Beyond The Baselines

In the next episode Beyond The Baselines Podcast, we sit down with Maxwell Shteyman, Director of Culinary and Clubhouse Operations at Montammy Golf Club, to discuss how innovation in food and beverage can sometimes go too far.

“Too much fusion leads to confusion—and to a messy plate,” Max says with a smile. In a world where every dish seems to chase the next trend, Shteyman believes that simplicity and clarity still reign supreme. Food, after all, mirrors life: the more ingredients and variables you add, the more complex—and often problematic—the outcome becomes.

But this e...

by Ed Shanaphy, CMAA

We often say “mentoring,” but what we really mean—especially within private clubs—is advancing. Mentorship is not simply guiding or teaching; it’s creating an environment where your staff can grow, achieve, and in turn, enhance the member experience. Every interaction between staff and member is an opportunity to refine skill, build confidence, and elevate service.

A club manager’s greatest legacy is not the number of events executed or budgets balanced—it’s the people they’ve advanced. Let’s explore the three pillars that define true mentorship and the art of advancing...

This week on the Beyond The Baselines podcast, we welcome Dave Henion, a man who has spent his life immersed in the culture of private members clubs.

Dave’s journey began as a young caddy at Rolling Hills Country Club in Connecticut, where he learned early on how golf and business often meet on the fairway. From there, he worked his way up — serving as assistant golf professional, head professional, and eventually Director of Golf at some of the country’s most respected clubs, including Woodway in Darien, Siwanoy in Bronxville, and the elite Apawamis Club in Rye, N...

Rafael Coutinho, Director of Racquets at Rumson Country Club on the Jersey Shore, joins the BeyondTheBaselines.com podcast.

With just two tennis courts and four pickleball courts, it had been the platform tennis courts that were the pride and joy of Rumson. With over 20 social events during the paddle season, platform tennis was at the heart of Rumson’s winter activities. But with grand designs and planning, and the club having the great idea to incentivize Rafael to build participation across tennis, there are four new tennis courts and a new racquets shop in the plans for 2026.

Capturing the essence of an athlete—let alone defining a career within the grand tapestry of a sport’s history—is no easy feat. As the era of the “Big Three” nears its close, Rafael Nadal’s reign over clay courts and his unprecedented dominance at Roland Garros stand unmatched—and perhaps forever unrepeatable.

On the latest episode of the Beyond The Baselines podcast, renowned journalist Christopher Clarey—former international sports correspondent for The New York Times and International Herald Tribune—offers a multifaceted look at Nadal’s legacy: athletic, historical, and deeply human. His new book, The Warrior: Rafael...

The podcaster sits in the hot seat. Private Club Radio’s Denny Corby joins the Beyond The Baselines podcast and talks everything private member clubs.

If a listener gets one thing out of just one of his podcasts, it means the world to Corby, the host of the biggest podcast in club management. “Your vibe attracts your tribe,” says Corby who took over Private Club Radio several years ago.

As personal friends, Ed Shanaphy, our host, and Denny talk movies and fashion through to club management and the two organizations, the CMAA and the NC...

You’ve heard of the points guy, but this is the gift card guy, or as Larry Rubin calls himself, the gift card guru. This recording is aimed at marketing for both of our client subsets, private members clubs and boutique hotels.

Usage, Revenue Streams, Departments Inspected And Enhanced

Through gift cards, clubs and hotels can track usage of new and returning members and guests when given free money or points. Marketers can introduce a club or a hotel property at really no cost if the gift card is combined with a payment toward membership – many...

How did an international trade and finance student from Mexico come to head up Red Bank New Jersey’s Navesink Country Club’s Racquet Program? It’s a long and winding road, but one that is full of insights into the private members club industry.

Victor Vidal knew he was not suited to work behind a desk. As Navesink’s Director of Racquets, Vidal runs a year-round program boasting tennis, platform tennis and pickleball. With a team of 5 certified professionals and four collegiate players along with a retail manager, Victor is on the courts, but as his staff gr...

