Before my visit to Walmer Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, I contacted the club to explain a little about The Tennis Attic and my passion for the history of tennis. Walmer is a strictly private club, so I wasn't sure whether a visitor from the Netherlands would be able to play on its grass courts. Fortunately, my story seemed to strike a chord, and I was made very welcome.

I arrived just as a croquet afternoon was coming to an end. I was warmly greeted by Lesley Andrew, a wonderfully kind lady who immediately made me feel at home. A group of members were still sitting together having tea, and I was invited to join them.

“Tea?”

“Yes please, with milk.”

It was a wonderfully British way to begin my first visit to Walmer.

I was soon introduced to the club chairman, Peter Tullo. His welcome was equally warm: “Enjoy, and stay as long as you like.” It was clear from the beginning that this was a club that was happy to share its traditions and its courts with a visitor who genuinely appreciated them.

Before playing, I was given an explanation of the club's grass courts and the way they are maintained. I found it fascinating to learn how much work goes into keeping a grass court in good condition throughout the season.

Then it was time to play.

I joined one of the club's social sessions, using the pegboard system to organise the games. And what a sight the courts were. They were beautifully green and looked almost too perfect to play on.

But they weren't just beautiful to look at. They played wonderfully.

The surface felt remarkably even and comfortable underfoot. In fact, my first impression was that the courts played like a luxurious carpet. Grass tennis turned out to be much less difficult and unfamiliar than I had expected. I had no problems with the surface at all, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Walmer gave me much more than my first opportunity to play tennis on grass. It gave me a glimpse into a very special kind of English tennis club culture: croquet, tea, social tennis, tradition and an incredibly warm welcome.

It was a visit I will remember for a long time.

An Evening at Tunbridge Wells Lawn Tennis Club

Unlike my visit to Walmer, I had not been able to make contact with Tunbridge Wells Lawn Tennis Club beforehand. I did know, however, that a junior tournament was taking place during the day, so I decided simply to walk into the park and see what would happen.

The junior tournament was being played on hard courts and artificial clay courts, and the standard of tennis was impressive. One thing in particular caught my attention. During one of the matches, an official spoke to a parent and reminded her that she was not allowed to talk to her child during the match.

I thought that was wonderful to see. In the Netherlands, parents can sometimes become far too involved in their children's matches, not only talking to their own child but sometimes even getting involved with the opponent. Here, the boundaries seemed very clear: once the match started, the players were left to play.

But, of course, my main interest was elsewhere: the grass courts.

Tony, a friendly gentleman wearing a straw hat, noticed my interest and started talking to me. When I explained that I would love to hit a few balls on their grass courts, he took me to the club office and introduced me to someone who could help.

As a result, I was able to arrange to return that evening and join their mix-in.

And what an evening it turned out to be.

I was given a very warm welcome, and former club chairman Tim took me under his wing. He made sure I felt completely at home and turned the evening into an unforgettable experience.

We played four half-hour doubles matches on the club's grass courts. The courts looked very different from those at Walmer. They were dry and rather brown, resembling Wimbledon after the Championships rather than the lush green courts I had seen the week before in Walmer.

Yet once again, the grass was remarkably enjoyable to play on. Despite the appearance of the courts, they were very playable indeed. Over the entire evening, I experienced only one genuinely bad bounce.

After the tennis, we went upstairs to the terrace of the club's beautiful clubhouse, where Guinness was waiting. It was one of those wonderfully British tennis-club moments that I had hoped to experience when I came to England.

Then I pulled the Slazenger Special Demon out of my tennis bag.

That caused quite a stir.

The racket went from hand to hand around the terrace, as did my phone, with The Tennis Attic website on the screen. Suddenly, my little tennis collection from the Netherlands had become a topic of conversation among the members of Tunbridge Wells Lawn Tennis Club.

At the end of the evening, Tim gave me a special booklet celebrating the club's centenary. It contained many wonderful black-and-white photographs, including several featuring one of the club's most famous members, Virginia Wade.

It was a wonderful gesture and the perfect ending to an already memorable evening.

Playing four doubles on grass, sharing Guinness with the members, talking about tennis history and seeing my Slazenger Special Demon become the centre of attention on the terrace — this was truly one of the most memorable tennis evenings I have ever experienced.