As the pickleball world evolves, so too must pickleball clubs. Pickles Indoor Pickleball Club in Hanover, Massachusetts, is a great example for other clubs looking for ideas on how to adapt. Open since March 2021, the six-court indoor facility was one of the first clubs in the area. As more clubs open and member interests and playing habits change, Pickles continues to succeed by evolving along with the times.
Previously a frequent tournament host, Pickles, like many clubs, has seen a decrease in sign-ups for multi-day events as people are hesitant to make long commitments. With that, the club has shifted towards one-day events, round robins and leagues, creating much more member involvement. The club is also experimenting with earlier start times and seasonally adjusting the club’s hours. Pickles also prides itself on being very reasonable to join and rewarding members with price breaks on programming.
While leagues are typically popular across the board, Pickles has listened to their members and tracked playing habits through their court reservation system to put a twist on them. Director of Operations, Kali Denty says the club is always trying new things to see what resonates with members, and one of them is ladder leagues.
Ladder leagues consist of two hours of playing time once a week for 10-weeks. Players move around the courts as they win and track their scores. The following week, they start on courts based on their previous play. These leagues have become very popular at Pickles as they are a short commitment that provides a lot of competitive play. The club currently only runs two evening ladder leagues, and both sell out. With such a high demand, Pickles is launching a ladies’ early morning ladder league in January 2026.
Besides ladder leagues, Pickles is also home to the typical pickleball leagues that are also great successes. These leagues run for six weeks, and many are run by members vs. club staff, which is a win-win.
“Pickles has an incredible community, and being able to have members be the captain of the leagues is both beneficial to the club and also beneficial to the league. It is awesome to see how each captain makes it their own.”
Member captains are all volunteers and take much of the administrative work off of club staff, and can choose the style of play, time and day. Captains work with their leagues to select a playing style. Some leagues play by time and blow a whistle at the end, others are up and down the river – the possibilities are endless, and all personalized.
Utilizing members as league coordinators reduces staff burden, increases member engagement, creates ownership and in turn more loyal members.
“Pickles has fostered an open, inclusive culture in which members are encouraged to share ideas, and leadership is committed to evaluating and acting on them.”
A great example is an upcoming one-day in-house tournament suggested by a member. While the tournament will be run by Pickles coaches, the members end up doing most of the marketing by telling their friends. Keeping in mind members’ hesitancy around long tournaments, they will cap it at two hours with an entry fee ranging from $30-$50. Winners will receive court credits, also keeping the club’s expenditures low.
Pickles has found that more players want to play points rather than take lessons. To meet this interest, the club introduced Live Ball, which is an instructor-led aerobic-style class. The one-and-a-half-hour sessions are held three to four times a day and are always filled to the eight-player maximum. The class leaves out serving and returning and is essentially all hand-eye coordination, being up at the net and in the kitchen.
In the spirit of trying new things and using data to track what works and what is fading, Pickles is piloting women’s play, early morning leagues, and other new competitive formats. They are also home to six indoor courts, a bar, pro shop, gift shop and a thriving community of over 600 friendly and engaged members.
Pickles NE demonstrates how flexibility and community are an integral part of a club’s success. Tracking data and creating an environment that breeds interaction and engagement work together for a viable club with an atmosphere that keeps members happy and returning.
