Beyond the Baseline: Carefree Racquet Club
“Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.”
The famous line from the iconic theme song to one of America’s most popular television shows, Cheers, represents the goals many local businesses have while trying to establish themselves in a community.
But for Carefree Racquet Club in North Merrick, it’s more than a goal, it’s at the core of the club’s mission and has been since it was opened in the early 1970s.
“We want to run good programs in a well-maintained club. We never wanted to feel corporate, instead wanting to feel more like a family,” explained General Manager Kathy Miller. “That feeling starts at the top. The owners have always made me feel like so much more than an employee. They tell me we are a family and I have always felt that way with the hopes that that feeling trickles down to the rest of the staff and our customers.”
The top refers to owners Alan Fischl and George Haber, who bought the club from Donald Monti back in 1982. Monti opened Carefree in 1973 and, as the story goes, decided to call it “Carefree” in reference to the town Carefree, Arizona, which was Monti’s favorite place in the country.
And since the Fischl and Haber families took over the club in ’82, they have put a strong emphasis on cultivating a welcoming environment where all the people involved with the club, from management to staff to customers, feel like a family.
Miller began working at Carefree as a part-time desk receptionist when she was in college, and immediately enjoyed the work environment. A few years later, she would become the Club’s League Coordinator, a position she thrived in and which really opened up her eyes to what Carefree was all about.
“I really enjoyed being the league coordinator,” Miller recalls. “I loved putting good level leagues together and seeing the players have good games, and I always enjoyed seeing the friendships that developed. After that, I left for a few years and came back as the Club Manager in 1996. It was more work and responsibility but I still enjoyed the people and running the programming.”
And so beginning in 1996, Miller became the face of one of Long Island’s top tennis destinations, and has been integral in maintaining the atmosphere that is at the core of Carefree’s ethos. 
That isn’t a sentiment only shared by the club’s management, but also its loyal customer base who continually come back and make Carefree their home-away-from-home, a tradition sometimes passed down between generations.
“I have been playing at Carefree on and off for close to 40 years. I learned how to play tennis at Carefree as a child, my mother spent the majority of her recreational tennis years at Carefree, and my children now play here,” said Cristina Leek. “Carefree has fostered my passion for tennis, and has positively affected me physically, mentally and socially.
In my latter years and after experiencing events with tennis friends such as celebrating milestone birthdays or grieving the loss of my friend, I realize and appreciate the level of camaraderie Carefree has given me. I have many memories at Carefree from childhood to present that underscore my gratitude and understanding of what an amazing community Carefree has developed.”
Annmarie Conniff, who has been playing at Carefree for nearly 20 years and represented the club on many different USTA League teams, echoed that notion, and discussed just how impactful playing tennis at Carefree has been for her.
“I have played at a lot of clubs, and I will tell you like I told Kathy last week: Carefree is a family, it’s not just a club. There is always a leader in a family and ours is Kathy Miller,” she said. “She sets the bar so high, and has helped us use tennis as therapy. I personally have struggled with scary health issues over the years, but I thoroughly enjoy my time at Carefree. The courts are our happy place. If you’re sad or hurting, the staff at the desk greets you so lovingly. They really take the time to get to know everyone, and the teaching professionals know what’s going on with you also. I don’t know how I personally could have gotten through all I have without the love and support from so many at the club.”
Since 1996, Sharon Austin Whiteley has been going to Carefree for all of her tennis needs, visiting the club about four to five times per week, and whether it’s drills, open court time or league play, she has always felt at home.
“I didn’t grow up on Long Island, so my circle of friends is mainly those who I’ve met at Carefree over the years,” said Whiteley. “I actually talked to someone about this subject recently; we love the exercise and the game itself but for many it’s those we meet along the way. I have a place where I’m guaranteed to laugh, play tennis, challenge myself, and have a great time every time I walk into the building.”
That love and support between players, members and staff begins as soon as the customers walk in the door. Miller makes a point to tell her staff during meetings that every customer is greeted when they come into the lobby.
“I want that relationship between staff and customers where the customer feels good coming here, and they can come to us with anything,” Miller added. “We try out best to take care of all their needs and want to see everyone happy and having a good time.”
And just like any family, it isn’t always about enjoying the good times, but sometimes it means coming together and being strong during difficult times. At the end of 2023, the Carefree family was devastated to learn the passing of longtime member Carol Esposito While she was battling her illness, members of Carefree brought meals to her house, took her for walks, brought her to her favorite spots to just sit and relax and consistently checked in on her. The wake and funeral were filled with staff members and players from Carefree, truly emphasizing the care they have for each other.
“When you reached out to talk about this article, I was having a hard time sitting down to gather my thoughts,” said Miller. “I had left the wake that day, got home and just wrote from my heart. I have to start by saying that Carol was a wonderful person and loved by so many people. I was so touched to see the amount of people from Carefree that were there to pay their respects. As we all chatted, it was them saying, ‘We are a Carefree family’, and ‘Carefree is my therapy’. It was them that made me realize how true all of that was, and I was touched to be part of it. It was the same thing the next day at the funeral. The amount of people from Carefree that were there was a testament to the incredible person that Carol was, and also to the fact that Carefree brought these people together, and that means a lot.”
The goal of every local business is to be able to foster the type of environment that makes staff members want to be there, and brings back loyal customers who eventually become more than customers or clients, they become family. That is precisely what Carefree has done for 50-plus years, and will continue to do as we head into 2024.
“At this point, when I walk into Carefree, I know I’m walking into a positive atmosphere where I’m amongst friends,” said Regina Hajdu, who has been playing at Carefree for the last 20 years. “We laugh, learn, gather, celebrate milestones, swear, share, support and cry together. Carefree is my tennis home, and we are a tennis family. We come from different backgrounds and are different levels, but we all support one another. I feel very grateful to the entire staff and it is my favorite therapy.”
With so much going on in the world today, it’s more important than ever for people to have a place to go where they can set aside troubles or negative thoughts, and it’s Carefree’s goal to continue to provide that.
“As the world gets crazier and crazier, I look forward to Carefree continuing to be a place where people can come in and play tennis or pickleball, and leave all of that craziness outside the door,” said Miller. “Hopefully everyone continues to come here and have fun, get some exercise, meet more new people, and myself and my staff can continue to feel good as we watch all of that unfold.”
