Daniel Island at the center of Lowcountry Tennis Association boom

Tennis is not just a sport but a Lowcountry lifestyle, according to Bill Ennis, executive director of the Lowcountry Tennis Association. 

LCTA registered a record 17,500 players last year, making it the fourth largest tennis league in the country, and the largest in South Carolina. 

“We’ve been enormously successful in terms of growth and in terms of our players enjoying the experience we’ve been providing through LCTA,” Ennis said. “Tennis is healthy, it’s competitive, but it also fosters long-term friendships and fellowship, and I think a lot of people have gravitated towards that.” 

Ennis said most of the growth is coming from rookie players and seniors aged 55 plus. Five years ago, LCTA began a beginner tennis program called Tennis 101 and Tennis 102, that teaches newcomers the basics of the game. When the program started there were only five beginner teams in the league; now there are 70.  

“It has been our fastest growing league until recently,” Ennis said. “Now our senior leagues have been our fastest growing because the Charleston demographic is getting older, so all of these elements are coalescing at the same time.” 

Daniel Island has the third largest number of participants in LCTA, with almost 1,000 players registered through Live To Play Daniel Island and the Daniel Island Club. Ennis and his wife, Ruth, are two of those players.  

“My wife and I moved here 20 years ago and through playing league tennis we’ve made many lifelong friendships,” he said. 

The popularity of tennis on Daniel Island started to spike in 2001 when the Family Circle Tennis Center (now Credit One Stadium) tournament arrived on the island, according to Ennis. “I think that ignited a lot of excitement and enthusiasm for tennis. Having such a high-quality professional tournament has inspired a lot of people to play.” 

One of the challenges of the sport’s popularity is a lack of available tennis courts, which are being used at maximum capacity. Ennis travels around the region to advocate for new courts within tennis clubs and municipalities. There are currently 12 new courts being built in Mount Pleasant and six more are in the works for the northern Tri-County area. 

“We need more tennis courts in the Lowcountry to satisfy the appetite of people wanting to play,” he said. “Our philosophy is anyone who wants to play tennis should be able to play tennis in the Lowcountry Tennis Association.” 

LCTA was founded in 1983 by Daniel Island resident Robert Peiffer, who Ennis called a pioneer of tennis in the Lowcountry. Back then, there were only a couple hundred players in the league, which is expected to grow to over 18,000 participants in 2026.  

Ennis attributes the organization’s success to its dedicated administrators, consistent communication with players, a commitment to safety, and excellent supervision of its participating tennis centers. 

“We have strong, passionate, involved managers, a very strong board of directors, and we strive to provide a welcoming community atmosphere,” he said. “We are clear on the rules and focus on safety. It’s very important that our courts and facilities can support our players in a balanced way.”  

In 2025, LCTA honored Rob Eppelsheimer and Nancy Heinz of Live To Play Daniel Island as facility directors of the year. Eppelsheimer has been with LTP for 26 years, and Heinz for 16 years. 

“They have provided excellence and leadership in running one of the largest tennis facilities in South Carolina,” said Ennis. “They help maintain the facility, guide their large player community, schedule matches, practice philanthropy, and help with the Credit One tennis championship.” 

Ennis said LCTA is unique to tennis leagues in America in that the average player joins two teams in a year. But the average LCTA member plays on four teams annually. “There’s an insatiable appetite to play tennis, and this is a really fun, high-quality organization to play for,” he said. 

Ennis doesn’t see the passion for tennis in the Charleston area waning in the future, and LCTA participation is expected to continue expanding with the population.   

“I’m very bullish on tennis in the Lowcountry, especially if we are able to increase our court coverage,” Ennis said. “We’re growing at a very fast clip compared to most tennis leagues in the U.S. and the demographics are a phenomenon here. There’s going to be significant, positive, enthusiastic growth of tennis in the Lowcountry for a very longtime.”