San Francisco Father Questioned by Park Rangers While Teaching His Own Children Tennis

A San Francisco parent encountered park rangers during a recreational tennis session with his children at Golden Gate Heights Park, raising questions about enforcement of the city’s commercial instruction rules. Sam Dogen said he was practicing with his 6-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son shortly after returning from a family vacation to Hawaii when two Recreation and Parks Department rangers approached approximately 20 minutes into their activity.

The rangers inquired whether Dogen possessed the required permit to teach tennis, prompting confusion from the father who clarified the children were his own. Only after his son identified himself as Dogen’s child did the interaction conclude without citation, though a ranger mentioned the potential $192 penalty for unauthorized instruction.

The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department defended the encounter as routine protocol, explaining that rangers routinely verify whether court users are providing paid instruction. Department spokesperson Tamara Aparton stated that because commercial tennis lessons require permits on public courts, rangers ask questions to distinguish between commercial and personal recreational use.

Dogen expressed frustration with the interaction, noting the court was empty and questioned the necessity of disrupting his family’s afternoon. He emphasized his primary concern was maintaining calm around his young children during the exchange with authorities.

While acknowledging the city’s need to regulate paid instruction, Dogen argued that parents coaching their own children deserve different treatment under park rules. He called for San Francisco to adopt more family-friendly enforcement practices and joked he might carry his children’s birth certificates to future visits to the public courts.