Under David Main’s leadership, The Toronto Lawn Tennis Club took important steps to honor its rich heritage and ensure an exciting future.
Andrew Thompson has worked at The Toronto Lawn Tennis Club (TLTC) for a quarter-century and became its assistant general manager in 2022. Writing in support of the nomination of David Main for The John Furlong Award, Thompson noted that when Main became the club’s general manager/chief operating officer in 2018, ‘[he] was able to quickly recognize underdeveloped and low-performing areas of the club.”
Surprisingly, Thompson added, one of those areas was the absence of proper recognition and celebration of the club’s rich heritage—a deficiency that became especially glaring as TLTC approached its 150th anniversary in 2026.
Main quickly set out to address this shortcoming by assembling a Heritage Committee with influential members who worked to identify key historical moments and themes for the club and build a five-year heritage plan. “Members and staff soon began to see visible signs of these efforts, as heritage pieces of art and old photographs emerged in key areas around our building,” Thompson wrote. “David also used new innovations in printing and had our team wrap our elevator doors and decorate our entranceways with historical club moments from our past.
“This marked the first time there was a clear and concrete plan for celebrating [TLTC’s] heritage in my time at the club,” Thompson added. “These efforts were widely applauded by our membership and now serve as daily reminders of the impressive and deep history of our club.”
Ensuring the Future
At the same time he directed actions to improve awareness and appreciation of TLTC’s past, Main led many changes to enhance the experience of its current membership. He also “stepped up to chair our facilities planning committee on top of his regular
GM duties,” wrote Board Chair and President Michael Hartrick in support of his nomination. In that role, Main directed a major “Serving Our Future” initiative for an $80 million (Can.) rebuild of TLTC’s iconic 100-plus-year-old, 120,000-sq. ft. clubhouse that will be completed in 2026..
“David led us to understand the need for capital dues and introduced us to a source of credible, data-driven evidence to share with and inform our membership as part of [the clubhouse initiative],”
Hartrick wrote. “Without him we never would have arrived at our successful vote [for the project].
In May 2024, Main began a new position as General Manager of Lambton Golf and Country Club in Toronto. In accepting the Furlong Award, he cited the recognition as “a celebration of the collective dedication and passion of the entire team at [TLTC].” He expressed gratitude to the club’s board and committees for “a commitment to great governance,” to its members for their “enthusiasm that fuels our collective journey and passion for the club that is the heartbeat of our community,” and to the staff for its “hard work, creativity and relentless pursuit of excellence that has been the cornerstone of our success.” “Together we have overcome challenges, embraced opportunities and forged a path towards a great future for The Toronto Lawn Tennis Club,” Main said. “This award is an testament to the power of teamwork, dedication and community.”
In His Own Words: David Main’s
Keys to Excellence in Club Management
“As a keen observer of John Furlong’s leadership and the manner in which he builds high-performing teams, I’ve always strived to adhere to his four guiding principles:
- If you’re not willing to give 100%, why give anything at all?
- Do as much good as you can, for as long as you can.
- Always prepare for the worst; you’ll always be prepared.
- There are no shortcuts—do the work.”