We might be booking our juniors for summer sleep away camp this March, but have we ever thought that a summer camp is really a private members club for kids?

From the red clay tennis courts, and all the maintenance they entail, through to the enormous food and beverage operation and the hiring of chefs and servers, a summer camp is similar to an elite private club.

Ramsey Hoehn, who returned in 2020 to his family’s business, brought his many years as a Head Tennis Professional and Director of Racquets to Windridge Tennis and Sports Ca...

Danielle Chavez, Founder, Club Design Studio

The daily questions we ask ourselves over club communications – how often should we email our members? Is it possible or should we make the weekly newsletter shorter? How do we integrate the club’s website into our marketing strategy? – all these questions and more take center stage in this podcast with Club Design Studio’s fearless leader Danielle Chavez.

Communication is at the heart of a club – whether it’s members conversing with each other, staff and management promoting food specials or golf programming, or whether It’s marketing through email, social media a...

by Ed Shanaphy There's always that guy. The guy that is on the sidelines of every tournament, from a WTA qualifier to an ATP Masters to a Grand Slam. The guy who amazes onlookers through his building of a network. The guy who continues to work, even after retirement and sleeps in the back of a Suburban on the way to the next event. The guy who finally creates such volumes of great work, it brings him to the top of his profession from roots deep in the industry. The guy that becomes a legend and works with legends. On...

An Historic Club's Metamorphosis Through Consultancy to Interim Management To Long-Term Strategy Completion Pretty Brook Tennis Club first called BeyondTheBaselines.com in late 2019. The club was dropping members as if members were falling leaves on a cold November, football Saturday at the famed university in the club's hometown of Princeton, NJ. The president mentioned the club's membership was at just 155 member households, significantly down from its glory days when it boasted over 200. Although the five clay courts were busy on weekend mornings, the club was having difficulty finding younger families who might join. Pretty Brook was founded in 1929, however, its...

Young John Bierkan would bike through the parking lot at the club where his father was teaching golf most childhood mornings at 6am. These halcyon Pennsylvania mornings might have seen his siblings resetting the blackout curtains, but not John. Golf was in his blood and his early mornings as a junior golfer saw John always at the club – every day and all day. And, from those early days and moonlit mornings while breathing in the freshly cut fairways, Bierkan knew he wanted to, just like his father, teach golf.

John has become one of the leading golf in...

Taylor Newman left college for two careers. Her love of writing led her to her daily, first shift - a beat journalist covering the DC Metro sports teams for the sports desk at the Washington Post. Ben Bradlee would have been proud of her commitment up there with Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in terms of hours. For when Taylor had filed her sports reports, she would move to her second, eight-hour shift at Chevy Chase Club, where she was serving as an Assistant Professional. Finally, weighing up her options, Taylor chose the hospitality, private members club, and tennis career...

Hospitality runs in the family. Alexandria LaRocca, Director of Member Engagement at The Beach Point Club in Mamaroneck, New York, and Matt Assumma, who served at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, join the podcast. And, they’ve known each other for years, and we mean for years, since they were kids. Alexandria and Matt are both offspring of well-known and highly regarded club managers, having grown up in the industry. Their respective backgrounds highlight how important both human resources and hospitality are in the private members club industry. Ocean Reef Club And Gaining Membership Through Visitation Matt spent eight ye...

Two major seasonal jobs have just one director: Brett Gaede. From his first ever, post-college professional position at the renowned Nantucket Yacht Club, Gaede has made New England and Florida his seasonal homes, and follows his members, and the sun, up and down the East Coast. With his two director roles, he lives with water views year-round, and has views over the Atlantic almost two thousand five hundred miles apart, depending on the calendar. Gaede is the director in the summer in Maine on the remote Mount Desert Island at The Harbor Club. A very private club, hidden in the...

