The club now offers 18 tennis courts, three swimming pools, an outdoor pavilion, a children's playground and a 25,000-square foot clubhouse that features dining, fitness, banquet, and tennis facilities.

But getting the tournament back wasn't automatic.

"Once a facility either declines a tournament, like we did before remodeling, or has a tournament taken away from them, it is really hard to get another tournament to host," explained Shane Wells, the club's tennis director.

As the renovations got close to being finished, club representatives contacted the U.S. Tennis Association about hosting another tournament, Wells said.

"They came out to inspect our facility," he said. "We had just enclosed and were nowhere near being finished, but their inspectors liked what they saw."

The club is "very excited" to get the tournament back, said C.W. Cook, general manager of North Hills Club.

"We are hosting the only pro tennis tournament in North Carolina this year," Cook said. "...This elevates our visibility to a whole new level, and maybe we can get more people excited about the game of tennis, as well as our club."

Even though this tournament is a showcase for nationally-ranked USTA tennis talent, both Wells and Cook point out that the club tries to broaden the event beyond tennis.

"The tournament is totally a community event, not just about North Hills. We're just the host," said Wells. "It's open to public, there are lots of free events for adults, and we're even hosting a kids' day."

The club, partnering with the Boys' and Girls' Club of America, will invite 100 kids out onto the courts for free one-on-one lessons with their trained tennis staff.

Along with tennis racket manufacturer Prince, the club will give each one of the children a brand new tennis racket.

"Sometime clubs get painted with the wrong brush, as far as not giving back to the community," said Cook. North Hills "wants to be a contributing part of our surrounding community," he added.