sauna... ahh

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Australia sounds so much better than the UK. All we have here is squash courts and that's it, no fancy digital clocks or anything like that!! :P

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Any Ideas for court location aswell?  I'm hoping sydney preferably,, but would move to ACT  or VIC or QLD if I had to/ if it was a better idea.

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ASB Squash products look pretty good...

 The ASB Game courts look like a bloody fantastic Idea,, As we've all heard of squash centres closing down to become other places,,, or some courts being taken over to become indoor basketball etc,, But with these courts that solves the problem! it canb remain as a squash court, but when not being used can be made into other things - "including a professional studio"   With mirrored walls... Also a good squash Idea so people can look at their techniques... It'd be different playing squash if you cou;ld always see where your opponent is :)

Also with shop products I don't just mean squash gear, I mean like food or drinks aswell etc.

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I chanced upon ASB Squash today,  some interesting court technology there such as court walls which are sand-backed and separate from the building structure. This is to insulate them from movement in the building walls from changes in humidity and temperature.

They also have an electronic tin which emits light (and optionally sound) when the ball is not up. (In the bottom navigation from the products page). That'd be a great touch to help with refereeing :)

Another idea is a website where the results of fixtures could be collected. Players could peruse their profile with match history, keep notes for themselves etc. Might be a good addition for later in the centre's life. (let me know if you need a web developer :))

The shop would ideally include a restringing service, along with the usual balls, racquets, grips, sweatbands etc.

That's all that comes to mind for now.

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Keep it up with the posts! All good IDeas So Far!

 I was thinking digital clocks.

With the Temperature control... That is a sort of diffucult one(or it can be) the control can't be in the courts, as if your hot, and everywhere else is cold, that means your body is going to heat up and cool down too quickly, resulting in sickness sometimes. My local squash courts I find Have fairly good temperature control,

 

Big Big fast wall fans outside the court, it also has 1 or 2 whirlybirds on each court( the things on the roof, (allow air in, hot air out) and each court only has 6 lights on the roof(any more and they really start to produce some heat!), as one end of the centre is pretty much like a huge window which allows plenty of natural light in,,, and it also  catches the most fantastic breeze :)   What are the best ideas for lighting?

 

And of course there would have to be a pub,   it's silly not to have one.  Dural has a vending machine with beer!,, (along with the club room, which has microwave oven, fridge sink , toaster etc.

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If exhibitions are a possibility, i'd say ample seating around an all-glass court. if you can't do a glass front wall, definitely put more seats in the rear than on the side. if you can't do a glass side wall, lots of rows of seating in the rear.

also a reliable heating/cooling system with humidity control.

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fishnicker's ideas are all good, i quite like the camera idea.  and if that is too difficult, i'd say at least have one court that you can easily set up a video camera on.  Maybe some kind of mounting bracket on the back wall.
most important thing for a proper squash centre is a good pub ;-).  no fun playing squash if you can't have a drink and discuss the match afterwards..

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Sure I'll give 'er a shot.

- more than one water fountain, and they should be close to the courts.  Ours is far away and there's only one, so you usually have to line up.  Fine if you need a long breather between games, bad if one of your few weapons is fitness

- some decent floorspace (5m x 5m?) with gym mats on the floor for stretching etc. - again, close to the courts.  I've never seen a sqaush club where you don't have to fight for stretching space, or have to stretch in a confined, awkward location 

- how about installing permanent video cameras behind each court?  The cameras could be wired up to a PC which could record any match you want (or training sessions for that matter)  Members could pay a fee for copies of these.  Cameras themeselves aren't all that expensive, disk space is cheap and so are cd/dvd blanks.  I would be more than willing to pay for such a service.

- online booking/ladder - plus a terminal at the club for members to use for booking.  I have online booking at my club, but there is no terminal there - you have to wait to go home

- non marking masking tape available for outlining the court for drills.  My club uses chalk, but the buildup can get slippery. 

- lots of stationary bikes, preferably close to the back walls (which are glass of course!) so you can bike and watch at the same time.  Maybe one or two per court.

- lots of variety - not just one brand - of disposables in the pro shop.  Stuff like over/replacement grips, balls, socks, sweatbands, shoelaces

 - clocks visible through the backwall of every court.  I'm thinking of those great clocks you see in swimming pools with x shaped second hands.  Not only for know how much time is left in your booking, but invaluable when doing drills and interval type training.  I know I never wear a watch on court, but I'd love the ability to be able to time certain drills.

That's about all that comes to mind, I hope this is what you were looking for.

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