Tennis Instructors

Stan Smith

Both friends and foes on the court pay Stan Smith the ultimate compliment by referring to him as “the tennis player’s tennis player” in recognition of the unwavering dedication to the game that helped him attain a level of greatness so few achieve.

Smith has been part of The Sea Pines Resort family for more than 50 years as the resort’s touring professional. Over that time, he’s played and coached at the highest level, winning the most prestigious tournaments in both singles and doubles.

During his storied career, Smith:

• Served as director of coaching for the USTA Player Development Program
• Was head coach of the U.S. men’s tennis team at the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics
• Won the US Open in 1971 and Wimbledon in 1972
• Ranked No. 1 in 1969 and 1971-1973 in the U.S.
• Ranked No. 1 in the world in 1971 and 1972
• Played in 11 Grand Slam finals and was a member of seven winning Davis Cup teams
• Won 39 pro singles and 61 doubles titles
• Has held a 12-1 Davis Cup doubles record and won four US Open doubles 
• Was part of the only doubles team (with frequent partner Bob Lutz) to win the national championship on all four surfaces: grass, clay, hard court and indoors
• Has been a contributing editor of TENNIS Magazine since 1986, and has had a syndicated tennis column with King Features since 1985
• Wrote many books, among them “Stan Smith: Some People Think I’m A Shoe”
• Has been the namesake of the Adidas Stan Smith best-selling shoe 
• Was inducted into the University of Southern California Hall of Fame, the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame, the Southern Tennis Halls of Fame, the Intercollegiate Hall of Fame and the International Hall of Fame

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Patrick O’Keefe

As director of tennis for The Sea Pines Resort, Patrick O’Keefe is responsible for overseeing all tennis operations, including lessons, clinics, tournaments and camps. He is also a PPR-certified pickleball instructor.

The Sea Pines Resort is fond and familiar territory for O’Keefe, who began his tennis career here – first as a student and later as an instructor at Smith Stearns Tennis Academy.

O’Keefe  hails from Salem, Virginia, where he served as director of tennis at Hidden Valley Country Club. Prior to that, he was a coach to notable college-bound junior players at the Smith Stearns Tennis Academy.

A graduate of Radford University in Virginia with a degree in Business and Marketing, O’Keefe earned several distinctions during his collegiate career. He was a four-year varsity athlete, 2015 Big South Player of the Year and two-time All Big South First Team Player.
 

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Michael Singh

Michael Singh has been a tennis staff professional at the Sea Pines Racquet Club since 2001. He is USPTA-certified Pro I and has a PTR “Professional” rating. Singh, who hails from Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada, is an eight-time Canadian national player and recipient of the Nick Bollettieri Most Improved Player Award from the Bollettieri Academy. He is a graduate of Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina.
 

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Mark Freitag

Mark Freitag joined the tennis staff at The Sea Pines Resort in February 2009. He attained his PTR certification and has a “Professional” rating and NTRP rating of 5.0. In addition to serving as a staff professional, he is the stringer for the Sea Pines Racquet Club.

Originally from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Freitag played collegiate tennis at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and the University of Pennsylvania. His teaching experience  includes seven years at the Julian Krinsky School of Tennis in Haverford, Pennsylvania. 
 

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Andy Balfour

Andy Balfour joined the Sea Pines Racquet Club on Hilton Head Island in 2006. Originally from London, England, Balfour has taught tennis in England and the U.S. for more than 28 years. Andy is a certified LTA level II coach and has a PTR “Professional” rating.

Andy is The Sea Pines Resort’s authority on Cardio Tennis, a fun group activity that pushes your fitness to a new level with high energy tennis workouts.
 

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Mick Ray

Mick Ray joined the Sea Pines Racquet Club’s teaching staff as the pickleball pro in 2022. He teaches daily lessons, beginner and advanced clinics and runs daily round robins for all levels. A graduate of Georgia Southern, Ray won his first pickleball tournament in 2019 at the Colorado Open with his partner Lew Halski — one of more than a dozen tournament medals in the 4.5, 5.0 and open pro divisions. Born and raised on Hilton Head Island, Ray’s family has a history of success in sport with his father Michael Ray being a world champion racquetball player. 

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Ron Gwyn

Ron Gwyn joined the Sea Pines Racquet Club in 2023. Before coming to Sea Pines, Ron was the director of racquet sports at the Haig Point Club on Daufuskie Island for thirty years. He came to Hilton Head Island in 1982, first working at the Shipyard Racquet Club and then at the Port Royal Racquet Club. Ron is a graduate of the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, where is majored in Business Administration and Economics.

Ron currently has an Elite Rating with the USPTA, serving as the head tester for the Southern Division of the USPTA. He received the USPTA – South Caroline Professional of the Year award and the USPTA – Southern Division Tester of the Year.

Ron is a national tester for the United States Racquet Stringers Association and a certified pickleball instructor with the PPR.

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Marketa Jilkova

Marketa was born and raised in Prague, Czech Republic. After moving to the U.S., she started teaching at the South Country Regional Park with women’s teams and U12 players including Coco Gauf when she was younger. Marketa moved to the island in 2017 where she joined the Sea Pines Racquet Club. Marketa loves working with all levels of players but has a passion for working with juniors.

Contact Sea Pines Racquet Club

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(843) 363-4495