The tennis ball generally comes in one size: about 2.6 inches in diameter. It weighs about 2 ounces, is covered with a soft, velvety coat and is very bouncy. But don’t be fooled by the tennis ball’s innocent demeanor and soft-spoken manner. This dude is fast and ferocious. The fastest tennis serve recorded was clocked at 163 mph in 2012 by Samuel Groth of Australia.

Let’s talk burning calories: an hour of tennis, 500; tai chi, 327; sky diving (minus the screaming), 245; walking, 270; horseback riding, 250; golf (without the cart), 370.

Our point: Tennis is for big boys and girls who mean business when it comes to hardy recreation, exercise and old-fashioned fun.

We at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club know about tennis. You can learn and enjoy the game at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club’s Tennis Club. We offer six Har-Tru Hydro-Grid® courts, the finest clay surface available; all of the courts are lit for night play.

But the game of tennis comes in various forms.

• Badminton players hit shuttlecocks over taller nets on smaller courts.
• Ball badminton is played in India with yellow balls made of wool.
• Beach tennis is a combination of volleyball and tennis played on, you guessed it, the beach.
• Crossminton, recently renamed from speedminton or speed badminton, incorporates aspects of badminton, squash and tennis. The game has no net or no designated play area.
• Fives is played in England. Balls are hit against walls with gloved hands.
• Pitton is a combination of pickleball and badminton and involves two teams.
• Pelota mixteca players wear decorated gloves with heavy, flat-striking surfaces used to hit small balls in a tennis-style game with no nets.
• Qianball is a combination of tennis and squash.
• Racquetball is played with hollow rubber balls on enclosed courts.
• Racketlon is not a combination of games, but is composed of table tennis, badminton, squash and tennis where participants play each sport.
• Real tennis is the forerunner of lawn tennis.
• Soft tennis is played on two half courts which are separated by a net. It uses soft rubber balls instead of tennis’ hard yellow ones.
• Speed-ball was invented in Egypt in 1961 for beginning tennis players. Players hit hollow balls that are attached by nylon lines to a metal pole.
• Squash is played in an enclosed court with a small, rubber ball.
• Squash tennis is the American version of squash. It is played with balls and rackets similar to what’s used in lawn tennis.
• Table tennis players use small, round bat paddles to hit lightweight (“ping pong”) balls across a table.
• And then there’s tennis.

If you want to discover the wonder of tennis, Golden Ocala’s Tennis Club has many options to get you started and keep you going. Take lessons or join a group or day leagues. Our professionals introduce the game of tennis to you at a comfortable level geared to your abilities and skill level. Private lessons and youth programs are available. Champion tennis leagues are also open to top-level players.

Golden Ocala’s Pro Shop offers the latest in tennis fashion and custom-racket stringing.

Contact one of Golden Ocala’s tennis professionals today. Keep up with all of the latest news from Golden Ocala by following us on Facebook and Twitter.