Initially I had written a long review stating all the specifics as to why this is not the greatest choice for your child. However, I decided to leave it with one simple question. Why is it that almost none of the staff return to this camp? It certainly isnt because they failed but because the working conditions and management are in need of some serious retuning tuning. Just be cautious and ask to speak with returning staff who aren't the owners, golf pros or directors. Chances are they wont be able to provide this... Many great camps exist at a fraction of the marked up costs.
Don't be fooled by the "stuffed" ratings for this camp. My son and his cousin attended two years ago. The facility, food and instructors fell far below acceptable standards. The boys told me that none of the friends they met came back last year.
This is an excellent camp. It is the perfect blend of high end instruction and traditional camp activities. I have worked with many camps and you can feel the caring atmosphere that these counselors produce. It starts with the owners who have shown to be be caring professionals who uphold the camp values they teach. The faciltites and lake are picturesque. I would recommend this camp to friends and family.
I was the Assistant Director of Tennis at MGTA in 2008. My personal experience as an employee was exceptional. The camp is first rate through and through. Safety,fun, and learning were the priorities of our programs. The camp itself has the facilities and programs to keep the campers entertained all day. The owner sees to it that the camp and campers are safe at all times. This is the premier Golf and Tennis Camp in the country for good reason...The coaching and technology available to the campers is exceptional.
I am currently employed by the camp and have been with Joel and Crista for the past 3 years. I can say with certainty that the statements on this page are false and outrageous. From what I have seen in my time at the camp, the kids are happy and enjoying themselves. There are frequent activities and trips for them to participate in and lots of time for them to have fun with new friends. If they kids didn't like the place, why would so many of them come back? MGTA is not the prison camp that some people make it out to be. We try our best to provide sound sports coaching, rounded with fun activities and play time.
I have been involved with this orginization for the past 6 years and I see nothing but positive results in every department. Some of these negetive postings are completely unfair, just becasue it seems like a student had a bad experience with another camper they let it negate their whole attitude twards the summer. We have to remember when reading some of the postings that some of these children are used to getting what ever they want and can not deal with a little authority. I can personally vouch for not only the management but the employees as well that MGTA is nothing but professinal in every aspect, and anything that is not up to par they will go above and beyond to make it right. Definatly work taking a look into for your child and I definatly would read too much into theses negetive comments that oviously have no idea what they are thanking about. Thanks for reading, and keep on smiling.
The facilities at this camp are excellent. The greens are very well-maintained and value is placed on finding PGA level, superior instructors that love working with kids of all ages. I was impressed by the courts as well. The tradition of clay courts is nice. I would have liked less rain this season, as that slowed down some activities for my child, such as the boating events, but alternative activities were made available. The staff was helpful and friendly. I highly recommend this camp.
My kids loved their summer at Maine Golf and Tennis. The facilities were great and they got great instruction from the golf pros! When not busy working on their golf or tennis game they had a chance to get involved with water skiing, yoga, art and a lot more! Joel and Crista took great care of them. I would recommend MGTA without hesitation.
The Maine Golf & Tennis Camp epitomizes what summer camp life is all about for girls and boys, ages 8-17. Activities supervised by an experienced and caring staff along with superb management make MGTC a worthwhile choice for parents who want a worry free place to send their children. Golf, tennis, and ice hockey are core camp sports, but many other activities are available. Your child will receive top notch instruction in the sport or sports of their choice. Rest assured your children will be chaperoned appropriately by responsible counselors at this coed camp. Girls and boys live in separate cabins which are clean and well maintained. Healthy foods are served at mealtime and beverages are regularly available to maintain hydration. Children attending camp come from places all over the world giving your child an opportunity to interact with people of different cultures, making Maine Golf and Tennis Camp a rewarding experience your child will never forget. Nice New England setting.
Over the years, I have visitied and worked with camp and have always heard and believed it is a top rated program and facility. Also, I believe Joel and his staff are totally focused on the well being of the campers
We sent both of our kids to MGTA this summer and they had a blast! They got great instruction in golf and really enjoyed water skiing. Joel and Crista spent many hours talking to us during the winter and summer. They really calmed our fears as first time camp parents. We love MGTA!
My son has gone to a few camps over the last few summers and this past year we sent him to Maine for golf. I can't speak on the tennis but we were not happy with the golf. We were hoping that this would be good preparation for his high school season and I don't really think he got much out of the program. I think he had fun, but not much improvement with his golf skills. We debated about sending him to a camp or get private instruction, for the price I think we'll invest in lessons.
i don't understand why some reviews are so low. I have been to this camp for 3 years, and am going back for my 4th. The staff is unbeatable, with all them trying to please each individual camper. The Golf facilities are top of the line with great golf pros. I am a golfer, so i don't get to see much of the tennis side of things, but from what i hear, they too are great. The activity selection is giant. We could choose from golf, tennis, waterfront, ping pong, and all of the other awsome camp activities. I also feel that each camper gets an unbelievable amount of attention. Although the price might be a little high, the fun i've had at MGTA is unmatched.
I was a counselor there this past summer and when I tell people about camp I include that it was the best thing I have done in a summer. I applied at six other tennis camps across the nation and took this job because of the Kids Sports Illustrated ranking. First week was a little rough but quickly got better. When the campers arrived it was great. Coming from the teaching side of things I feel that the Tennis program in particular really got to business and helped everyone who came to camp. Whenever a camper came up to an instructor and asked for more help on a part of their game a pro was assigned to the camper. The director watched and helped that camper as well. I personally improved a lot and learned a wealth of knowledge. I will be going back to camp next summer as a Tennis Counselor and Health Center Specialist. I promote this camp and I am very proud to be a part of this tradition. The owners Joel and Christa put in so much work to make this camp the best in America.
