However, everyday tennis players in Westchester can now enjoy professional-level treatment thanks to the Saw Mill Club,
At the club's recently refurbished and expanded Pro Shop by Solfire, which opened earlier this month, players can give their racquets some TLC thanks to professional stringer Colin Athens, who for many years took care of the racquets of leading professionals at the ATP men’s tournament in Atlanta.
“I want to make every person who comes into our shop feel special and I want to make them a better player with the right strings, tension and maybe even racquet,” said Athens, who was a top national junior tennis player growing up in Atlanta. “It‘s a more customized approach, more hands on.”
Saw Mill Director of Tennis Bob Bull considers the Pro Shop as an extension of the club’s superior junior and adult tennis programs. “The correct equipment is as vital to the success of any player as is good coaching,” said Bull. “Now, it’s one-stop shopping here at the club if you are looking to improve your game.”
Athens started stringing his own racquets as a junior player and then had the opportunity to learn “the tricks of the trade” at the side of a master stringing for years at a pro shop in his hometown. “About 90 percent of the people who come into the shop don’t know much about racquets and with just about one look and learning about how they play, I can almost to a tee select and suggest what racquet and tennis they should play with, “ said Athens.
The focus of the shop will be on tennis featuring a wide assortment of top racquet models and strings, accessories including grips and a full range of the boutique brand Solfire clothes designed locally at the company’s plant in Brooklyn.
For more information, contact the Pro Shop at (914) 241-0797 or proshop@sawmillclub.com