Meet the Instructors

Gene Paul Lascano, USPTA/PTR

Director of Racquets

Gene Paul has more than 25 years of teaching experience at clubs and resorts in New York and Florida.  He has been an active PTR Professional for 20 years and a USPTA Elite Professional for the past 16 years.  The former “Tennis Network of Greater Volusia County Teaching Pro of the Year” is also one of the few 5-year Charter Members of PPR and is a certified Pickleball Professional with the USPTA.  He is also a long-standing member of the HEAD/Penn Advisory Staff.

Clayton Hamilton, USPTA/PTR

Head Racquets Professional

Clayton graduated from Guilford College, where he was an All-Conference tennis player. In 2014, he moved to Virginia Beach to work at the Cavalier Golf and Yacht Club. In 2017, he became the Head Tennis Coach for both the men’s and women’s teams at Hampton University, where he was named Women’s Conference Coach of the Year. He has been certified with the USPTA as an Elite Professional since 2013 and a High-Performance Professional with the PTR since 2017.  He is also a certified Pickleball Professional with the USPTA.

Don Groundwater, PTR

Assistant Tennis Professional

Prior to joining the Hammock Beach team, Don was the Head Tennis Professional at the Palm Coast Tennis Center. He has 14 years of teaching experience in Florida and has been a certified PTR instructor since 2010.