It's not easy to engage members twelve months a year in the cold, frigid air of Canada when your only amenity is golf. Ash Chadha, general manager at Glencoe Golf And Country Club, is bringing members to the club in bigger and bigger numbers through various methods, even in the dark winter months. Offering a warm welcome through a cold winter is just how he does it. Glencoe, established in 1984, was an outlier of its sister club, the downtown city club, Glencoe, in Alberta, Calgary. The idea of being open twelve months a year had started just before Covid. As...

This could be the best conference in our industry. It may be the biggest. It was the largest, according to the organizers, in over twenty years. The PGA Merchandise Show reached new heights this last week of January, 2024 with more vendors, more club managers and more industry leaders. And, we at BeyondTheBaselines.com were there to cover it all: the conference, the speakers, and the vendors. From new releases on the golf, tennis, pickleball, and the retail fashion side, the conference offers those in the club management and private members club industry a chance to meet, greet and learn from...

Already a Top 100 course in the nation, The Tree Farm was a vision of a PGA Tour Player back when it was a deep, dark and dense tree farm owned by a timber company. Looking to fully open its doors in September 2024, The Tree Farm is hoping to become not only a destination, but is also hoping to change how we might envision a golfing experience. The dream of PGA Tour player Zac Blair, The Tree Farm, a private club in Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina, is just twenty-five minutes away from the revered Augusta National. Although Blair may have had some...

Isabella Graf moved to the United States from her native Germany early in life. She may be a shining example not only of proverbial "American Dream," but also of the experience and education available in the private club industry, where she is fast becoming one of its leaders. Chosen to be a regional leader for the United States Professional Tennis Association and Head Professional at The Landings in Fort Myers, Florida, Graf is looking to become a mentor in her own right after learning from so many. As a graduate of the Professional Tennis Management (PTM) program at Methodist University...

by Ed Shanaphy, CMAA We welcome in 2024 here at BeyondTheBaselines.com with a renewed vigor and an eye to a bright future in the private members club industry. Although 2024 will have its challenges as we head toward an election the likes of which we may have never or will never see again, we can take solace in that the private club industry is in a strong position to move forward, with both member and private funding readily available. Post-pandemic normality has returned and waiting lists are shrinking across the industry as clubs look to renew their relationships with their current...

Colin Burns had only 4.5 years of experience in hospitality when he applied for the club manager’s position at Winged Foot, one of the most storied private golf clubs in the nation, if not the world. And, after an eight-month search process, he was selected as the club’s next general manager – all 31 years ago when Colin had just crossed the line into his thirties. He recalls the president of the club asking him if Colin weren’t a tad young for the job. Colin replied: It’s not a permanent condition. As we watch a generation of these long-serving club manag...

Our first in a series of live podcasts, celebrated ATP Tour coach and director of racquets, known to his intimates as Van, our colleague and friend Allan Van Nostrand joins the BeyondTheBaselines.com podcast. You Might As Well Win Van Nostrand says, "If you're going to be on court, you might as well win." He took that coaching mentality to his students and he brought it to, what is really his third career, the country club setting. As a beloved director of tennis at his childhood club Southward Ho, where his father had been director before him, he served that...

How do you make a private members club a destination? Aaron James, one of the leading club managers in our industry, believes it's all about creating a sense of community. His experience at facilities from the global Club Med to Atlanta's Cherokee Town and Country Club forced him to realize that member service is key to creating a destination. The Country Club of Asheville, one of the oldest and most established clubs in North Carolina and the nation, is now the focus of James's efforts, where he has been general manager for the past year. With 650 members and $1.3 million in...

Imagine forming a global conference from the ground up. And a new breed of conference at that. One which encompasses what we know as the entire racquet sport industry, not just tennis, but pickleball, padel, racquetball, squash and even ping pong! "The player of the future might have a racquet in one hand and a paddle in the other,"states Robyn Duda, chief executive and co-founder behind RacquetX, the racquet conference to be held in Miami in late March. Duda's entrepreneurship and marketing experience has brought new headlines to the industry: "Nothing Can Squash The Popularity Of Squash" and "The...

