Tennis Under the Palms at Verdieck Tennis Center
Just off East Colton Avenue in North Redlands, the sound of traffic fades into the clean pop of tennis balls and the low murmur of college players trading cross‑courts. The Verdieck Tennis Center at 1250 E Colton Ave sits on the northern edge of the University of Redlands campus, a modern, tournament‑ready complex that still feels surprisingly accessible and low‑key for everyday players.
The center is named for legendary Bulldogs coach Jim Verdieck, whose teams helped define Redlands tennis for decades. Today, his name anchors a facility that has become one of the region’s showpieces: 12 lighted courts laid in post‑tension concrete, ringed by shade structures, seating, and the kind of clean sightlines that make even a casual rally feel like a proper match.
The Local Vibe in North Redlands
North Redlands has the easy, lived‑in feel of a college neighborhood: tree‑lined streets, modest houses, and students moving between dorms, classrooms, and fields. The Verdieck Tennis Center is woven into that daily rhythm. On weekday afternoons, you’re as likely to hear a coach calling out scorelines as you are to see a couple of students in gym shorts splitting a court for an impromptu hit.
Because it’s a university facility, the core users are the Redlands men’s and women’s tennis teams, along with students enrolled in tennis classes and recreation programs. Match days bring a bit more buzz—parents in folding chairs, locals in Bulldog gear, and the hum of the scoreboards ticking up games. On quieter days, the complex feels open and airy, framed by the San Bernardino Mountains in the distance and bathed in that high‑desert light that turns late‑afternoon practice into something cinematic.
Most people arrive by car, slipping off the 10 Freeway and cutting through surface streets toward campus. The address drops you at the university’s main grounds, and from there, the tennis center sits on the athletic side of campus, near other Bulldog facilities. Students often walk or bike in from nearby housing, rackets slung over their shoulders, while local residents park once and make a circuit of the track, fields, and courts.
How to Play Here: Access, Costs, and Expectations
This is not a typical public park complex run by the city. The Coach Jim Verdieck Tennis Center is a University of Redlands facility, built first and foremost for varsity tennis and student use. The university’s own description makes that clear: the 12 lighted courts are “open to the tennis teams and students in tennis classes,” with the center designed to host collegiate‑level competition.
That means a few practical realities for anyone hoping to play:
- Priority use goes to university teams, classes, and organized programs. Prime training times—especially late afternoons during the college season—are often spoken for.
- Public drop‑in play is not advertised the way it might be at a municipal complex, and there is no widely promoted online booking portal for non‑university players. Access for community members, when available, is typically informal and subject to campus policies that can change over time.
In practice, visitors who do play here often do so through a connection: hitting with a student, joining a campus‑affiliated program, or taking part in events that open the courts to alumni and community members. The facility has been recognized with a 2023 USTA Outstanding Facility Award, underscoring that it’s built to a high competitive standard and is used for sanctioned events and showcases.
For beginners, this is both inspiring and a little intimidating. The courts are immaculate, the lines sharp, and the ball tends to sit up nicely on the firm post‑tension surface. But the environment is structured: when you step on court here, you’re stepping into a space designed for serious training and match play, not a casual neighborhood park where you can count on open courts at any hour.
If you’re new to the area and looking to hit:
- Expect that you may not be able to simply walk on at peak times, especially when teams are in season.
- Be prepared to adapt—early mornings, off‑hours, or days when campus is quieter often offer the best chance of finding open courts.
- When in doubt, treat this as a collegiate venue first, and be ready with a backup plan at nearby public courts in Redlands.
Lights, Seasons, and When the Courts Come Alive
The Verdieck Tennis Center was designed with year‑round play in mind. The 12 courts are fully lighted, allowing evening training sessions and night matches that stretch long after sunset. For college players, that means double‑days in preseason, late‑night ladder matches, and flexibility around class schedules. For anyone lucky enough to book time here, it translates into crisp, evenly lit conditions that make the ball easy to track even as the sky turns indigo.
Redlands weather does much of the rest. Winters are mild and dry by national standards, with cool evenings that make an hour under the lights feel brisk rather than brutal. Summers bring heat that can turn mid‑day tennis into an endurance test, but mornings and late nights are often playable, especially with the added advantage of shade structures and seating areas built into the facility.
Wind can pick up in the Inland Empire, particularly in transitional seasons, but the courts sit low and enclosed enough that most days are playable. The post‑tension concrete surface is engineered to resist cracking and provide consistent bounce over time, a detail that matters on those long, grinding baseline days when every mis‑hit feels like a small betrayal.
