SLTHC Wins The 2022 USTA Club of the Year Award
The USTA announced that the Salt Lake Tennis & Health Club in Salt Lake City, Utah, received the USTA’s annual Outstanding Facility Award, which recognizes excellence in the construction and/or renovation of tennis facilities throughout the country.
Four representatives of our outstanding team of professionals received the award in Cincinnati, OH, and the Western and Southern Professional Championships–the fourth most important pro tournament in the US.
We wish we could have brought our whole team because everyone contributed to the growth and development of our club. The following club leaders attended and received this prestigious award (see the photographs below). Receiving this award was particularly meaningful to Mike since the award was given in Cincinnati, the place where his father Tony Trabert grew up and where he learned to play and excel in tennis.
From left to right: Mike Trabert – Tennis Manager, Karen Sato – General Manager, Laury Hammel – Owner/CEO, and Karl Ward – Director of Tennis, celebrate the 2022 USTA Outstanding Tennis Facility Award.
From Owner Laury Hammel:
“As many of you know my family has been actively involved in what we now call the Salt Lake Tennis and Health Club since 1957 when my father, Lee Hammel, managed the Salt Lake Tennis and Health Club from 1957 through 1964. I worked at our club in various capacities from 1960 through 1971 and was the first janitor at the new club when it moved to 17th East from 9th East in 1964.
Nine years ago in September of 2013, I purchased the club and began a process of rebuilding our club to bring it back to its former glory and take it to a new level of excellence. I am thrilled to have our club recognized by this award because our team has been working every day to provide superior facilities, offer extraordinary customer service, and build a vibrant and caring community. It feels wonderful, and I hope that every one of our members, staff, vendors/partners, and friends will join us in celebrating winning this prestigious award.
I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has played a role in making our club the premier tennis club in Utah and the Intermountain section. I am humbled that I have been able to play a role in keeping an important and long-time community institution alive and well and poised for success for many decades to come. This fall we will be celebrating 110 years of serving our community and growing tennis and offering healthy activities. Please keep an eye out as we share our plans for parties, events, and other celebratory offerings!
Quoting from the USTA:
Salt Lake Tennis & Health Club is the oldest tennis club in the Intermountain Area. They have been the center for tennis in Utah for 110 years. This facility was the first adopter of the ROG program in Utah and the program has exploded over the last two years with over 200 kids attending class every day during the peak times of the year. They also host some of the top tournaments for juniors in the area. The club currently has 30 elite tennis pros and instructors who have each had impressive careers and have been instrumental in taking the Salt Lake Tennis & Health Club to new levels of success.
“Great tennis facilities like the Salt Lake Tennis & Health Club help us to grow the game at the grassroots level, and we are proud to recognize them for their ongoing impact on the sport of tennis,” said Craig Morris, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA. “Salt Lake Tennis & Health Club has embraced many of our tennis initiatives and kept the sport at the forefront of its community each year.”
Facilities were judged on the following criteria: overall layout and adaptation to the site; excellence of court surface and lights; ease of maintenance; accommodations for players, spectators, and press/officials; aesthetics; graphics (including the use of signs and landscaping); amenities such as casual seating for spectators, food services and social areas; and the facilities’ participation in USTA programs.