For example, the existing basketball court became a special functions terrace and an eighth instruction court provided a place for private and small-group instruction. Sloped areas adjacent to the exhibition and instruction court are now terraced seating areas overlooking the courts. The north end allows for parking and the maintenance/service yard.

Next, improvements came for the club's circulation systems. Walkways to the courts establish a geometry reminiscent of a historic renaissance villa garden. The edges of the courts parallel the walkways. A jogging path meanders between the courts and also serves for court maintenance.

Global also revamped the site infrastructure as part of the site planning process, placing all of the utilities - water, irrigation, electric and drainage- below the central walkway to minimize intrusion.

Finally, and perhaps most important, the landscaping minimizes maintenance over the life of the facility and creates an authentic character. For instance, plants with colored leaves provide seasonal color without the labor- intensive work associated with traditional annual and perennial flowers. The colors of the plants match the club's log colors. Across the remainder of the site, botanical specimens provide year-round interest for members and guests as they walk around the site.

Step Four: The court and building improvement plan
The existing club consisted of four red clay courts and three hard courts. Zuccoli and Global decided that a variety of playing surfaces would add to the club's appeal. They rebuilt the four red clay courts and added a fifth. Two of the hard courts were converted to sand-filled synthetic turf; the third was preserved as a hard court and overlaid with a cushioned system. Five of the eight courts are lit, and the instruction court includes a ball machine, an automatic ball retrieval system and video recording equipment.

Within the club building itself are full men's and women's locker facilities, aerobics and weight rooms, a pro shop and media room for viewing instructional and training videos.

Editor's note: Andrew Lavallee, ASLA, is a landscape architect with Signe Nielsen Landscape Architect P.C., New York, NY 10013.

March 1994/Tennis Buyer's Guide