Hidden Dunes Director of Tennis Celebrates 26 Years with the Resort

Newman-Dailey Resort Properties, Inc., the rental management company for Hidden Dunes Beach and Tennis Resort of Destin, Florida, announces that the director of tennis, Myke Loomis, is celebrating her 26th anniversary with the resort.

Currently a member of the USPTA, Loomis played on the 2007 and 2008 USA Margaret Court Cup (Women’s 45) teams. In addition to winning a number of Florida championships and being inducted into the Arkansas Tennis Hall of Fame, she won the 2008 World Doubles Championships in Antalya, Turkey, and was a finalist in the 2009 World Doubles Championships in Mallorca, Spain.

Joining Hidden Dunes as a new college graduate from the University of Arkansas, Loomis assumed she would remain at the resort for five years or so before seeking another opportunity like most tennis pros do. Instead, she found a great professional fit. “I’ve never felt that restless need to move on,” says Loomis, who has enjoyed the challenges of her work. “I feel like I’m right where I’m supposed to be.”

In turn, Loomis ensures that anyone who plays tennis at Hidden Dunes will feel right at home. “Whether here for the first time or the thirtieth, everyone who walks through the door will be greeted like a long lost friend,” she says. “Learning where people are from and where they play tennis, I usually find a connection, someone we both know.” Consequently, she has formed many long-terms friendships over the years with owners and guests of Hidden Dunes. “The players I taught as children are now returning with their own kids,” she says.

Designed for owners and guests ages four to 84, Hidden Dunes’ tennis program is also open to local residents and visitors. Accommodating all skill levels, the experienced staff regularly pairs players with partners who complement one another in terms of ability and personality.

Describing her staff as “stellar, both on and off the court,” Loomis credits them for the professionalism and quality of her tennis program.

In addition to winning a number of prestigious tournaments, head professional Renee Broxon, who joined Hidden Dunes in 2005, has been distinguished with the Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award, as well as the Gulf Coast Conference Sportsmanship Award.

The newest team member, staff professional Phil Landauer, is an inductee in the Oklahoma Tennis Hall of Fame and the Missouri Valley Tennis Hall of Fame. He ranked number one in every senior age division from the 35s to the 55s while also winning all four USTA 55s national doubles titles and 29 USTA National Championships.

With their love of competition, the Hidden Dunes pros will host two big tournaments in early 2011—the Clarence Chaffee Memorial Championship, a USTA senior men’s tournament that will take place February 24th through the 27th, and the CANUSA Cup, a spirited challenge between Canadian and American senior players, tentatively scheduled for February 17th. “Both tournaments are testament to the fact that tennis is a game for a lifetime,” says Loomis, who has worked to build upon a tennis program that gives Hidden Dunes a unique advantage.

“You’ll find many vacation accommodations in Destin, but our tennis program sets us apart. It’s exciting to me that Newman-Dailey understands what a hidden gem we have here with our tennis,” says Loomis. Similarly, with her love of tennis and the satisfaction she gains through her role at Hidden Dunes, Loomis sees every day as another opportunity to enjoy life.

For more information about tennis at Hidden Dunes, please call the resort’s tennis center at 850.269.2590 or visit http://www.hiddendunesdestin.com/Resort/Tennis/.