The Pompano Beach Tennis Center is celebrating the arrival of tennis pro Larry Gottfried as the newest member to its staff of instructors. Tennis director Eddie Sposa said he is pleased with the latest acquisition and considers it a coup for the facility.
“Larry has such a strong South Florida connection and brings to us years of experience,” he said. “Larry and his brother Brian are big-time tennis names and I’ve been trying to land him for years, and the stars lined up perfectly this time. When you talk about the Gottfrieds, you’re talking about the Everts and Solomons and those great South Florida connections. He brings to us that great passion for the game.”
Residents can meet Gottfried during a Meet and Greet the Pros day from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17 at the center, 920 NE 18th Ave. He and Sposa will be joined by fellow tennis pros Jean Marc Bazanne, Beaver Bolender, Christophe Jean, Cressior Lewis, John Steinmann and Dorothy Zerbst.
Gottfried became the top junior player in the nation and went on to become an All American in 1977, 1978 and 1979 before joining the Association of Tennis Professionals tour as a pro. The South Florida native was the doubles playing partner with tennis legend John McEnroe and won many national titles. He gave McEnroe the only collegiate loss of his career when Trinity College defeated Stanford for the NCAA Tennis Championship in 1978. His brother, Brian Gottfried, became the world’s No. 1 doubles player.
The seasoned professional brings patience and a wealth of knowledge to the adult and youth players with one-on-one and group instruction, Live Ball clinics and an assortment of drills meant to enhance everyone’s game. He was the tennis pro at the Tennis Club in Fort Lauderdale (1981 to 2000) and most recently at the Boca Raton Resort & Club (2000 to 2018).
“I grew up in Fort Lauderdale at the old Holiday Park days when that was the place to be,” Larry Gottfried said. “I’ve known fellow pro Beaver Bolender since I was 8 years old, and Eddie and I were neighbors in Inverarry so we go way back. I really like the way Eddie operates and he has a great heart for the game and knows how to get people involved with the sport. My goal is to let people enjoy the great sport of tennis and thought this would be a lot of fun. We want to show people a good time, good fellowship, while getting some exercise.”
The facility has individual lessons and private, junior and group programs with 16 lighted, professional fast-dry clay courts for day and night play.
“The courts are wonderful and the whole aura around the tennis center is great with this being a strong community environment,” Larry Gottfried said. “We want to help people get better, but it has to be fun. I hope the journey never ends. Even as you get older there is always something you can do to improve. We get to use the physical and mental skills to the best of our abilities.”
The United States Tennis Association named Pompano Beach one of the top municipal tennis facilities in the nation.
“Having Larry work for a public municipality like Pompano is a big deal,” Sposa said. “Larry has great knowledge and I learn from him daily. This is like homecoming week with Larry joining us. I embarrass him by telling him he’s my idol when he was the No. 1 junior player in the nation. Larry is such a humble guy and downplays his tennis accomplishments.”
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