The All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club (AILTC) was established on the Mark and Denise Kuhn family farm near Charles City, Iowa in 2003.
Building a grass tennis court that resembled Wimbledon’s Centre Court was a dream of Mark’s that began as a fascination with Wimbledon broadcasts on his grandfather’s shortwave radio in 1960.
Turning that dream into reality by building a world-class grass tennis court on what once was a cattle feedlot was accomplished with the hard work of Mark and Denise and their sons Mason and Alex.
This one-of-a-kind Wimbledonesque grass tennis court attracts guests from all over the world. Also known as the “Court of Dreams,” it has been featured twice in videos hosted by Wimbledon, a video story by the Tennis Channel, and appeared in two feature stories in the New York Times. A story in Sports Illustrated called the AILTC one of America’s “Hidden Gems,” and CBS News reporter Steve Hartman called national attention to it in two heartfelt “On the Road” stories.
Keeping the AILTC open for the public to enjoy takes a lot of hard work and commitment. AILTC founder and caretaker Mark Kuhn is 74 years old. He has Parkinson's disease. He is doing okay physically now, attending to all the daily ‘labor of love’ maintenance chores, but as athletes and Mark's neurologist know, "Father Time always wins."
In order to plan for the future sustainability of the court, and raise funds to hire a groundsman someday, the Kuhn family will be offering their meticulously maintained family farmhouse as a vacation rental beginning in 2025. For more information on how to make a reservation for an overnight stay, click on the LODGING page.
The United States Tennis Association's Missouri Valley Section has invested in the effort to sustain the AILTC for the public to enjoy and is working with others to secure match grant funding opportunities.
Tennis guests can assist this worthwhile effort by making a reservation to play on the AILTC’s world-class grass or spending the night at this one-of-a-kind grass tennis court, bucket-list destination.
You'll experience all the 'Iowa nice' hospitality the Kuhn family is known for and help keep their new dream of sustaining the court for future generations alive.
The mission of the All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club Foundation is to grow the game of grass court tennis by keeping the Alex J. Kuhn Court of Dreams open for the public to enjoy, funding kids’ reading programs in area schools, and supporting better mental health awareness throughout the tennis community.
Reservations are required to play and can only be made online. The Court of Dreams opens for the season on Memorial Day weekend and closes shortly after Labor Day weekend. The court is available for one, two, or three hour reservations Monday through Sunday starting at 11 a.m. through 7 p.m., weather permitting. The court is available for an all day six hour reservation upon special request.
The All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club Foundation is a Section 501(c)(3) tax exempt private foundation. Your donations are greatly appreciated and support the work of our Foundation Board of Directors to keep the court open for the public to enjoy.
The mission of the All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club Foundation is to grow the game of grass court tennis by keeping the Alex J. Kuhn Court of Dreams open for the public to enjoy, funding kids reading programs in area schools and supporting better mental health awareness throughout the tennis community.
To donate, please make a check out to the All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club Foundation and mail it to the following address:
All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club Foundation
2667 240th Street
Charles City, IA 50616-8958
Your donation is greatly appreciated!
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“The court is available to anyone willing to make the trip, particularly those who believe that tennis, and sharing tennis, has the power to heal us.”
- Nick Pachelli, Author of ‘The Tennis Court’ & Producer
“This is the tennis version of the Field of Dreams. It really is. There is nothing else like it in the world. I think anybody who steps foot on the hallowed ground called the Alex J. Kuhn Court of Dreams understands what it means to be there.” - Ryan Knarr, President USTA Middle States Board of Directors & Event Director of the Madison Keys/All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club Celebration of Tennis
“You see somebody like Mark and all the passion and the real heart he has for the game, and it's almost life-affirming in a way.” - Bill Macatee, CBS Sports & Tennis Channel Broadcaster
“He’s just happy to have people appreciating grass court tennis. He’s likened it to his third son. It takes a lot of work. A lot of care and tenderness goes into it. It was a fun story.” - Jon Wertheim, Sports Journalist, Tennis Channel Contributor & Best-Selling Author
“What I first thought was what will this look like? We went online and actually looked at the court and saw it in the middle of a farm. It had all of the traditional British white picket fences around it and a really sort of quaint, very much to the English gardens theme. We then got involved and we managed to get Mark over. He spent the season with the grounds crew during the championships of 2012.” - Neil Stubley, Wimbledon Head Groundsman
“Mark has so much passion and love for Wimbledon, which you see from what he’s doing on his farm, that it’s hard to resist nurturing his dream. The fact he is here says so much about what Wimbledon is all about. I mean, he’s not knocking on the doors of Flushing Meadow... Court attendants are the future of England in terms of what they go on to pursue. We have barristers and doctors and it is good to add someone like Mark in the mix who brings the passion.” - George Spring, Wimbledon Court Services Manager
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