Eric Loftus was there as a businessman through the past decade as tennis grew in the Northeast, and in New England, in particular. He's been building pickleball courts throughout the region and has seen that sport rise almost as fast as slam of a whiffle ball. Now, he is hoping to be there for the boom that will be the new sport invading our shores from Europe: Padel. He believes the sun is only just rising over the future growth of padel. With his high school mate, Loftus built an empire through tennis court construction. Working with country and tennis...

Tennis and golf are two sports central to all country clubs. With such a concentration of players and spectators emanating from the private members clubs, is it that tennis is still inaccessible to many? We ask this question with famed writer Amisha Savani, the co-author to The People's Wimbledon. How the media and contributors views tennis, both at the major tournaments and at the private members club, is so important to our club industry. Last year we brought on the podcast the publisher of Racquet Magazine and this summer we recorded a conversation with one of the leading British writers...

Jesse Gotlib, having served as Director of Junior Tennis at one of New England's most elite clubs, has brought his learnings to the public sector and the inner cities of Eastern Massachusetts. After five years in the private club industry at Sippican Tennis Club in Marion, Massachusetts, Gotlib set out on his own to bring tennis to the inner cities of the port towns on Buzzards Bay along the South Coast of Massachusetts. Jesse Gotlib took what he learned in the club business to the youth in the inner cities along Massachusetts South Coast. His program, which started in just...

Before Breaking Ground, New Club Has Hundreds Of Applicants Patricio Misitrano has been a Director of Racquets at some of the best-known clubs in the country. From the hallowed clay courts at both Wee Burn and Greenwich Country Clubs through to the tennis courts at New Canaan Field Club, Patricio has served elite memberships across both Westchester and Fairfield counties for decades. But now not only will he be a service provider, he'll also be a stockholder and shareholder of his new club. The Sports Haus, which will open its doors this coming summer, is a new, energized method of...

Princeton University is known for its eating clubs: Cap and Gown, Charter, Ivy and Colonial. But this private members club isn't associated with the university and doesn't hold open houses to find new members. The Nassau Club was founded by Woodrow Wilson to bring the townsfolk and the University together. It now stands as one of the most elite dining clubs in the nation and Nathalie Wilson is its Director of Food and Beverage. Nassau Club's Food and Beverage Director Nathalie Wilson Wilson has served elite memberships across the country. As General Manager at Suburban Golf Club to Restaurant Manager...

The Grass Court Cutting King Maurice Gardner gives us the secrets to what makes great courts… and that’s grass courts. Former Head Groundskeeper at Wessen Lawn Tennis Club in Pontiac, Michigan, Gardner takes us through a day in the life of a groundskeeper as well as the cost of the maintaining such a high standard of grass courts. The cost of keeping grass courts appears to be often too high, and in the case it may have been too high for Wessen which went out of business after boasting itself to be the first grass court club built in the...

Not the Swing, but Visibility, Member Service and Access is Paramount for any Department Head Visibility is crucial for a Director of Golf and Pat Gunning understands that. His daily ritual as Director of Golf at the famed Noyac Golf Club takes him to the club to greet the members teeing off at 6.30am. His day is basically set up to make himself as visible to the members as possible. Although at the club most of the day, he limits the number of hours he teaches, so he remains available to the membership, and sometimes more importantly, to his staff. ...

Here at Beyond the Baselines we're excited to catch up with the co-founder and publisher of Racquet Magazine, Caitlin Thompson, for our latest podcast.   Caitlin Thompson, former D1 player for University of Missouri, and editor of Racquet Magazine Caitlin offers wise and salient observations on the state of tennis, both on the court and in the media, just as getting on the court and socializing with like-minded friends remains as important to Caitlin as is scheduling a business meeting in an office, In fact, she seems to enjoy the court more as an office! A former Division 1 player at Mizzou, Ca...

