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The time and expense of golf steered Jeff Mars to tennis when he was in his mid-20s.
About 20 years later, his teammates at Seminole Lake Tennis Center are glad he switched, especially as this weekend's USA Tennis Florida State Adult League Championships near.
Mars is an integral part of the 4.0 squad and defends one of the two singles positions.
"I grew up in Rochester, New York, and got involved in tennis in the mid-1980s," Mars said. "I really like the recreational aspect of tennis and the fact that you can pick up a game at any level. In Rochester, I played at public courts as well as at the Midtown Tennis Club.
"I came to St. Petersburg in 1991 for work, and played for a while at Bardmoor," Mars said. "I started playing at Seminole in 1999. I've been to regional play three times, but this is my first time to state."
To qualify for this weekend's tournament, Mars helped Seminole win matches over teams from Naples, Tampa, Sarasota and Fort Myers in the west regional championships.
In his first match, Mars survived a three-hour marathon against Naples' No. 2 player.
"That has to go down as a big win and a major highlight for me," Mars said.
"We knew the Naples team would be tough, so to get the win was important. He was an established singles player, and he was using everything to his advantage, like taking frequent breaks and using injury timeouts."
With Mars' natural endurance, he knows he's not likely to run out of gas. Instead, he focuses on consistency and working the ball around the court.
Adjusting to the different styles in his three singles matches at the regional, Mars relied on his ability to run down shots and play aggressively from the baseline.
Mars' second match found him facing another third-set tiebreak, which he won 10-0.
"There was nothing I could do, and he beat me 6-1 in the first set," Mars said of Sarasota's No. 2 player.
"Even in the second set, he was hitting winners," Mars said. "I relied on my foot speed and consistency, plus I think he tired. I won the second set 6-3 and then the tiebreaker 10-0."
Mars' third regional match, in No. 1 against Fort Myers, was well-played by both singles players, Mars said, but he won 6-4, 6-3.
Combining a reliable serve with his two-handed backhand, Mars counts on his forehand groundstrokes to open up the court and work the ball from side to side.
That, along with his agility and quickness around the court, present a strong force against almost any opponent.
"I work hard for my points and try different things," Mars said. "I'd like to improve my serve for more power and my backhand to do more than just get it in play.
"With work taking up a lot of my time, I practice with the team twice a week and sometimes on the weekend. I've played K-Swiss regularly the last four years. Plus, I get some matches with other club members."
Mars knows the competition at state will be as strong, if not stronger, than in the regional. With the depth of the Seminole team, Mars likes its chances against the other three regional champs.
Match play begins Friday with Seminole facing Boca Raton, Gainesville and DeBary. The squad with the best record advances to nationals.
OTHERS AT STATE: Joining Seminole are McMullen of Clearwater 3.0 and the Racquet Club of St. Petersburg 3.5 men's teams.
McMullen plays squads from Tallahassee and Brevard. The Racquet Club meets teams from the Fort Lauderdale area, Deland and Indian Harbor Beach.
The event is Friday-Sunday at Florida Tennis Center, headquarters for the USA Tennis Florida state office in Daytona Beach.
NET SHOTS: Combo League playoff action Saturday resulted in Shipwatch II eliminating Feather Sound Country Club 2-1 and the Racquet Club of St. Petersburg beating Shipwatch I 3-0.
Shipwatch II received its points from Doug Godinho and Joseph Bulone in No. 2 and John Beda and Pete Mosher at No. 3.
Albert Valin and Richard Dolson posted Feather Sound's single point in the No. 1 slot.
The Racquet Club collected straight-set wins from Earl Gehant and Bob Steele at No. 1 and John Mcquillen and Don Campagna in No. 3. Hernan Molina teamed with Neel Voss at No. 2 to win in a third set tiebreaker.
Lauren Scaglione defended her top seed to win the women's open singles title in last weekend's Summer Classic at Royal Racquet Club.
Nancy Boyce was the women's 45-and-over round-robin winner. Alex Deeb was a men's 45 finalist, as was Jonathan Bloom in the 35 division. Steve Talner won the men's 45 consolation draw.
Carol Fontaine teamed with Richard Warrener to win the 55-and-over mixed doubles title in the Suncoast Championships in Venice.
Andres Molina captured the men's 45 singles crown.
Fourth-seeded Michael Halisky won the men's open singles in last month's Temple Terrace Adult Summer Bash.
Mark Wagner was a finalist in the men's 40 division.
Halisky, who spent last year as an assistant teaching professional at St. Petersburg Country Club, is working at Treasure Island Tennis and Yacht Club.
Among Halisky's duties will be teaching in the After School Junior Program.
T.J. Holstein was presented the Sportsmanship Award for the intermediate division in last month's USA Team Tennis State Championships in Lakeland.
Alex Saltiel placed third in the boys 10-and-under singles at the North Florida Designated Championships in Tallahassee.
COMING UP: Largo Tennis Center will play host to the Hot, Hot, Hot Rookie Tennis Tournament on Saturday-Sunday for players 10-16. A $20 entry fee includes a T-shirt. For information, call Linda Kettell , 403-8588. ... The inaugural USTA Adult Men's Fall League will play September-October and conclude prior to the USTA Senior Doubles League. Winners will participate in the spring playoffs. Interested teams should contact coordinator Norm Ott, 526-7966, or norm.ott@verizon.net
- News for this column may be faxed to Nancy Morgan, 796-5559; e-mailed to namorgan46@msn.com or sent to 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. Please include phone number.