Coming Up Aces

The new tennis center at the Country Club of Roswell
offers members competition and camaraderie.

When the Country Club of Roswell (Ga.) renovated its tennis facility in 2007, the goal was twofold. First, the club, located in a northern Atlanta suburb, wanted to create a more centralized location where its members could gather; second, it wanted to update the facility to help it maintain a competitive edge. “The old design was very spread out,” says Matt Grayson, the club’s Athletic Director/Director of Tennis. “With our new layout, it centrally locates everyone and creates a much more social atmosphere.”

The focal point of Roswell’s tennis center is a covered tennis pavilion, which overlooks the club’s nine clay courts and four hard courts (view additional photos at clubandresortbusiness.com). To make space for the facility, the club relocated two of its tennis courts, raised the area eight feet, and redid most of the sidewalk areas. Decorative cement and colored pavers replaced what had been wooden decking.

The tennis pavilion is open on three sides, with men’s and women’s restrooms inside. It’s outfitted with eight high-bar tables and four chairs at each table, a sound system, ceiling fans and ice and water stations. In the winter, the club brings in outdoor patio heaters to help accommodate winter play.

Designed to blend with the look of the clubhouse, the base of the pavilion’s columns are comprised of the same stacked-stone design utilized in the pool area. “We made sure that all of the architecture and aesthetics matched up,”
says Grayson.

Outside the pavilion, the facility has a three-tier layout, with pathways and stairs connecting each tier. The tennis pavilion and four courts sit at the top; the second level has five courts; and four more courts are at the bottom.

CC of Roswell
Tennis Facility Opened: 2007
Architect: Alex Munoz
Size: About 2.5-3 acres
Number of courts: 13 courts total: 6 hydra courts; 3 hybrid clay courts; 4 hard courts
Capacity: 52 players
Furniture: Tropitone
Amenities: Full-service tennis pro shop (located within the clubhouse); men’s and women’s locker rooms (shared with the fitness facility), with daily-use lockers for tennis members.
Staff: One full-time pro shop manager; 4 part-time high school and college students on evenings and weekends in the pro shop; 3 full-time tennis pros; 3 part-time employees used for large groups and overflow; 2 maintenance workers who brush, line and treat the courts.

As part of the renovation, the club updated its court surfaces. Prior to the renovation, the clay courts would freeze in the winter, limiting Roswell members to only four playable courts. To address this issue, the club transformed three courts into hybrid clay courts that feature a woven carpet membrane glued down onto the hard court surface. Then the Har-Tru clay material is put on top of that. “It plays like clay, but because it takes in far less water, it doesn’t freeze in the wintertime,” Grayson explains.

Roswell’s six other clay courts are hydra courts, which utilize an underground watering system. Rather than older versions where sprinkler heads water the courts, pools of water under the courts provide a more consistent level of hydration.

An added benefit of the tennis facility’s new design is that it caters better to league play, by providing plenty of viewing areas. In addition to the seating within the pavilion, each court has a seating area, too. And the overlooks on all of the courts are set up with high-bar patio chairs with drink trays attached to the railings, along with umbrellas for shading. There are also on-court benches for the players.

The new state-of-the-art tennis center has boosted the club’s tennis program considerably. Today, Roswell has 100 tennis members, and a recent survey of the club’s golf members—who have access to the entire facility—found that 74% of those members have someone in the family who also plays tennis. Most notably, the club’s tennis memberships grew by 30% this year alone.

“The bulk of our new members are younger and more active than previous generations. That has really energized the place,” says Grayson. “As a result, members who have been here for years are enjoying the new energy and camaraderie
found at the tennis center.”