Indoor Pickleball Clubs Take it Too Far

Club memberships are getting out of control, and New Jersey players won't take it.

One thing is for sure, indoor pickleball facilities are starting to pop up left and right -- and it's just the beginning.

Of course, it isn't free to play at a private facility. Pickleball clubs are businesses, after all, and businesses need to make money.

It would seem that the most logical business model for a pickleball club would be to charge people for services or rentals at the facility. Think bowling or tennis court rentals. You show up or make a reservation in advance and pay for the amount of time that you use the alley or court, respectively, or the service rendered.

While some pickleball facilities are using this model, a different trend is occurring among the new clubs that have been opening recently.

Pickleball facilities are now charging membership fees, some north of $500/year, with no substantial benefits to members other than the ability to book in advance. Now, this might seem reasonable if the other fees were low, however, the same facilities are charging upwards of $75/hour for a court rental. For reference, the standard going rate for a 1 hour indoor court rental was approximately $40/hour prior to 2024.

What's worse is that it is not just one club with this business model, it's multiple across the state of New Jersey that have opened within the past year or plan to open in 2024.

And yet, New Jersey pickleball players seem to have shown a clear opposition to these new models. Many clubs offering these types of memberships and/or charging high rates have seen very little activity at their clubs, with many having blocks of open courts throughout the day, daily. Picklebal is life, yes. However, everyone still has a line of how much they are willing to pay.

The “gold rush” type of climate pickleball has created, from a business sense, has caused millionaires and billionaires of all backgrounds to try and “get in” on the sport while they can. Many of whom, open clubs with little to no experience running a facility or any type of programming or membership business background. This has lead to pricing and structuring decisions very out of touch with the reality of the pickleball community we live in.

Let’s hope facilities, clubs, and programs that DO represent the wants, needs, and financial willingness of our community continue to grow and thrive!