Dozens of dads line up at the edge of an Olympic-sized pool. They are looking to test their cannonball skills as part of the annual Father’s Day Dadlympics event at Creve Coeur Racquet Club. “We’re all about families coming together and enjoying themselves,” says club partner Dani Apted Schlottman. “We’re focused on kids having just as much fun as parents in a place that’s relaxed but still nice.”
Fun for the whole family has been the goal of the private club since the beginning, when it was founded in 1968 by Stephen Apted. Today it is owned and operated by the second and third generations: Dan Apted, his wife Deb, and Schlottman, their daughter. “We’re built on a foundation of great tennis and great cocktails,” Schlottman says. “My grandfather and his friend Larry Miller wanted a place to play tennis with friends and have a great time, and they wanted an environment where you didn’t have to wear a jacket to dinner. My grandfather had a background in the restaurant business and Larry was a tennis pro, so they built their own club.”
Full members can take advantage of a variety of amenities, including eight indoor and 15 outdoor tennis courts, a pool and, coming soon, paddle tennis. The club also keeps on staff eight tennis pros to teach clinics and private lessons to members of all levels and ages. A more limited indoor membership is also available for those interested solely in tennis.
The club strives to make members feel like family and to accomplish this, full memberships are limited to 300. “I want to know everyone who belongs here,” Schlottman says. “It means something when you come off the court and whoever is working has your diet Coke ready. I want to make sure members get that special lounge chair they like, or favorite seat in the dining room.”
Although the club provides a fun, family-centric atmosphere, it is also serious about its sports. “We have the best tennis coaches, swim coaches and dive coaches,” Schlottman says. “We go the extra step to make sure people are in the right programs. Even for kids, we don’t have strictly recreational camps. Everyone has fun, but they’re learning from the best staff I can put together.”
Because Schlottman’s family comes from a restaurant background, the club also makes its food a priority. “We have a full-service restaurant and bar with patio access for pool members,” she says. “We don’t have food minimums on memberships because we felt you should want to eat here. It’s food we know families like—we know in the summertime Dad wants a burger, Mom wants a great salad and the kids want chicken fingers.”
Schlottman fondly remembers idyllic summer days at the club when she was growing up, and she wants members to have that same experience. “I remember playing tennis all day with my friends, jumping in the pool, getting lunch and playing some more,” she says. “We would be there all day and we loved it. It was a place where my parents and my friends’ parents knew we were safe.”