Sleepy Hollow Country Club, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, now has another reason to celebrate—a new state-of-theart squash center.
The club’s former, 72-year-old and outdated squash building was demolished to make way for a new 10,000 square-foot facility that houses three new ASB singles courts and one doubles court. The facility, constructed at a cost of $4 million, also includes a fitness center and a lounge for the adjacent paddle tennis courts.
William Nitschke, Sleepy Hollow’s General M
anager said: “The new squash and fitness center represents another major investment by the club to provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date programs and services for our members and their families. Based on the unanimous praise and instant popularity of the facility among the members, the club is beginning its second century on a very high note.”
Dan Jenson has been appointed Head Squash professional at the club. The 37-year-old native of Brisbane, Australia, competed on the PSA Tour from 1993 to 2007. During his professional career, he reached the No. 1 ranking in Australia and World No. 5. Prior to his appointment at Sleepy Hollow, Jenson served as a squash coach for four years with the Aspire Academy in Doha, Qatar.
“I am thrilled and honored to be a part of Sleepy Hollow Country Club which ranks in the upper echelon of country clubs in the U.S. I especially look forward to working with the members to create the most comprehensive and quality squash program of its kind for players of all ages,” said Jenson.
Among Jenson’s goals for the club is to host U.S. junior tournaments as well as singles and doubles pro events. Another is to build a program that will help younger players to develop their skills and prepare them for squash at both the high school and college level. Jenson, who is frequently sought out by top high school and college prospects seeking to raise the level of their game, said: “Squash teams are now a growing part of sports programs offered at many high schools and universities. I would like to see junior players from Sleepy Hollow Country Club’s squash program become leading players.” Jenson also enjoys working with club members who play squash as a recreational sport.
Jenson’s staff includes Mariann Greenberg, who works with many age groups and has been with the club for 30 years and Australian Kasey Brown, currently World No. 7 on the women’s professional tour.
Michael Lowry of Irvington, Chair of Sleepy Hollow’s Squash Committee, noted the dramatic turnaround in member interest in squash since the new facility opened. “There is greater interest in the game than there was when we had the old courts. We’re seeing a significant increase in the number of members playing, in kids taking lessons and the number of paddle tennis players moving over to squash.”