Getting There, Parking, and Staying Safe
Driving to 1250 E Colton Ave drops you into the heart of the University of Redlands campus, which is well‑signed and relatively easy to navigate once you’ve made it off the freeway. Campus roads loop around academic buildings and athletic fields, and the tennis center is part of that athletic cluster.
Parking in and around campus is generally straightforward, though regulations can vary by time of day and by lot. Visitors typically find spaces in campus lots or on nearby streets, then walk a short distance to the courts. Because this is a university environment, there is regular foot traffic, lighting, and a sense of being on monitored grounds, especially when classes are in session.
In terms of safety, North Redlands around the university tends to feel more like a campus town than an anonymous suburban strip. Evening practices under the lights often coincide with activity at adjacent fields, and there is a steady flow of students and staff. As with any campus facility, it’s wise to keep an eye on posted parking rules and any access signage at the courts themselves.
Weather‑wise, plan for sun exposure more than anything else. On clear days—and there are many—shade structures and seating help between games, but once you’re on court, you’re in full sun. Sunscreen, a hat, and extra water are essential, especially in late spring and summer. After a rare storm, the courts drain quickly, but you may encounter slick patches until staff have cleared standing water.
Coffee, Food, and the Between‑Sets Ritual
One of the perks of playing on or near a university campus is the access to quick fuel. Within a short drive—or even a campus walk—you’ll find coffee shops, casual eateries, and student‑friendly spots that double as post‑match debriefing venues. Players often treat the courts as the start of an evening, not the main event: hit for an hour, then head off for burritos, pizza, or a late latte.
Because the Verdieck Tennis Center is on campus, you’re also close to university dining and hangout spaces. It’s common to see players arrive with campus café cups in hand or to regroup afterward at nearby spots along Colton or toward downtown Redlands. The rhythm feels familiar: the last balls struck under the lights, the quiet scrape of shoes on concrete, then a short walk back into town for something cold and caffeinated.
Finding Hitting Partners in a College‑Centric Setting
The biggest challenge for everyday players isn’t the quality of the courts—it’s finding a way into the local tennis ecosystem. On campus, teams and classes create their own self‑contained network: players know who hits heavy topspin, who’s working on a slice backhand, who’s free on Thursday mornings. For someone new to Redlands or not affiliated with the university, that social web can be hard to tap.
This is where Doyouplay changes the equation.
Instead of hoping to bump into a compatible player at an off‑hour, you can browse local players by skill level, schedule, and preferences—whether you’re a 3.0 grinding out consistency or a 4.5 looking for match‑play intensity. You can filter for people who also play in and around Redlands, then decide together whether Verdieck, another campus‑adjacent spot, or a public park court is the best fit that day.
The interaction is deliberately low‑stakes. A simple 1:1 chat lets you introduce yourself, share your level and availability, and agree on where to meet without committing to a league or long‑term arrangement. For recent movers—especially those who may not yet have campus access—this is often the fastest way to turn a solitary ball machine session into a proper rally.
For players who do have access to Verdieck—students, faculty, or campus‑adjacent residents—Doyouplay adds structure to what might otherwise be a scattered network of “maybe we’ll hit sometime” conversations. You can:
- Organize consistent hitting schedules with players at your level.
- Line up practice matches before a big event.
- Connect with visiting players passing through Redlands who want to experience the courts they’ve heard about.
In a setting where the facility is collegiate but the surrounding city is hungry for more tennis, the app effectively stitches those two worlds together.
What Newcomers Should Expect
If you’re arriving in Redlands with a racket in your bag and Verdieck Tennis Center in your search history, it helps to set expectations clearly.
You’re looking at one of the premier tennis facilities in the region, a complex that has drawn USTA recognition and serves as the home base for serious collegiate tennis. The courts are beautifully maintained, fully lit, and surrounded by the quiet hum of a campus that takes its sports seriously.
At the same time, this is not a free‑for‑all public park. Teams and students come first, and community access is shaped by university policies that may evolve. Before you plan a weekly routine around these courts, it’s smart to:
- Check in on current campus guidelines for facility use.
- Have a backup set of public courts in mind.
- Use Doyouplay to line up partners who know the local landscape and can steer you toward the best options on a given day.
Do that, and the Verdieck Tennis Center becomes more than just a dot on a map. It’s the anchor of a broader Redlands tennis scene—one where college players grind out two‑a‑days, locals chase evening rallies under the lights, and newcomers, with the right connections, find themselves stepping onto a court that feels like a small stadium, even on a quiet Tuesday night.
