Wychwood tennis club expands to new parks as it approaches centennial

Tashi Farmilo

The Wychwood Tennis Club is approaching its 100th anniversary with more courts, more parks, and more ambition than at any point in its history.

Founded in 1928 by ten Aylmer summer residents who chipped in to purchase a set of tennis courts in what was then a quiet summer settlement of 30 to 40 families, the club has survived economic depression, two world wars, and decades of financial uncertainty to become one of the area's most enduring community institutions. In 2026, it is adding two new parks to its roster and rethinking how it serves the city around it.

Sylvain Tremblay, now in his fourth year as club president, sees the moment as an opportunity. "The mandate of the club has always remained pretty much the same," he said, "which is to offer recreational tennis to all citizens."

The club's early years were far from easy. The original shale courts were difficult to maintain and hard to play on. The crash of 1929 nearly ended the organization entirely, and it was the women of the Wychwood community who saved it through fundraising. The war years brought an unexpected revival, as servicemen stationed in the area took to the courts in numbers. The 1950s brought fresh financial strain, resolved in part by the construction of a clubhouse around 1958 or 1959, financed through a bank loan and leased to a concessionaire whose rent covered taxes and maintenance. A chalet followed in 1979, built with a city loan repaid within five years, and immediately transferred to the City of Aylmer for a symbolic dollar. In 1989, the courts were converted from clay to hard surface at the club's request, meaningfully lengthening the playing season.

For much of its history, the club held an exclusive right to the courts at Parc Tourbillon in the Wychwood neighbourhood, an arrangement that set it apart from other clubs in the region. That exclusivity is now ending. Under a new agreement with the City of Gatineau, the courts will be open to all residents when no club activities are booked. It is a significant shift, but Tremblay frames it as a natural evolution rather than a loss. "The purpose is to be a partner with the city," he said, noting that the two had maintained an excellent working relationship for several years. The membership debated the change at a special meeting last year and concluded that broader access served the community better than exclusivity.

What the club gains in return is reach. Beginning this season, it will organize activities at Parc Paul-Pelletier, a newly opened facility that held its official inauguration last June, as well as at Broad Park, in addition to its long-standing home at Parc Tourbillon. Three parks, one club.

The programming that fills those courts is extensive. The season runs from May 9 to the end of September and is delivered by a team of paid student instructors, with services in both French and English. Lessons are offered across two blocks and span every skill level, from first-timers to advanced players. Leagues run throughout the season for adults and juniors alike, with Saturday clinics and a members' tournament rounding out the adult calendar.

For younger players, the club runs what may be its most distinctive offering: the SWAT intensive programme, which provides two hours of daily instruction from Monday through Thursday starting in late June. Friday evenings at Broad Park bring a looser affair called Tennis en Folie, open to juniors without registration and built around games rather than drills. "The theme is tennis," Tremblay said, "but it's not a serious theoretical course. It's really a fun activity."

The club's 11-member volunteer board stood for re-election at the most recent annual general meeting and returned unanimously for a second consecutive year. Membership fees range from $50 for juniors to $170 for families, with leagues, clinics, and tournaments included.

With roughly 350 active members and three parks now under its banner, the Wychwood Tennis Club is well-positioned for the milestone ahead. Its centennial arrives in 2028. More information is available at www.tenniswychwood.ca.