I have been sending my child here for two summers straight and she loves the camp. She has made great friends and still keeps in touch with them. She also has improved her tennis game tremendously. She will be going next summer as well. It is a great camp!
Great Camp. My daughter had the best summer back east and wants to go back again next summer. She met quite a few friends that she keeps in touch with.
my daughter went to camp this summer. She loved the tennis program professional instruction all day every day. Personal attention camp has a 4 to 1 ratio student to staff that was great.She has made friends from all over the world and they email each other all year. She wants to come back next year.
We sent our son to this camp for a 4 week session this past summer and we're truly disappointed. The first thing we'd realized befor signing him up was that this camp was very expensive. Not only for the camp itself, but an large fee for uniform and weekend activities. The camp wasn't worth the price mainly because of the lack of instruction and really had no organization.
I'm researching golf camps for my son this summer and wanted to give a review of this camp. My son went to this camp last summer and we were upset with his experience. My son son is a pretty good golfer and plays in high school, he didn't recieve any real instruction with his swing. That sounds crazy, but it's true. He came home without really changing his swing or improving his game. The facility was good for practice, but he didn't get to play much golf on golf courses. The other activities were so-so. The staff tried to be helpful, but with the program in place there wasn't much they could do. We sent him for two weeks and we were just glad it wasn't longer. We almost signed him up for the 4 week program.
My son attended this camp last summer. It was a very negitive experience for him. He went for what was supposed to be the best Tennis program in the country and it was a complete disappointment. The pro who we had been put in touch with over the winter was no longer on the staff and they had not even had the decency to inform of that in advance. The tennis program was completely disorganized and inferior. How this camp ever received the #1 rating from Sports Ilustrated for Kids is a complete mystery. They in no way deserve it. It is extremely expensive and the fact that they require you to spend over $500 for camp uniforms is obsurd. It is on a beautiful lake in Maine but they don't seem to take advantage of it. I heard almost nothing about the other activities and very little good about the councelors or staff. The food was bad. They did not even give the kids dessert. Cabins not very nice. Showers far away. Take our advise stay away from this overrated and overpriced camp.
The staff is great, the management is horrible. My daughter loved her councelors and had a great time with her cabin. The Management made her summer awful. Teenagers are teenagers. They did not allows my daughter to be herself. If boys and girls held hands or hugged they got into trouble. She will NOT be returning. Golf instruction was mediocre, they hit off of matts which are bad for your back. There is another camp in Saltsburg, PA. US GOLF CAMPs I will send her there next summer to have a real summer. She has too little time to be social during the school year with the workload, she deserves to have a little fun over the summer. If your child is above the age of 12 do not send them to this camp.
My son attended this camp for 4 weeks this past summer and we were very disappointed. The instruction was poor but even worse was the facility, food and setting. Trying to put a band aid on a old boys camp and calling it a golf academy is ridiculous. While researching this camp, it was obviuos that this was an expensive camp and from our experience it was not worth the price.
Not sure why reviews are so mixed. My son attended the camp last summer and loved it. He a fabulous experience with a great combination of traditional camp and golf. Hundreds of campers have already registered for next summer. They must be pleasing most.
This is the most prejudice camp ever! They constantly make marks against your religion and race! The food is so bad! The camp is out of shape, and has horrible facilities. The activities are beyond boring where it gets to the point that people fall asleep, the nurse will give you a band aid if you have a fever, the staff is rude, there are no normal girls, the guys are losers, and rude, The kids are obnoxious, insulting, and so is the staff. I did not improve in my sport, and I wasted my summer! WORST CAMP EVER!
I have to concur with the previous two postings. I sent my son to camp here last summer and I was disappointed in the overall value and experience the camp offered. He was unhappy with the food and the cabin conditions were not what you see on the website. Although he did not lose any weight, because he was only there 2 weeks, he came home talking about other campers who had lost weight due to the poor food. Additionally, he complained that the greens were extremely slow therefore practicing was of no value. The website definitely oversells the camp and don't believe everything you read. At this price, I was expecting much more.
My son attended this camp in the summer of 2006. I have to agree with the other reviews. This camp's website is a little over the top with it's description of the camp. This camp is very expensive, and at this price the food, facility, and instruction should be better. My son was probably most disappointed with the golf courses that he played and the amount of instruction he was given. I really didn't get much feedback on other activities other than golf. My impression of the camp was that it's a nice spot in Maine, but the camp itself could use some work.
My son just returned from two weeks at this camp. The only good thing that can be said about it is that there is reasonable golf instruction available. The website for this camp misrepresents the physical facility. The picture of the cabin is NOT remotely like the cabin my son was in. There was bullying going on at the camp and the counselors did nothing about it. The food was poor. The camp is small and the facilities are run down. There are many international campers, which some may feel is a plus, but it made for a great deal of difficulty socially. Overall, my son (age 11) played golf morning, noon, and night since the other programs were really not well developed. This camp is very expensive so I expected my son to play golf on several local courses. He played on one course that was very small with only par 3 holes. He said "it looked like they put flags up in someone's backyard." You'd be better off spending your $$ on golf lessons. Much better off.
I believe they are better at golf then Tennis, I hope they will improve their food. Setting is very nice and kids are mostly from affluent families. It is a very expensive camp. They charge for every thing such as 2% credit card transaction fee.
