GA!: Taylor, it’s been a year since you were featured in Gaston Alive! The club and grounds look better than ever!
Taylor: It is great to hear from you and thank you for the kind words. It seems our two years of hard work are starting to really pay off. The overall atmosphere and ambiance of the club is really coming together. We’ve worked on a lot, from landscaping, court work, pool upgrades and clubhouse renovations and we’re just about done with most of the major changes. Our goal has always been to become an upscale and boutique style club with an exclusive feel, and we’re well on our way to reaching that. With the majority of
renovations behind us we can now switch gears to fine tuning the programs and offering the best in classes, clinics and events for both the tennis and swim sides of the business.
GA!: What’s new and exciting?
Taylor: That would have to be our recently renovated and redesigned fitness center. With a full array of state of the art equipment, a very mellow and small user base, this private little gym is a nice bonus or perk to members when joining the overall club.
GA!: Tell me about the swim program, and are memberships still available?
Taylor: Absolutely. Just like the gym, its amazing how many people we come across that don’t know we have a pool, let alone a Jr. Olympic size pool with any entire swim program built around it. From Memorial Day to Labor Day the pool area becomes center of attention and hosts a swim team, DJ parties, swim lessons, water aerobics, even scuba lessons and so much more. But it is the social atmosphere that children get when coming to a private club pool that really sets it apart. Let the kids have fun in the sun with all their friends while you sit back with a cold beverage and or book and enjoy the good life. It’s what it is all about here at Southampton and what we spend the rest of the year waiting for.
GA! When does the pool open?
Taylor: We kick off the season Memorial Day Weekend with a big DJ Party! It couldn’t come soon enough…
GA!: I know your tennis program is absolutely rocking…
Taylor: Without a doubt. If you’re a serious tennis player in the area, you already know Southampton is the place to be and our USTA teams are a perfect example. The program is unbelievably strong with several state championship teams, and our 6.5 women’s team went all the way to become Sectional Champs, meaning they are not only the #1 team in the Charlotte Metro area, not only in NC, but in all of the Southeast! An amazing feet, and hats off to an exemplary season. But it’s not just the advanced players that get all the fun. The novice players and junior programs are really kicking into gear. We recently expanded our coaching staff to fill the demand. For those out their looking to join the tennis side of the club we only have a few open memberships remaining so don’t wait until it’s to late.
GA!: What do you guys do when you are not running the club?
Taylor: Ha, not much, the club is all consuming so we don’t really have a life beyond the club. But to tell you the truth, if we weren’t running the club we’d be members and spending all of our time here anyway. When you get the chance to do something you love, its like your not working at all.
GA!: How do most members hear about the club?
Taylor: Well your articles definitely help, and we appreciate them! But word of mouth and referrals from current club members are the most common ways. We really are one of the best kept secrets in the area being off the main roads and beaten path so to speak.
GA!: So how does one go about joining the Southampton Racquet and Swim Club?
Taylor: For those interested the first place to start would be to visit our website at www.southamptonclub.com to gather further information. The next step would be to call and set up and appointment/interview where we provide a private tour of the grounds and show you all that the club has to offer. Application time usually takes no more than a day or two and then you’ll be signed up, that’s it!
Southampton Racquet & Swim Club
www.southamptonclub.com
2813 Kendrick Road Gastonia, NC 28056 Club: 704-867-8081
By David Hamrick
