Welcome to Merchiston Tennis Club

We have around 390 members including a thriving junior section. We put out 4 men's teams and 3 ladies' teams each year in the VMH East of Scotland leagues along with vets teams, winter league teams and take part in various other local and national competitions.  We have numerous junior teams (boys, girls and younger mixed) in the junior leagues.  We also have a very healthy and active non-team, fun and sociable cohort of members!

The tennis club has a long running 'Standard Life' section comprising members from a local major employer.  

Facilities

• Tennis Courts

- Merchiston Tennis Club offers 3 all weather floodlit courts which are maintained on a regular basis.  New carpets were laid at the end of 2022.  Please see the "Club Rules" tab to see what is expected from members with regards to court use

• Floodlights

- All 3 tennis courts have LED floodlight facilities.  These work between 3 and 10pm.  They work through a basic on/off switch within the waterproof boxes on each court.  Please close the waterproof boxes after use to protect the switches from the Scottish weather.  If the lights are not required, or if you are last to leave at night, please ensure they are turned off at the switch to save electricity costs. 

• ​Male and Female Locker Rooms

We offer both male and female locker room facilities.  Please note that children under 12 are not permitted in the locker rooms unsupervised.  The locker rooms can be opened via a pass code.  

• Clubhouse and Bar

Merchiston Tennis and Bowling Club runs a busy clubhouse complete with bar, large-screen TV (showing sports regularly) and outdoor Beer Garden seating areas.  The clubhouse is open all year round.  Normal winter opening hours are Wednesday from 7.30pm and most weekends 8pm until late plus Sunday afternoon, though we sometimes have private functions.  There is a pub quiz every first Friday of the month. 

Activities

• League Teams : Please see the 'Tennis Teams' tab for info.  The leagues take place Monday to Thursdays from April to June for Adults and at weekends for Juniors.  The courts become busy for bookings during those months so we have made arrangements for access to George Watsons College's courts for our members.  Details on how to book these courts are on the 'booking' tab.  GWC courts will only be visible for booking during the summer term when they are available to our members
• Coaching is provided by our new enthusiastic coach, Vincent Vanvooren and his helpers.  He offers a range of coaching for adults and children year round and during school holidays on a pre-booking basis.  
• Womens' and Mens' social sessions : The womans' sessions are from 7pm to 8.30pm on Thursday evenings and 9am to 11am on Sunday morning.  The mens' mix and match social session is from 5-7pm on Sunday evenings. These sessions are open to all members 16+ and all ability levels are welcome. 
• Juniors : our junior members enjoy excellent coaching, regular tournaments and league matches.   Our club coach also organises junior activities during school holidays.  To accommodate our adult members’ work commitments, we ask that juniors stick to day-time slots as far as possible.
• Tournaments : We organise friendly box leagues and occasional social tournaments for players of all abilities. If you would like to know more about the box leagues, contact a member of the committee. Information about social tournaments will be emailed or found on the 'News' section of the website. Our Club Championship matches take place between July and September - its success is based on as many members entering as possible - with Finals Day being the highlight of the social calendar in September.