From Palm Beach to Toledo
A victory and fingers crossed for a comeback
One could argue that there’s something Shakespearean about this week’s issue of Clubland USA.
Readers will discover the fascinating squash legacy of the Toledo Club which is located in of all places, yes, Toledo, Ohio. You might be as shocked to learn that squash is played in Toledo as this Southern boy was to discover shrimp etouffee on a menu of a white tablecloth restaurant in Rhode Island!
But, nonetheless, leave it to Ishaan Jajodia to bring the full story in this week’s issue.
Yours truly brings an update from Palm Beach, Florida which was rumored to be mulling a permeant ban on new private clubs. Breathe easy, Palm Beach club rats! Your clubs are safe — for now.
And, Clubland USA has decided on the rare occasion to suspend this week’s Dispatches for a note on the “Cole Haan controversy”. The note was authored by Ishaan Jajodia . - LR
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Glass City Squash
The Toledo Club’s squash programme has an illustrious history, beginning in 1924, when they built their first squash courts, making it one of the first clubs in the Midwest to acquire squash courts. While it took them a sliver beyond a half-century to recruit their first squash pro, Tom Rumploer, over the years they’ve had quite the line-up, including the legendary John Seidel, who held court for more than three decades, beginning in 1988, under whose direction the club began hosting an iconic squash event for pros and amateurs alike, the Toledo Squash Classic, on their five courts.
The Toledo Squash Classic is, in the words of the Toledo Club member, John Skeldon, “one part squash and two parts party”. Word on court, however, as relayed by the inimitable Detroit Athletic Club squash pro who extrudes energy from down under, Mick Joint, is:
“Come and enjoy the incredible service of John Seidel and his band of merry men as they pamper you with beer, squash, beer, beer, some more squash, some food, beer, and a couple of models that will serve you more beer, a party, beer, a dinner, the Haka, beer, and if you are still standing by Sunday morning, some more squash. And beer.”
There’s one thing that runs across all accounts of the Classic: it’s a jolly fest.
To continue reading this free article by Ishaan Jajodia, please click here.
Palm Beach to Clubland: You’re in the Clear
Palm Beach, Florida residents and visitors alike have grappled with traffic concerns for years. This has only become a bigger issue since the Covid-19 pandemic and has become even worse over the past year.
Town officials were led to believe that the influx of traffic was the result of food and beverage establishments, including the plethora of private clubs that stretch across the town. And yes, that includes Mar-A-Largo, the primary residence of President Trump.
As a result, the Palm Beach Town Council requested studies into the impact that food and beverage establishments had on traffic. Soon after, a draft zoning proposal imposed a temporary ban on all food and beverage establishments — including private clubs— from developmental review was implemented in July 2024, as reported by the Palm Beach Daily News.
To continue reading more of this article by Leonard Robinson, please click here.
A Note on the “Cole Haan Controversy”
At a cocktail party hosted by Clubland USA editor Leonard Robinson, I was confronted by an irate Clubland USA subscriber. (Yes, they exist and usually are close friends of Leonard’s!)
At the heart of his contention was the Cole Haan phenomenon. Clubland ran a piece by yours truly that ended on the following note:
“With the advent of Cole Haans and other memory-foam-soled leather shoes that marry the comfort of sneakers to leather uppers, there’s no reason to not get comfortable. J’approuve.”
To be fair to our friend and irate subscriber, there are many good arguments for standing athwart the Cole Haan trend. I remember when club staff could, upon suspicion, knock upon the soles of your shoes to ensure that you were wearing the right and proper thing. It was memory foam that was the enemy of good taste, and they’d make sure you knew it.
Other, more philosophically inclined individuals could say that they violated the teleology of the dress shoe: one would be subject to some measure of discomfort in order to look decent, the sort of thing that would remind one of the value of being well-dressed. I’m not a sucker for pain, though breaking in a pair of new leather shoes has caused me to put on the faux aura of a stoic (I am not one).
But our friend did not make the distinction between the two different kinds of Cole Haans. There’s the white-soled sneaker-cum-leather shoe that is the bastard child of the sneaker and the dress shoe, but fulfills neither function. Of that we most certainly disapprove.
Thus, we end on a modified note: embrace dress shoes, brown and black alike. But not white soled, half-bred sneaker-and-dress-shoe dupes: don’t let anyone know that you might be wearing one. Mask it well, enjoy the comfort.
In the meantime, I’m going to brave through the blisters that come with breaking in new leather shoes. - IJ
Please be sure to read our next issue on Tuesday, July 29.