MADISON SQUASH WORKSHOP: AN INSPIRATION FOR MINNESOTA SQUASH
March 29, 2009
By Carlos Gutierrez
The four plaster walled, glass backed courts are located in an industrial warehouse less than 10 minutes from downtown Madison, Wisconsin.
The members open the door with a fob key that records their access to the club. As you open the door you see an exclusive glass sculpture inspired in squash, then you turn the corner and see the four spectacular courts on the left with a very generous ( at least 20 foot) viewing area behind the glass backs of the courts. The courts have almost open ceilings that range from 24 to 34 feet in height, occasionally interrupted by the very effective fluorescent light fixtures. If you hit the fixture the ball is out, if it goes over the light and comes back to the court the ball is in.
Some very ample bathrooms with showers for men and women will allow member to play and return refreshed after lunch or before supper.
A well stocked pro shop offers equipment and racket stringing.
No alcoholic beverages are offered due to legal restrictions, however players can bring their own.
Scheduling the courts is done online. An additional computer at the club also logs into the website to schedule courts.
Anderson Courts installed the plaster walls and maple floors that give the ball a nice spin and a bounce that I am told is just right for squash.
Insulation in the roof and the masonry walls absorb noise between the courts and avoid any echo noises.
Damon Bourne and his associate were helped by Damon’s wife to bring the 15 year dream to fruition. Damon was unable to get other entities involved in squash in the Madison area to improve their facilities and so decided that he needed to make his own squash club.
Damon and his wife bought a 15,000 square foot warehouse. The squash club occupies 6,500 square feet, the rest of the building has two tenants whose leases contribute to paying the mortgage on the building. Damon estimates that with 40 members paying $90 per month he will be close to breaking even.
In spite of the additional costs incurred, Damon was able to include many environmentally friendly features into the construction.
I f you want to visit the courts contact Damon Bourne at 608 277 0655, or visit the website www.madisonsquashworks.com . You can also contact Damon at info (at) madisonsquashworks.com
If a group of squash players in Minnesota looks at what Damon has done in Madison, we could probably duplicate the great club he just started.
