Once the design was worked out, it took about a year and a half to build the club and start to find people interested in joining.
“When people in Rye Brook (over the state line in New York) heard about a club in Greenwich that was not restricted, all of a sudden we got an overwhelming demand from people in Westchester,” Malkin said, adding that at the time the club had no committees. “I put in a (requirement for) standard clothing – acceptable tennis gear that had to be primarily white.”
“We had people who joined who had never joined a club before, and never played tennis before. There were some people who said, ‘Oh, look it’s a restricted club. It’s primarily white,’ and I said, ‘No, it’s only the tennis clothes! We had one member who had bought a few hundred dollars worth of colorful tennis outfits.”
Setback: Economic Recession
Warwick and Malkin said the club opened in 1971, just in time for the economic recession in the US and other clubs lost a lot of members.
Suddenly there were openings for membership in all of the other Greenwich clubs, so prospective Bailiwick Club members had other options.
“It was tough in the beginning. We lost some of our original group that I thought would join,” Mr. Malkin recalled, adding that the period of economic stagnation impacted the club’s membership drive for several years.
“We had to keep our fees very reasonable,” Warwick said. “They’re still reasonable. It’s part of the philosophy: a family, affordable club that is completely open.”
Recruiting a Diverse Membership
The original concept for the club was to open membership regardless of race, color, religion or creed. Bailiwick was the first club to have Asian members, then the first to have Black members.
A very interesting story is that of Bailiwick Club member Thomas Sung.
“He came to the US in 1948 during the Communist revolution in China,” Malkin said. “He came to law school and became a leading lawyer dealing with immigration of Asian people in New York, and then he founded Abacus Bank, which became very successful.”
For Mr. Sung and his wife Hwei Lin and their four daughters, Bailiwick was the first club in Greenwich they could join.
“It meant a great deal to them,” Malkin said.
Next, Malkin said he set out to recruit Black members.
“I couldn’t find any,” he said.
“The president of the Urban League said, ‘You don’t understand. We don’t grow up playing tennis or swimming,'” Malkin recalled. “He accepted a free membership.”
There was an African-American tennis pro who gave tennis lessons in Scalzi Park in Stamford. I arranged for him to come to play with our pro, Louis Camino, who was Peruvian.
Malkin was able to recruit a few Black members, including some New York Knicks players, in addition to the president of the Urban League.
Membership
“This club has meant a lot,” said past club president Bill Laufer, who is from Rye Brook. “It’s a family club. We’re not a pretentious club. We’re a seasonal club. We’re not a golf club. It’s not a country club.”
Today, interest in the Bailiwick Club has spread largely by word of mouth.
“You can live down the street and not know we’re here,” said Peter Grabel, vice president of the club’s board of directors, adding that the club can accommodate up to 250 families and they are looking to bring in new members.
Members are about 50-50 from Greenwich and Rye Brook.
And while the club is considered seasonal, paddle tennis has become so popular that the courts are busy most of the year. Also there are a half dozen family events throughout the year.
At Bailiwick, members make reservations online to play tennis and paddle tennis. The pool is open from Memorial Day through the weekend after Labor day.
Dues and fees for families and singles are featured on the club’s website.
“The great thing here is, everyone regardless of their background, people got along well,” Malkin said. “It was an example of how everyone could come together and families became friends. We loved everybody. Everyone enjoyed the whole experience.”
“We’ve all enjoyed contributing to spending 20 percent of our time for a good effort for society,” Warwick said. “Everyone is welcome to apply to join, including people who are gay, Jewish, Black, Asian. Everyone is welcome.”
Note: This article was originally published in 2021 and has been slightly updated.