A local turf war has broken out between tennis players in one of San Francisco's fanciest neighborhoods after a private club was accused of a 'hostile takeover'.

Rossi Park in the Richmond District, at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, has three public tennis courts: two free and open to everyone, with a third under a reservation system. 

But neighbors say the courts are being taken over by the Rossi Racquet Club, a private Meetup-organized group, according to furious complaints sparked by a Reddit post and first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. 

Founded by Chad Moore, the group is accused of taking advantage of court rules to shut out players not part of the Meetup squad, which suggests a $5 donation to join its back-to-back doubles sessions on weekends. 

Numerous complaints have been filed with the city, with one critic accusing the club of clipping carabiner locks onto the gates in a 'hostile takeover' of the public courts. 

'They are gatekeeping and not allowing access to publicly available spaces during open hours,' one complaint, obtained by the outlet, read.

'They turned away a couple [University of San Francisco] players by telling them that this is a closed court for organized play,' the complaint continued. 

The Recreation and Parks Department deputy director told the outlet the courts are open to everyone and said the city is looking into the complaints. 

The racquet club’s Meetup page has over 1,000 members and includes a suggested $5 donation to cover supplies, which critics cite when arguing the group is trying to profit from a public court. 

In 2025, written emails obtained by the outlet showed a heated dispute between Moore and Jessica Hing, the property manager for the park.

Hing reached out to Moore and two other club leaders after receiving a note expressing concerns that 'Rossi tennis courts one and two have not been as welcoming as we all understood them to be.'

Moore has assured that his club is inclusive and open for everyone, writing: 'We have done nothing wrong, illegal or unwelcoming. We always play fair for ALL!!'

A Reddit thread blew up this week about the club, with others expressing anger over its alleged exclusionary behavior. 

'There is a group of local players who have essentially staged a hostile takeover of the public, first-come-first-serve courts. They have been doing this for at least two years. They treat these public parks like their own personal country club,' one outraged user wrote. 

They added that the group allegedly turns people away by saying:  the court rules state "only doubles can be played", and since their group is already playing doubles, any twosome that shows up is out of luck.'

'This is complete bulls***,' they lashed. 'The actual park rules are that if a court is being used for singles and another group shows up, you integrate to play doubles so more people can get on court.

'They have twisted this to mean they get to monopolize the courts indefinitely by just shuffling their own members around. They hold the courts for themselves from 8am to 1 to 2pm every Saturday and Sunday,' they wrote.

But the SF Chronicle spoke to Rossi Racquet Club member Kimberly Kim, who defended the group. 

'We welcome everybody,' she told the outlet.

The Recreation and Parks Department says it is reviewing the complaints and considering options such as on-site education, converting more courts to reservation-only use, or requiring permits for recurring groups.

For now, staff are monitoring weekend play at Rossi Playground while evaluating enforcement and scheduling changes to ensure the courts remain accessible to everyone.

Daily Mail reached out to Moore and San Francisco Recreation & Parks for comment.