Shaun Boyce is a gifted junior instructor. He and his wife, Geovanna, have taken his tennisforchildren.com and tennis for hundreds of kids in the Atlanta area to new heights, year after year. From preschools to home owners associations, Shaun has taken his love and passion for instructing the younger players in our sport on the road across the metropolis that is Atlanta. Shaun and his wife, Geovanna, are the team behind tennisforchildren.com Teaching juniors is a distinct talent. It's never easy and it's always a challenge. The challenge to keep the attention of juniors with, say 5 or 8 on...

The Club Manager. We think we know the role as members, as boards and governors. Growing up in Stowe, Vermont Elle Anderson thought she knew all about the club up there too, especially as she returned to her home town after a career as an elite athlete. Anderson returned home in 2020 and wanting to start a family. Well, she not only started a family. She also started the ball rolling at Stowe Tennis Club, one of the best-known tennis clubs in New England, as she now heads into her third season as the club's General Manager. Elle Anderson, General Manager...

After graduating from Arizona State, a young woman who loved to travel had one thing in mind: wanting to work at Club Med. She began to teach tennis there on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. It was there, she realized that adult programming can be the secret behind a greater and bigger club and program. Michele Krause, the Queen of Cardio, joins the Beyond The Baselines Podcast. Michele Krause saw an opportunity way back in 2004 to help the Tennis Industry Association launch Cardio Tennis. And since that hurricane-ravaged year in Florida, Michele has never looked back. How To Double Court...

Andres Robelo loves tennis. He grew up with tennis. His parents played tennis. But he couldn't find a game in Miami. "I could run a business with technology. I could book a table at a restaurant or order a car with software. I couldn't order a tennis game," and behind this came the fruition of Play By Point and PlayByPoint.com. But during his journey, he's found an interesting tidbit of information. Private members clubs have decision makers, but those decision makers are rarely the operators of the facilities. Play By Court, Manage By Committee He was shocked when he...

By Ed Shanaphy, CMAA As 2022 brings in a new breath of life to so many in our industry as we battle a virus, so too does the job market show even more signs of life and recovery. As we look to either expand club offerings or find a new, dynamic club manager or department head, we must consider the pathway to success. Far too often, it's been years since a governing club board has had to fill a major role. This usually means these governing bodies are out of practice in terms of communication and out of the practice of...

by Ed Shanaphy, USPTA, CMAA Kate Cole and Laura Fox are the Instagram influencers creating a social media storm for women tennis players. Kate’s Instagram account, which focuses on tennis, cocktails, fitness and how she makes time for all that around motherhood, has over 1,600 followers. Laura Fox, known as The Tennis Fox, is renowned for her outfits and has been entertaining the enormous group of tennis-playing women and mothers across the country and around the globe with her daily posts on social media. Laura Fox is The Tennis Fox on Instagram. Both have been approached by brands to influence th...

by Jennifer Gelhaus, USPTA and Director of Tennis In our sports-hungry culture, we watch the NHL, MLB, NFL, the ATP. Finally, we are receiving coverage of the WNBA more often and watching the LPGA and the WTA. In this age of inclusion and diversity, women's sports are, perhaps, finally gaining some ground in terms of public viewing on a national television basis. But our perception of "coach" isn't changing one bit, according to a professor of sport management. Fomer college student-athlete and now world acclaimed professor, Dr. B Nalani Butler, Ph.D. joins the BTB Podcast. Dr. B. Nalani Butler...

Angela Wilson was fortunate enough to have really good coaches who were in the game of coaching. That made the difference for her growing up playing junior tennis and into her college career at the University of Indiana. Her foundation really helped her to become a great coach long before she became Club Manager. But, it was also a driver. Her love of coaching battled with the time she needed to devote to club management. Angela Wilson, General Manager, Western Athletic Club With her accounting background, Angela realizes how difficult it is for some coaches, who stay in coaching and...

