A keen focus on what keeps their members happy – and returning – has led to great success for Pickleland in Austin Texas.
With nearly 400 members and nine state-of-the-art pickleball courts, Pickleland is making its mark in the Austin area pickleball community since opening in September.
Pickleland CEO Alejandro Rioja put the work in up front in order to start strong by researching a wide variety of clubs from around the country. Taking a user design approach allowed Alejandro and his business partners to see what was important to them, what they liked in other facilities and determine the best business plan for them.
Making it easier for members to book court time is the first step. Pickleland members use Playbypoint Racquet Sports Management Software at the clubs website or through a mobile app to see court availability and book their times.
Even though most customers were using a court booking app for the first time they caught on after a week or two of education. Alejandro said some members were more tech savvy than others. Staff was willing and able to work with members to get them familiar with the software.
“Our staff walked members uncomfortable with the new technology through it two or three times and then they were off and running,” said Alejandro. “It was worth the very small learning curve to give members the ability to book courts on their own time.”
Alejandro also learned people like to play with others at their level. With that, Pickleland makes it a priority for members to sign up for open play and offers a wide variety of playing options.
Observing how long players stay on the courts can help when offering court times. Most time slots are two hours, however Pickleand observed their premier players often wanted to stay for three and now offer three hour time slots twice a week specifically for that level.
With an eye on how long players like to be on the court, they also adjusted their court and booking rules to allow members to book multiple times in a day.
As Pickleland reviewed their bookings and spoke with members they learned their premier players were eager to have more time playing at a higher level. To meet that need Pickeland started an invitation-only league that continues to grow.
“Typically pickleball players join the club that is closest to them,” he said. “After starting the premier league we now have players driving from other towns for this level of play.” Knowing this group is so invested and which times work for them helps fill in the court time gaps. He also noted most of the players are non-members who pay a slightly higher court fee that helps the bottom line.
Like most clubs, it took some trial and error to discover the right formula. Feedback from members and a willingness to try new things is what has worked for Alejandro.
He also mentioned that roughly a third of their programs didn’t work or weren’t marketed or positioned correctly. The currently thriving premier club took a couple of months to get traction and recognition throughout the area. Even their very popular ladies night required a few iterations. He advises owners not to get discouraged and advised to keep going and marketing.
The club uses social media and email to market its programs and Alejandro notes that frequency is key.
“We will advertise programs at least twice on social and email with the final reminder the day before which is what we’ve found to be most successful,” he said. He added most members either forget or think something is further away than it is. The email reminder the night before spurs the most enrollment.
Pickleland continues to fill its courts while growing enrollment through consistency, perseverance and a sense of adventure. His final piece of advice is to continue to try new programs and have fun with it. With such a willing audience you never know what might stick!
