RT. 12 Pickle is an indoor pickleball club located in West Boylston, Massachusets. RT. 12 is a pure pickleball club devoted to providing quality gameplay for everyone who walks through the front door. Ben Minsk and the folks at RT. 12 have done an excellent job of introducing new players to the game through clinics and other engaging programs.
In the Spring of 2022, Minsk was ready to start a new venture. He thought starting a pickleball club would be a great way to occupy himself after spending five years in retirement: “I was retired for five years and wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself. I just knew right from the get-go that I wanted to do something.”
After playing pickleball and observing trends in the pickleball sphere, Minsk realized that pickleball was just the sort of opportunity that he was looking for: “I observed that pickleball was growing at such a fast rate even two years ago. I thought that there was a business opportunity here.” Minsk also noticed the shortage of indoor pickleball facilities in his area. New England players need indoor facilities. For the better half of each year, unfavorable weather prevents players from getting on outdoor courts. Moreover, most indoor courts in Boylston were of lower quality, so Minsk decided to seize on the opportunity.
Before making his leap into the pickleball world, Minsk built relationships with various clubs in his area to learn from them and get sound advice. After visiting a couple of different clubs, Minsk hired one of his club owner acquaintances to consult him as he began working on RT. 12 Pickle. The guidance and direction that Minsk received from others helped him to build the successful club that he has today.
RT. 12 Pickle has eight indoor courts. A couple of the courts are designed especially for clinics with a gap between each court so that instructors can move easily from court to court. Fences separate each court to prevent pickleballs from sailing into neighboring courts. Minsk compares playing on RT. 12 courts to playing outdoors except better because “it’s not just concrete that you’re playing on.”
RT. 12 also provides multiple gathering areas for socializing or enjoying a drink. While they don’t have a full-service food and beverage operation, the folks at RT. 12 do provide a limited variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. According to Minsk, hangout areas have been a great source of community: “People love it. They just love the community aspect of it and the camaraderie that they’ve developed.”
Minsk describes his club’s style as a “nice, clean look.” The courts have various shades of green and blue, and the walls are painted white.
Customers at RT. 12 Pickle also have access to a pro shop with custom merch, Joola products, and pickleball shoe orders. Minsk comments that his pro shop is not a major source of income, but players who come to RT. 12 appreciate the ability to test and buy quality paddles onsite.
Most of RT. 12’s customer base has been new or beginning players. Minsk and his coworkers see clinics as a great way to introduce people to the game and get them coming back for more pickleball: “We put a lot of emphasis around clinics.” Players who participate in introductory courses often want to move on to other skill-based clinics, and as they build their skills, they get more excited to come back to the club and play more pickleball. RT. 12 Pickle has a talented roster of certified coaches for their clinics. Minsk researched various professional pickleball coaching associations like PPR and IPTPA and found a wealth of trained coaches in his area ready for hire. Minsk remarks that word of mouth from other coaches is a great way to locate new coaches. Minsk strongly advises clubs to hire certified coaches.
When it comes to deciding what sort of clinics to put on, the folks at RT. 12 opt to go with what is popular and proven: “We look at a lot of around the country and see what they’re doing and offering. We just want to offer what people want to have.”
Those at RT. 12 have also been working to introduce college students to pickleball. Minsk reports that there are nearly 35,000 college students in the area. He says, “Our challenge really is to go out and educate them and let them know what a great facility that we have here.” Minsk recently hired a social media director to run RT. 12 Pickle’s social media, partly in hopes of reaching more college students: “We’re doing whatever we can to maximize our exposure on those platforms.” RT. 12 is also beginning to offer college-focused events which include free food. College students also have access to discounted open-play unlimited passes. For only 30 dollars, college students get access to three evening open play sessions on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
As a last piece of advice, Minsk shares the importance of marketing. He says, “There are a lot of people who think that just because you build a facility, open the doors, and have courts that business is gonna come. I can tell that is not the case.” Marketing and getting your club’s name out in the open is extremely important. Minsk uses many of his opportunities in public to tell others about his club: “I’ll go to the public courts, play on those public courts, and tell people about my place. People are looking for additional places to play because the public courses themselves are getting filled up all the time.”
Experienced coaches, educational clinics, and a clean facility can go a long way toward building a local pickleball community and spreading the sport of pickleball at large.