Tennis has a beautiful history, and Jim McCready is at the forefront of keeping that history alive and in front of tennis and sport fans across the world. Former Director of The APTA and a legend both on the tennis and platform tennis courts, Jim states that "tennis has been his life." His collection subtitled, Tennis At The Turn, started at The Belle Haven Club in Greenwich, Connecticut with a couple of 19th Century beautifully crafted wooden racquets. 40 years later, Jim is still accumulating racquets, memorabilia and art all connected to the history of tennis and sport. Jim was way...

Jennifer Gelhaus has always been before her time. She started college early at the tender age of 16, after being recruited from her native Venezuela to play Division II tennis here in the United States. She left home and took a chance. She took a step into college coaching before moving to Long Island and serving as Director of Juniors at one of the most prestigious clubs in the nation, Maidstone Club. Now, she's taken a leap once again, and has moved on to become Director of Tennis at East Chop on Martha's Vineyard. In her second year, she shares with...

Simon Gale, Director of Racquets, USTA National Campus Simon Gale is at the top of our industry. As the Director of Racquets at the USTA National Tennis Center in Lake Nona, Florida, Simon oversees four head professionals and nearly one hundred courts across the campus. From hosting national USTA league finals to teaching locals on a daily and weekly basis, Simon has taken the USTA National Campus to new heights. And this month, he's taking it to new sports. Padel and Pickleball are set to be a part of the scene at the Lake Nona facility, which houses also the...

Denise Duda, one of the leading Directors of Fitness in the country, is this week's guest on the BTB Podcast. Denise Duda recently retired as Director of Fitness and Wellness at Orchid Island Golf and Beach Club in Orchid, FL. Having accepted a new challenge up in New York for just a few months a year, Denise now being semi-retired opened up to us about her work, her programming and her secrets behind her incredible success at one of the leading Platinum Clubs of America. What Denise never neglected was her time within the corporate hospitality industry. She brought that...

A Podcast in our Series: Women in our Industry Cari Buck grew up at one of the elite clubs in Massachusetts, The Wianno Club.. Her father was the director of tennis at the summer club in Osterville, Massachusetts. She's never forgotten those days, and from those childhood summers and watching her father managing and marketing a tennis department she knew what she wanted to do. Cari, did just that, and is one of those rare finds: a female director of tennis. Cari is well-versed in our industry, having worked as a general manager for World Team Tennis, as a USTA...

Doug Cash Joins the BTB Podcast Doug Cash, founder of CashFlow Tennis, joins the BTB Podcast and discusses how Covid has changed the club industry and what to expect as we head through 2021. Nothing will remain untouched by the virus, says Doug. From the large fitness national chains which have lost up to 70 percent of their monthly dues revenues, through to country clubs which, on the other hand, have been seen as sanctuaries and have raised dues. Every facet of club membership is evolving as Covid declines. Doug Cash, owner of CashFlowTennis.com, joins the BTB Podcast this month. Doug...

CNN and Fox News Contributor Vero Gibbons joins the BTB Podcast! Vera Gibbons joins the podcast today for a discussion of all things tennis, Presidents and the steady migration of Americans to Southern States and what that might mean for tennis and court availability next winter, dinner reservations and traffic up and down the Florida peninsula. Vera, a heralded newscaster, started her career on the financial side of journalism at the Kiplinger Report. She moved on to CNBC and the show "High Net Worth" and was a part of CBS’s financial team at "The Early Show." Many of you wi...

Butch Buchholz had an idea. He had an idea as to what professional tennis should look like. He had a dream and he played and toured the world with a vision. And in August of 1967 he played in front of a packed Centre Court at Wimbledon and guaranteed the presence of paid professional players returning to Wimbledon in June of 1968 and the beginning of the Open Era. Wimbledon, in 1967, had invited 8 of the touring pros - back before pros were allowed to play at all the Grand Slams. The pros were a group of "vagabonds" and the chairman of the...

