The Fort Lauderdale Pickleball Club, also known as The Fort, is proving itself to be a premier destination for pickleball players and a model of innovation and inspiration for pickleball club owners. Open since January 2025, the ten-acre complex is growing and learning every day to meet the goal of becoming a place for everyone.
While the complex boasts 43 courts total, with 14 covered with a solar panel roof to battle the Florida sun, The Fort is more than just a place to play pickleball. It also features indoor and outdoor restaurant seating, an event center, wellness center with a cold plunge, infrared sauna and a physical therapy hub, live music stage, an 8-acre lake with a beach and more.
Co-founders Brad Tuckman and Rich Campillo like to call it an “un-country club.”
“We want to offer services and amenities for members and non-members to come back,” says Brad. “Our goal is to make The Fort a social destination that is welcoming to all.”
One way The Fort is living up to its goal of being welcoming to all is by offering programming for all levels of players. The club is split between high-level competitive and social/recreational players with room to grow. Organized play formats include leagues, ladders, mixers, money ball, date night, ladies night etc. Brad says they have learned it is the lower-level players that generate more income for the club as they are more likely to participate in lessons as well as have a game then stick around for a meal or a few drinks with friends.
“Ideally, our membership would be 1/3 who have never really played, 1/3 having fun and getting better and 1/3 serious players. This gives every member someone to play and socialize with.”
On top of the full-service restaurant, beach and live music area, a crowning jewel at The Fort is the oversized grandstand court with spectator seating and stadium feel.
Brad says they intentionally designed the facility so the grandstand court is the first thing you see when entering The Fort. They also intentionally try to put clinics or lower-skilled players there to not make it as intimidating when you walk in, as The Fort is a place for all levels of pickleball players. Brad also passed along that The Fort opened just in time to have their stadium court be a part of the ATP Tour!
A common concern of pickleball club owners is how to diversify revenue, The Fort included. While their scale allows for different opportunities, many of the strategies are suitable for clubs of any size.
Offering a wide variety of amenities makes The Fort appealing to a wider group of people. While your club might not have a dedicated music venue, even offering a one-person band or music night can bring in guests for a small cover charge. With the large amount of tourists in the area, The Fort offers day passes along with social memberships and has recently started pursuing outbound sales to book corporate events of any size.
As more and more travelers book their vacations around pickleball, be sure to have your club listed on sites including Pickleheads, PicklePlay, PlayTime Scheduler etc. Take advantage of nearby tourism hot spots! The Fort for example, is close to cruise ports and is working on pre- and post-cruise tour packages as the propensity of people who book a cruise are 2X as likely to play pickleball!
Another revenue generator for The Fort is through sponsorships. As membership and visitor numbers continue to grow, The Fort is trending towards 1.5MM visitors coming through their doors, which is more foot traffic than many pro team stadiums. This is attractive to sponsors wishing to engage with The Fort’s diverse age and socio-economic membership base along with the pros and ensuing visitors that attend.
“Some sponsors want to engage the community by sponsoring industry nights for local restaurant staff, others want to be a part of the concerts or park their cars in our facility and we’re here to support is all,” Brad says.
A large part of supporting their sponsors is through the 18-hour livestreaming video. All 43 courts have play site cameras and details on who is playing on the court at that time. Viewers can select if they want to watch a lesson, a 3.5 singles match or a 4.5 doubles match for example. This not only grows interest in the club, it helps players become better and provides even more eyes on sponsor banners and signs. While 43 courts is definitely impressive, this can be scaled ot any level and provide the same benefit for sponsors and viewers alike.
Membership pricing is also strategic at The Fort with pricing tiers for off-peak hours vs. all hours, price breaks for full-year memberships vs. month–to–month and a social membership.
“Our $69 social membership offers five visits per month,” Brad says. “We have found most social membership purchasers live 60 – 90 minutes away and stay for the whole day while dining, playing and shopping at The Fort in our pro shop that features name brand The Fort gear, paddles and more.”
The success of The Fort is in large part to the vision of Brad and Rich who have created a pickleball destination by offering a winning mix of competitive play, social programming, amenities, and memorable experiences. Whatever the size of your facility, utilizing what is in your backyard and building upon the experience within your doors could be the way to success today and in the future.
