You have a free Saturday morning, a friend with a racket, and a court that looks empty on a map. In Singapore, that is not enough. The best public courts are booked through a government platform, peak slots are balloted, and a booking you cannot use is hard to undo. None of it is complicated once you know the order of operations, but it catches people out the first time.
This guide covers how public tennis booking works through ActiveSG, what it costs, the rules that matter, and when a private venue is the easier call. For a map of venues, use the Singapore tennis directory; this article is about the booking mechanics around it.
The short version
- Most public tennis centres are run by Sport Singapore and booked through ActiveSG’s members portal.
- Per Sport Singapore’s 2024 release, the peak-slot ballot closes 14 days before the date of play (D-14).
- Peak slots are balloted first; leftover peak and all non-peak slots go first-come, first-served from 12pm on D-12.
- ActiveSG Circle lists a tennis quota of two slots per day per user; check the booking screen for the detail.
- Rates are low by any standard, and much lower off-peak.
- Private indoor courts exist when you want certainty or shelter, and they are booked through the venue rather than ActiveSG.
Public tennis centres: what is on offer
ActiveSG Circle’s page on where to play tennis lists these public centres, with court counts as it states them:
| Centre | Courts listed by ActiveSG Circle |
|---|---|
| Kallang Tennis Centre | 14 |
| Yio Chu Kang Tennis Centre | 9 |
| Farrer Park Tennis Centre | 8, plus 2 practice walls |
| CCAB (MOE) Tennis Centre | 5, plus a practice wall |
| Bedok Tennis Centre | 4 |
| Burghley Tennis Centre | 4 |
| Choa Chu Kang Tennis Centre | 4 |
The directory has pages for several of these, including Kallang Tennis Centre, Yio Chu Kang Tennis Centre, Pasir Ris Tennis Centre and Senja-Cashew Tennis Centre. The NUS Tennis Centre appears on ActiveSG’s rate table as a separate line, and its non-peak rate is listed as not available, so treat it differently from the neighbourhood centres.
Kallang is the obvious flagship. ActiveSG’s facility page gives its operating hours as daily 7am to 10pm and lists both a tennis court and a tennis wall court as bookable online. It also notes that outdoor facilities may close in inclement weather, which matters in a city with fast afternoon storms.
Pick a centre by travel time first. Singapore is small, but a 50-minute MRT-and-bus trip for a one-hour hit is a poor trade when another centre is 15 minutes away. The directory pages show the address and a link to each venue’s official source.
How ActiveSG booking works
Sport Singapore replaced its older membership system with a web-based platform called MyActiveSG+ in 2024. Its media release of 3 May 2024 sets out the rules that still frame booking, so here is what it says.
The booking timeline
The timeline runs backwards from the day you want to play. Peak slots go through a ballot that closes 14 days before (D-14); leftover peak slots and non-peak slots are first-come, first-served from D-12. If you want Saturday the 24th, the ballot closes on the 10th and open booking starts at noon on the 12th.
The peak-slot ballot
Peak-hour slots are not first-come, first-served. According to the release:
- The ballot stays open for 24 hours, closing at 11.59pm on the day 14 days before play (D-14).
- Winners are notified by 12pm the next day and have until 11.59pm on D-13 to pay.
- Peak slots left unassigned go to first-come, first-served booking at 12pm on D-12, together with the non-peak slots.
What this means in practice: for a Saturday morning at a popular centre, enter the ballot on time, and if you miss out, check again at noon on D-12 when unclaimed slots return. Non-peak weekday daytime slots are the easy ones.
Sign-up and login use Singpass, per the same release. We could not confirm a separate route for visitors without one, so if you are a visitor, ask ActiveSG directly or use a private venue.
These are the rules as published in 2024. Platforms change, so read the booking screen itself for the current window and times.
The two-slot quota
ActiveSG Circle’s individual rates page puts tennis in the group with a quota of two slots per day per user. Other ActiveSG pages may describe consecutive slots differently, so check the booking screen for what you can actually hold.
Cancellations and weather
We could not open ActiveSG’s official FAQ on refunds (it redirected to a page that did not load for us), so we are not stating a cancellation or rain-refund rule. Read the terms in the booking flow before paying, and do not assume you can undo a booking late.
What it costs
From ActiveSG Circle’s “Individual Rates & Quotas” page, last updated 25 August 2026, per court per hour, GST included:
| Category | Non-peak | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore Citizen / PR | SGD 3.50 | SGD 9.50 |
| Standard rate | SGD 4.60 | SGD 12.40 |
Peak is 6pm to 10pm on weekdays and 7am to 10pm on weekends and public holidays. Non-peak is 7am to 6pm on weekdays, excluding public holidays. The page also lists a Senior Citizen Family Concession for tennis on weekday daytime slots when used with a senior citizen. Exclusive-use hires and commercial events are charged exclusive of GST. Check current rates before you rely on any figure here.
The takeaway is the gap between weekday daytime and a weekend: a weekday-lunch hit is roughly a third of the price of a Saturday court. If your schedule allows, shift your playing to the daytime.