Margit Bannon Joins The Podcast In Our Series On Women In Our Industry Magit Bannon, USPTA instructor, yoga teacher and now entrepreneur takes us through her jump into self-employment. Having a court in her backyard and looking at her 30 minute commute for many years, she has jumped into business for herself with her Play Tennis, Practice Yoga brand, based in Punta Gorda, Florida. What she didn't realize? The amount of time she would be spending on marketing and social media along with the communication. But Margit is happy to be crerating new relationships in the industry and looking to move...

Kelsey Waite, Head Professional at Bethesda Country Club Joins the BTB Podcast She once heard the term unicorn used to describe a female teaching tennis pro, and that picqued her interest. Kelsey Waite had completed her college degree and was figuring out how to apply her newly found skills in science and French when someone asked her to help teach tennis. She's now a Head Pro at one of the country's most elite clubs. Kelsey Waite - from waitress to head professional. Coming to the industry unexpectedly, Kelsey has used her outside influences from college and life to help create...

Harry Gilbert really does direct an orchestra, an orchestra of well-trained staff members, junior players and adult club members. He does it with aplomb and always with a smile on his face as he has waved his racquet and baton at clubs up and down the East Coast and on the islands for the past 40 years. Director of Tennis for the last 23 years at Waccabuc Country Club, located in the hills on the Westchester and Putnam county line in New York State, Harry has built an engaging and enormous program at a small, family club with just six Har-Tru courts...

Patrick Kearns, Executive Director of 4-Star Camps, joins the BeyondTheBaselines.com Podcast in the third of our series "From The Director's Desk." Patrick Kearns, former Director of Tennis at Farmington Country Club and The Country Club of Darien, joins us as the Executive Director of 4-Star Camps based at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Although this past summer he had to cancel camp, this summer he is also looking to possibly defer camp for another year. He explains that Covid-19 really is acting as a catalyst to what might have been happening in the industry prior to 2020. Camps and...

Wick Simmons, former CEO of NASDAQ and Chairman of The Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport, Joins The Podcast Hardwick Simmons has been in the financial world for over 45 years. He's played tennis since the age of 8 and the first job he held was rolling courts at his beloved club in Marion, MA. He still plays tennis there at the club and remains active in finance and the business world. Just how did this Wall Street financier combine his work life with his love of tennis and help to bring the ATP to fruition and the WTA major growth? Find out...

Chris Gale, Director of Tennis at River Oaks Country Club, joins the BeyondTheBaselines.com and our "From The Desk of The Director" Podcast Series From his Australian birth, to the roots he set in New York, through to his work at some of the most elite New England Clubs, Chris Gale now finds himself at the esteemed River Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas. Chris discusses how his personal growth and business experience in the industry allowed him to follow his path to a club with 4,500 members and 15 teaching professionals. River Oaks, with a net asset value of close to $50...

Michael Morrison literally sees it all - from first serves to the longest drive. Having worked all the major tennis and golf tournaments and events such as the Olympics, Michael has a finger on the pulse of the ATP and WTA Tour like no other person. He monitors each golf and tennis major from the first tee off and first serve to the final putt or winning championship point. Serving the broadcast and sporting industries for over a dozen years, Michael has found a niche combining software development, stats and video production. And now he let's us in on some...

by Ed Shanaphy, USPTA, PTR It's the age old question: What should be a tennis professional's compensation? Is your club paying too much for that junior tennis instructor, that Pilates instructor, or is your department head at tennis or fitness leaving annually because the compensation package is just too low for your region? There are so many ways to slice a pie, there seems to be no clear industry standard as to what a "regular" compensation package should be for an instructor or a Director of Tennis or Fitness. With on-court revenue splits, independent contractor versus employee status, and with...

