitness Club industry in central Illinois.

Tennis is a competitive sport for Decatur in Central Illinois; we’ve been the area’s premier tennis Club since 1972.

Our Club continues to offer world-class indoor and outdoor tennis instruction with Pros, Chuck Kuhle and Cory Sandgren.

We aren’t just a Tennis Center—the Club has grown to meet the needs of our members. We are a full fitness facility for people of every age and fitness level.

Besides 4 extremely busy indoor hard courts, the club features...

... SWIMMING + WATER FITNESS - Two swimming pools on-site. A warm water indoor pool at Kids-N-Fitness and the club pool, covered with a bubble during winter months.

... FITNESS CENTER WITH CARDIO, CIRCUIT + GROUP CLASSES - Wide variety of classes, personal trainers, yoga, athletic dance step, weight lifting.

... STATE-OF-THE-ART FITNESS EQUIPMENT - Ensures exceptional workout experience from start to finish. Plus on-site child care.

CHUCK KUHLE
General Manager / Director of Tennis

Chuck Kuhle, USPTA Master Professional, has been employed by Decatur Athletic Club since 1980 where he currently serves as General Manager/Director of Tennis. He is a 1980 graduate of United States International University-San Diego, California where he played collegiate tennis.

In 2017, Chuck was inducted into the USPTA/Midwest Hall of Fame.

Kuhle comes from a tennis playing family. His brothers Lornie and Michael as well as his sister Betsy all made tennis a part of their careers. His wife Terri has been a USTA league player and his children Patrick, Amy and Tracy were all captains of their respective college teams.

Over the years, Chuck has been both involved with and recognized by the USPTA. He has spoken at numerous Midwest Division conferences as well as World Conferences. He has also authored articles for both the Midwest Connection and ADDvantage Magazine. He was twice named USPTA Illinois State Professional of the Year as well as 2014 USPTA Midwest Professional of the Year.

Chuck’s involvement with the USTA has been extensive on the local, sectional and national level. He currently serves on the Mid-South Illinois Player Development Committee, USTA/Midwest Delegate-at-Large and the USTA National Pro Circuit Committee. In 2013, he received the USTA/Midwest Cap Leighton Award for his service to the tennis community. He currently serves as tournament director for the USTA/Ursula Beck Pro Tennis Classic, a men’s $25,000 Pro Circuit event held in Decatur, Illinois since 1999.

Kuhle’s playing career included high school and college tennis as well as national age division events. He played on both the United States and Swiss Satellite Circuits in the early 1980s. In 1998, he won a silver ball at the Men’s 40 National Hardcourts in Tucson, Arizona as well as a silver ball with his daughter Tracy at the 2018 USTA National Senior Father/Daughter Indoors.

Chuck has been actively involved in his community as well being elected to three terms on the Macon County Board from 1990-2000. In April 2017, he was elected to his first term as Decatur City Councilman in the municipal elections. In addition, He is president of the Decatur Community Tennis Foundation, a not-for-profit Community Tennis Association.

FAIRVIEW PARK TENNIS COMPLEX
In the summer months Chuck also serves as Director of Tennis for the Decatur Park District, a position he has held since 2007.

The Decatur Park District operates 25 courts throughout the community’s parks. The Fairview Park Tennis Complex features:

- Winner of the 2008 USTA Outstanding Facility Award
- Ursula Beck Tennis Clubhouse
- 9 competition-grade courts
- Lounge, concessions/vending, restrooms, shower

QUESTIONS FOR CHUCK KUHLE
Q: When did you start playing tennis? Did someone teach you?
A: I started playing when I was 7. I come from a family of tennis players so initially started there. Eventually took lessons from local pro Duane Garver and then traveled to Aurora, Illinois to take lessons from Jack Sharpe.

Q: When did you start teaching tennis? Have you been certified for teaching?
A: My first teaching job was at the Riviera and MGM Grand Hotels in Las Vegas working for my brothers when I was 19. I am now certified as a USPTA Master Professional 40 years later.

Q: When was Decatur Athletic Club founded?
A: 1972

Q: Is Decatur Athletic Club a private or a public tennis facility?
A: We are a commercial club.

Q: How many courts do you have and what surface are these?
A: 4 indoor hard courts

Q: Are there other teaching pro's at the facility?
A: We have one other full time UPSTA pro---Cory Sandgren. We also have some part-time instructors that help out.

Q: Do you teach adults and children?
A: Yes

Q: What are your programs?
A: We have junior and adult programming. Over the years, the adult clinics have gone from commitment-type clinics to drop-in clinics to match the changing times. Our junior programs have 4 sessions spread out over the year.

Q: How many memberships do you approximately have?
A: We are a tennis and fitness club and have 1300 memberships.

Q: What are the challenges for you at Decatur Athletic Club?
A: Trying to get people to commit has been a challenge as of late. I have created all my clinics to become weekly drop-in classes. We are now investigating and most likely will go to an app for the mobile phone to allow members to sign up on their phone.
Junior tennis has become more challenging over the years with more for the children to choose from. I find that our staff has to work harder and be more creative to keep the players interested in the game.

Q: Where do you want to take Decatur Athletic Club in the coming years? Do you have plans for the future?
A: I want the club to be more mobile phone friendly as mentioned above. We have to change with the times. I envision all programming to allow on-line and mobile sign-ups. We are still considering Pickleball. We have experimented with it for 7 years and are still trying to position it in our club to co-exist with tennis.

Q: What brand/model racquet do you use? What type strings?
A: I use the Wilson Ultra with Wilson Sensation. My son works for Wilson in Chicago so it is an easy choice which brand to be affiliated with.

Thank you, Chuck Kuhle.