When to choose a private venue
Public courts are cheap but limited by the ballot and the weather. A private or hotel venue makes sense when:
- You want certainty. Bookings handled directly with the venue skip the ballot.
- Rain would ruin the plan. An indoor court plays whatever the sky does.
- You are travelling and cannot use Singpass. Direct booking can be simpler.
Two examples from the directory:
- Winchester Tennis Arena in Alexandra is listed with 4 indoor hard courts. Its booking page advertises all-weather play and does not list prices or hours. We could not confirm how bookings are taken, so check the venue’s own page and ask for both.
- Our Tampines Hub’s indoor courts are listed as 4 public indoor hard courts in the east of the island.
Central options include Savitar Tennis Centre (UFIT), a rooftop centre in City Hall listed with 4 clay and 2 synthetic grass courts, and Tennis @ One-North, listed with 2 hard courts. We did not find current prices for these on pages we read, so we are not quoting any.
A practical booking routine
- Choose two centres near where you live or stay, so a ballot loss at one does not end your week.
- Mark D-14 in your calendar for any peak slot you want, and enter the ballot before it closes at 11.59pm.
- Check D-12 at noon. Unassigned peak slots and non-peak slots are released together.
- Book weekday daytime for the cheapest slots when your schedule is flexible.
- Pay on time. Ballot winners have until 11.59pm on D-13, according to the release.
- Bring a plan B. Outdoor facilities can close in bad weather, so keep an indoor venue’s contact details handy.
Booking is only half the problem
Once you have a court, you need someone to play with. In a city where many people book courts as couples or colleagues, finding a level-matched partner is the part with no portal. Some ways around it:
- Ask a coach whether students at your level want a hit. Our guide to tennis lessons in Singapore covers how academies work.
- Know your level in one of the common systems before you ask around; our rating systems explained guide is the quickest primer.
- Read what social tennis is to know what formats to look for.
Breakers Open Play, level-matched drop-in sessions where you book a seat and play with people at your level, no partner needed, runs in Bangkok for now, not in Singapore. If you are passing through Thailand, see the next sessions.
Common mistakes
- Showing up with no booking. Public centres are bookable resources, not walk-in courts. Confirm on the platform before you travel.
- Ignoring the peak definition. A 5.30pm start is non-peak; a 6pm start is peak and costs more. Check the exact slot.
- Booking too far from home. A cheap court that is an hour away stops being cheap.
- Forgetting the weather. If your only slot is an outdoor weekend afternoon, keep an indoor fallback.
- Quoting old rates. Fees change, so use the current ActiveSG page.
What we could not confirm
We could not confirm ActiveSG’s current cancellation and weather-refund rules, a booking route for visitors without Singpass, the number of courts at Kallang beyond ActiveSG Circle’s listing of 14, or private-venue prices for Winchester, Savitar or Tennis @ One-North. Left out rather than guessed.
Sources
- ActiveSG Circle, Individual Rates & Quotas (last updated 25 August 2026): https://www.activesgcircle.gov.sg/facilities/individual-rates
- ActiveSG Circle, Where can I play tennis in Singapore: https://www.activesgcircle.gov.sg/learn/tennis/where-can-i-play-tennis-in-singapore
- ActiveSG Circle, Kallang Tennis Centre: https://www.activesgcircle.gov.sg/facilities/kallang-tennis-centre
- Sport Singapore, Sport Singapore to Introduce Refreshed Membership and Booking Platform in June (3 May 2024): https://www.sportsingapore.gov.sg/media-centre/sport-singapore-to-introduce-refreshed-membership-and-booking-platform-in-june/
- Coach XT, Tennis court booking (Winchester Tennis Arena): https://coachxt.sg/tennis-court-booking/
Frequently asked questions
How much does a public tennis court cost in Singapore?
ActiveSG Circle's individual rates page (last updated 25 August 2026) lists tennis at SGD 3.50 per hour off-peak and SGD 9.50 peak for Singapore Citizens and PRs, and SGD 4.60 off-peak and SGD 12.40 peak at the standard rate, per court per hour including GST. Rates change, so check the live page before you book.
What counts as peak hours for tennis at ActiveSG?
Per ActiveSG Circle, peak is 6pm to 10pm on weekdays and 7am to 10pm on weekends and public holidays. Non-peak is 7am to 6pm on weekdays, excluding public holidays.
How far ahead can I book an ActiveSG tennis court?
Sport Singapore's 2024 announcement of the MyActiveSG+ platform says the peak-slot ballot closes 14 days before the date of use (D-14), and unassigned peak slots plus non-peak slots open first-come, first-served at 12pm on D-12. Rules can be updated, so confirm in the live booking system.
Can a visitor book a public tennis court in Singapore?
Sign-up for MyActiveSG+ is through Singpass according to Sport Singapore, which suggests short-term visitors without one may struggle to book on their own. We could not confirm a visitor route, so check with ActiveSG, or look at a private venue that takes bookings directly.
Are there indoor tennis courts in Singapore?
Yes. The directory lists Our Tampines Hub's public indoor courts and Winchester Tennis Arena, a private indoor arena in Alexandra which takes bookings through the venue itself.
