Longfellow opened for business in September of 1972 with four indoor tennis courts. It was an immediate hit and grew rapidly during the tennis boom of the 1970's adding two more indoor courts and four indoor/outdoor courts under an air structure. However, because of increased competition,coupled with a decreased demand for tennis, by 1980 the membership had decreased and the club was experiencing financial challenges.As fate would have it, also in September 1972, Laury Hammel created the largest junior program and tennis instructional business in New England at an indoor tennis club in Newton, which later moved to Watertown. Laury’s programs grew to the point where it became time to purchase a tennis club that could accommodate the remarkable growth of his programs.Longfellow is now a group of highly respected multi-purpose health and recreation clubs, and is currently the fourth largest independent health club organization in New England, and the fifty-sixth largest in the U.S.