Connor (47), an IT specialist, had spent a decade working overseas in Australia and the United States and returned home with big ideas.
He was president of the club at the time and persuaded the committee to think big and put in the best facilities.
''There was cracking under the foundations and we decided to resurface with artificial grass,'' Connor told the Otago Daily Times.
Connor took on the role of project manager for the $125,000 upgrade of the courts. His management of the project and the work of the volunteers saved the club up to $50,000.
The Taieri Tennis Club sits alongside the Taieri Bowling Club and the Taieri Cricket Club, at Brooklands Park.
The facilities give the people of Mosgiel some of the best club facilities for the three summer sports in Dunedin.
''Our four-court facility is guaranteed to last for at least 20 years and gives our club members top-class playing conditions,'' Connor said.
Taieri and Balmacewen, with its five courts inside the Otago Golf Club, have the best facilities for club tennis in Dunedin.
The work involved new fencing, repositioning of the net posts, trenching for future lighting and electronic gate access, and assisting with laying the artificial turf.
It was not an easy task for Connor and his volunteers. It involved several seven-day weeks and 12-hour days.
The project was a full-time unpaid job for Connor and his reward was to help the club move solidly into the 21st century.
The courts were officially opened as a major project to celebrate the Taieri club's 125th anniversary celebrations three years ago.
The facilities have helped club members lift their game and have made Taieri a popular venue for interclub tennis.
But Connor's work had not finished. He led his volunteer band when they upgraded and painted the clubrooms 18 months ago.
Connor used his IT expertise to help the club establish a modern accounting software system and develop the club website as a communication and marketing tool.
Connor was a promising teenage tennis player when he joined the club as a 15-year-old in 1980. He was the club's best player over a long period and played competitive tennis at premier and men's division one level.
But his most important contribution to the club has been as an administrator and he displayed leadership flair when he joined the club committee as a 19-year-old.
Connor was elected a life member of the Taieri Tennis Club late last year, the first since Kelvin Brown in 2002. It is a rare honour at the club. Stephen Brenssell was elected in 1992.