Author and outstanding player Judy Aydelott recounts the many places she and her husband, Gordon, have played and the people they have met through tennis in the half-century of playing as top amatuers in the nation. From the national husband/wife tournament to raising two daughters, both of whom are outstanding athletes, Judy takes us from the beginning of the family's love of tennis, to the courts of Waccabuc Country Club, to the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow. Judy and Gordon Aydelott on tour. After years of people saying "You should write a book" - well, Judy did...

Emma Doyle is one of the world's leading tennis coaches. But she is also finding that her role as a coach provides her insights into her clients inner selves, Tennis mirrors life and Emma finds that females are more empathetic than their male counterparts.

Dave Fish, former coach of the Harvard Men's Team, joins us and reflects brilliantly on how the changes we are seeing in society at present can be traced in almost direct parallel through the development of the game of tennis in America and the establishment of the Davis Cup. He then looks across the Covid-19 issue and societal pressures and forms what he sees might be a new paradigm in local, national and international tennis. "Never Let A Good Crisis Go To Waste" Dave puts in perspective, by referring back to the 1960s and 70s and how his collegiate career...

As a business owner and leader in our industry, Kalindi Dinoffer has led the industry not only with training aids and creation of tools for teaching professionals, but also in marketing. Kalindi's efforts in marketing her brand both at national industry conferences, through social media and video presentations have introduced her as a leader in our industry. As Kalindi starts to mix and dabble with mindfulness and combining that in her life and business with her tennis following an injury-prone career of competitive tennis, she takes us on a journey through training, meditation and marketing. Discussing who served as her...

Director of Junior Tennis Christen Zawatsky discusses working in tennis as a female for a female director and why she doesn't like to coach ladies club teams.

A National Town Hall discussing restructuring staff at country clubs as facilities reopen amid Covid-19

By Ed ShanaphyA second report in our series: Women in Tennis Amy Pazahanick always knew she wanted to start a tennis academy. She knew it long before she graduated from college. She knew it with every tennis ball she hit during practice as a kid. She knew it while she played nationals and headed to a Division I school. By the age of 26, she thought. Pazahanick did it. She didn't just start an academy, however. Amy now finds herself running one of the fastest growing management firms in the nation. Her firm, Agape Tennis Academy, established in 2012 on the outskirts...

Home Owners Associations for tennis can be rife with politics. Here are the secrets to making, marketing and managing a top-notch HOA.

How a Director of Tennis at one of the country's elite, seasonal country clubs sees his role as informational and year-round.

With the Corona Virus epidemic affecting year-round clubs, we focus on the seasonal, member-owned clubs and how they are working with their members and staff toward an uncertain summer.

Rolex, Tennis and Golf. Marketing to the elite clubs. How the tennis and country club landscape has changed over the past 30 years due to money and lifestyles.

How you can create a better club, tennis or fitness department given the opportunity of down time created by the Corona Virus.

We were happy to catch up with Randy Walker at The Boulevard Tennis Club in Vero Beach, FL. Randy, owner and President of New Chapter Media, is not only a tennis publisher, but also an avid player, marketer and tournament director. Randy directs the annual tournament for the Mardy Fish Children's Foundation. Part of the USTA Pro Circuit, this tournament serves as the biggest fundraising opportunity for Mardy's foundation. Randy discusses with us how he markets and communicates to the many demographics along the Treasure Coast of Florida for the biggest fundraiser for Mardy's foundation. Marketing Secrets From One Of...

The BeyondTheBaselines.com podcast is here! A weekly look at the country club and facility management. Our weekly show will bring industry experts and club management advisers to help us analyze the current state of the industry. With exclusive insights and strategies, our weekly show will help any club's management team. We go beyond the baselines to bring you the best consultancy for club management. As the nation's pre-eminent consultancy to country clubs and leisure facilities, BeyondTheBaselines.com is a leader and brings best-business practices, club and department management, and staff retention to clubs across the nation. This week's feature...