The Club Behind the Concert: A Look at Life Inside The West Side

When concert-goers walk through our gates at Forest Hills Stadium, most of them are focused on the show. Then they see the grass courts.

Their phones come out. They stop, look around, and you can see the question forming: Wait — this is a club?

That moment never gets old for me.

What People Think They're Walking Into

There's an assumption that follows our name. People hear "tennis club" and picture something formal (and maybe a little intimidating).

But once they get inside and start walking the grounds, that idea changes fast. We're a real part of the Forest Hills community. We're family-oriented, welcoming, and built for people who want a place to put down roots, whether or not they ever pick up a racquet.

Grass courts are a big part of that first impression. The biggest tournament in the world played on grass is Wimbledon, and maintaining a living grass court in the northeast takes serious work. We do it because it's part of who we are. We started with the U.S. Open on grass, and we've kept that tradition alive so our members can play all the championship surfaces in a single day. When concert-goers see those courts for the first time, I think it starts to click that this place is something different.

I see this happen a lot for families. Once the kids see the pool, it's almost a done deal.

What a Day Here Looks Like

When I take someone on a tour, I walk them through a day.

Our pool opens at 9:00. You can get in a few lap swims, check some emails poolside, grab lunch, take a break, get out on the grass courts or play some pickleball. Another few rounds by the pool, then up to the terrace for dinner. You've been here since morning and you haven't run out of things to do.

That's the version I describe, and it's not a stretch. If someone tells me they can't find something to do here, I know they haven't given it a real chance.

We've also been investing in making that full-day experience more complete. We upgraded the Wi-Fi, which has brought in a lot of remote work days that turn into midday matches and stretch into dinner. We have a meeting space for corporate outings. Teams come in, play some tennis, go by the pool, have cocktails. It works really well.

We also have reciprocal arrangements with clubs throughout the world. When members travel for work or vacation, we can set them up at partner clubs with court time, meals, and pool access. That network keeps growing, and it's huge for the working professionals and families who make up a big part of our membership.

The Concert Experience, From the Other Side of the Gate

Most people who come to Forest Hills Stadium a few times a summer have no idea what the member experience looks like from our side.

Members get a 24-to-48-hour ticket window before the public on-sale opens. We have a preferred seating program — a block of four seats per member, held at the start of the season. You can buy those seats for the shows you want, or shuffle around depending on the act. There's a private entrance and exit into the stadium, a dedicated security team keeping things smooth, and a member-only speakeasy inside the venue where drinks go directly to your club account.

Then there are the parts you can't buy a ticket for.

When our members are on court, by the pool, or having lunch on the terrace, they get a mini soundcheck experience before the doors open to the public. And a lot of the performers who come through enjoy tennis. Jack Johnson spent an entire afternoon at the club before his show — down by the pool, buying members drinks, taking pictures.

This is a stage where The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix have all played. You never know who's going to be on court next to you.

Even on nights when a member isn't interested in the act, you don't have to buy a ticket. You can hear everything from the second-floor deck on the Terrace. Come for dinner, grab a bottle of wine, watch the sunset, and just let the music find you.

The History You Walk Past Every Day

We're over 130 years old. Our archives council rotates what's in the showcases throughout the year. When Stan Smith came by, we put up old photographs from his career. During the Little Mo Connolly tournament, it was her history on display, alongside Billie Jean King. We run wood racquet tournaments throughout the year that bring an older version of the game back to life on our courts. Walk through the main entry and the wall of players who've competed here is the first thing you see.

The history is always in front of you. But what keeps people here is what builds around it — the friendships, the routines, the families who make this place their own. That's what I see every day, and it's what I'd want any concert-goer walking through our gates to know is waiting for them on the other side.